Umi IMAN dances the Jingle Dress Dance against a white background, wearing a sacred regalia known as the Jingle Dress. IMAN’s dress, like others of its kind, is adorned with rows of metallic cones that create sound as she moves. The Jingle Dress Dance is a healing dance that originated with the Ojibwe people and is now embraced across many Native communities.

Creating a Home for Afro-Indigenous Dance

Afro-Indigenous Muslim dance artist Umi IMAN explores how home, identity, and community shape her work through Al Taw’am and Sequoia Ascension, using dance as a tool for cultural preservation, resistance, and belonging.

March 30, 2026 | Read Article