Hoop Dancer
Ascension Aton:wa Harjo is a 19 year old Mohawk, Kickapoo, Seminole from Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. He started dancing as soon as he could walk, soon after at the age of 2 he started Hoop Dancing like his father before him. He has traveled all over the world with his parents dancing and performing for many different audiences. He loves sports and plays on all the teams he can, his favorite being basketball. He is very involved in learning his native language of Mohawk as well as learning the traditional social and ceremonial songs. Ascension’s passion is Dance! Whether it be powwow, smoke, hip hop modern or hoop he is always dancing and has performed with the likes of Nelly Furtado, World Champion Hoop Dancer’s Tony Duncan and Lowry Begay, Santee Smith’s Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, Redsky, and Grammy Award winner Wayne Silas Jr. to name a few. He has also danced with some of the best dance troupes across Turtle Island, as well as participating in the closing ceremonies of the 2015 Pan Am Games held in Toronto, the opening ceremonies for the North American Indigenous Games (NIAG) with Taboo from Black Eyed Peas, and the 2018 INDSPIRE AWARDS!
Ascension also won the Teen Division Hoop Dance World Championships in 2018 making him one of the most elite Hoop Dancers on Turtle Island!
He won the title at the World Championships of Hoop Dance held at the Heard Museum, Phoenix, AZ. Ascension’s hope is to keep dancing and to maintain a healthy lifestyle and promote a positive self image for himself and his culture.
