Creating a Stage to Share Native Culture

March 3, 2025

An Interview with Michelle Rose Reed, owner and manager of Woodland Sky Native American Dance Company

BY EMMALY WIEDERHOLT

Based in Upper Michigan, Woodland Sky Native American Dance Company tells historic stories using traditional Native American songs and dances with the goal of educating audiences about Native American stories, culture, and values. Owner and manager Michelle Rose Reed shares how the company has evolved since it was founded more than 10 years ago, its impact on students in Native communities, and its role in educating audiences about Native people today.

All photos courtesy Woodland Sky Native American Dance Company.

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Can you share with me a little about yourself and why you founded Woodland Sky Native American Dance Company?

I grew up in Upper Michigan going to Powwows. I’ve been dancing since I could walk and have always been a part of educational dance where we would talk about the dance and then perform. I was in parades showing our Native American culture. But it was never taken to the next level on a stage or highlighted in any other format besides educational settings. When we were asked to perform as part of the Hiawatha Music Festival, that’s when I said let’s come up with a name and start something different. That’s how Woodland Sky Native American Dance Company came to be, with someone trusting me enough to ask me to put something together. That was 11 years ago in 2014. I asked people I knew and trusted to help me. It was mainly my family. The co-founder was Shane Mitchell, who is from same reservation as we are, Lac du Flambeau in Wisconsin. He came up with the name.

How is Woodland Sky Native American Dance Company organized? Is there an educational component?

It is very educational, but we’re going about it in a different way. We’re telling a visual story through the dance. If you have been to a powwow, there are amazing dances and styles, but you won’t understand the stories or regalia or variety and how many different tribes there are. To actually sit in a theatrical or educational setting and hear the full story and watch it being told through dance gives people a different understanding of what you’re seeing.

We love to go into schools, and if there is a gymnasium, we like to put in lighting and turn the gym into a theater. We fit the whole school in there. We’ve had great success with having the lights out in a theatrical setting and keeping the kids very captivated by the stories and dances. One thing I think about is attention span. Kids these days are playing video games and watching movies, which have a lot of excitement and changes. I think about that when we create these educational events. Even at our shows at a university, we mic a drummer or storyteller and work with fog when we can to really create a scene. Universities are great because I can go in a week early and have a residency teaching Native artwork and Native dance fitness. I teach powwow as a workout. So they can get a taste of what it is to do these dances so when they watch it they have a greater understanding of what goes into it.

How has Woodland Sky Native American Dance Company evolved over the past 11 years?

When we first started, we had a hand drum singer and a smaller crew. As we’ve evolved, my son has become a fantastic hoop dancer. Hoop dance is a style of dance that originated from the Pueblo people. It’s a style you don’t see at powwows. A dancer is working with hoops and creating different formations and animals. The hoop dance is always our finale because it’s always the highlight. People can see the level of difficulty. People think the hoops are connected, but it’s all about how you work with your body with the hoops. Having a hoop dancer is huge.

We were having a hard time finding fancy dancers, which is a really athletic men’s dance. As a result, my brother and my son became fancy dancers. A lot of work goes into the regalia. Now we have two consistent fancy dancers.

When we first started, we were mainly powwow style, but we did other dances like the Shield Dance and the Deer Dance. We added Woodland, which you’d think we would have started with. We’re doing more dances that are specific to our tribe, Lac du Flambeau. The name means “lake of the torches.” We got that name because of our fishing style with a torch and spear. We tell that story, and if we have a big enough stage, we can bring a canoe.

Where are most of your dancers from?

Mainly from my family and people I know very well. I am a regalia maker full time when I’m not dancing. I make a lot of powwow regalia. Dancers tell the story of who they are through their clothing, so I have to get to know someone well in order to make something that represents not only them but their tribe and their family. Most of the dancers that dance with our group are people I make regalia for. Our shows are basically my own personal fashion show. My son and daughter both dance with us. My brother dances three different styles. My mom travels with us and is the elder who carries on our traditions. She’s 74. My husband does the sound and lighting for shows that are within a few hours’ drive. My older sister will travel with us and help us as well. A lot of our dancers are Lac du Flambeau, including the co-founder Shane Mitchell. We’ve branched out and added a couple more storytellers because we’ve been booking more events. Our main storyteller, Ronnie Preston, is Apache, so not from the Woodland community, but is familiar with our stories and dances. When he describes the dances, it takes on a life of its own.

How often does Woodland Sky Native American Dance Company perform?

Two years ago, we did 75 shows. Last year we did a lot less, around 25 shows. We’ve done a lot of cruise ship shows with a company called Gohagan that does Great Lakes tours. My cofounder and I travelled to The Netherlands this past October and represented our group there. Whenever we travel, we try to do education and teach more than just about dance. It’s an opportunity to open people’s eyes about who we are as a people and not just about our dancing and artwork.

When you do school shows, are the children often Native? 

It varies. We do some shows on reservations, and we also go to schools where they may have a Native program to cater to the Native students. When we have those programs at mixed schools, it’s important for us to talk to the Native students if we have the opportunity. One thing I’ve heard from students is when we go there and we talk about our culture, we give them pride in who they are. That is a goal of mine. In a lot of places around here in Upper Michigan and Wisconsin, Native people are looked down on or viewed as less than. It’s difficult to see kids going through the same thing as when I was young. The more schools we go to and bring pride to those students, the happier I am with what we’re doing.

Beyond the school shows, why is it important to present and perform Native American dances? What can audiences learn or take away from watching your performances?

As far as the cruise ship shows, we found there were a lot of elderly Caucasian people who had no idea Natives were still alive and existing, let alone that we have a strong culture. They expected us to be dressed like the olden days, asking, “Why are you wearing bright colors?” One line I use a lot is, “We don’t expect you to be wearing corsets and powdered wigs. You’re seeing the evolution of our culture.”

A lot of people wonder why we go to places like The Netherlands. Very few Native people have been on a cruise ship and let alone traveled overseas. As a community, we don’t have the opportunity to do things like that. Whenever we can, we want to expose our people to different places. Vice versa, a lot of people who I’ve met overseas have never met a Native person.

What’s next for Woodland Sky Native American Dance Company? Is there an upcoming project or focus you’d like to share more about?

In a couple of weeks, we’re going to be travelling to a Hannahville, MI, to a Potawatomi community and we’re going to do an event at the Indian school there. We will do powwow style dance, and then each of our dancers is going to talk about their journey and their regalia. At the end of the show, we’re going to announce 15 selectees who are going to be part of a powwow club and spend 20 weeks with me learning how to make their own regalia and learning their dance styles. We’ll be bringing in some dancers who are looked up to in their community to work one-on-one with the students. At the end of the program, we’re going to integrate them into our show and have them dance with us on a larger stage for their whole communities. The kids are going to talk about their journey in the program, so that we can start something in the community that the younger kids will strive to be a part of.

I have done this kind of program for three years in Alabama. It was a lot of work but a great success. I already am a little nervous because making 15 regalia sets and teaching them the dances and getting their confidence up is a big job. I hope their community understands what they are doing and appreciates the impact this will have on their futures.

Any other thoughts?

We travel all over the world and would love the opportunity to see new places and to share our culture.

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To learn more about Woodland Sky Native American Dance Company, visit www.facebook.com/nativeamericandancecompany.