NORMAN, OKLAHOMA. – The Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts at the University of Oklahoma will host the Five Moons Dance Festival on August 24 and 25 as part of its centennial celebration. The festival will feature a series of public events including panel discussions, a Native American arts market and Shawnee stomp dancing on Saturday, August 24, and will culminate in a ticketed dance performance on Sunday, August 25.

The event pays tribute to the Five Moons, a group of Oklahoma Native American ballerinas who achieved international recognition in the 20th century. This year’s festival honors OU School of Dance co-founder Yvonne Chouteau (Shawnee). The Five Moons ballerinas – Chouteau, Rosella Hightower (Choctaw), Moscelyne Larkin (Peoria/Eastern Shawnee) and Maria and Marjorie Tallchief (Osage Nation) – were groundbreaking performers from the 1940s through the 1970s.

Maggie Boyett, communications chief for the Shawnee Tribe and a 2014 OU graduate with a degree in modern dance performance, is excited about the festival. She says it’s an honor to work with the family of Chouteau, who passed away in 2016. Thanks to them, the festival has grown in scope. Panel discussions and Shawnee cultural events have been added, and local visual artists and musicians have become an integral part of the event.