IAIA Performing Arts Seniors

On Sunday, April 30, 2023, from 6:30–8:00 pm, join the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) Performing Arts Majors at the Performing Arts and Fitness Center (PAFC) Black Box Theater as they present their senior projects to the public. Four works will be presented, ranging from theatre, to dance, to music.

• Ancestors by Sean WN Seymour (Lakota)
• Dance of Struggle by Willard Claschee (Shoshone and Paiute)
• Music Medley by Wiyaka Pomarleau (Diné and Oglala)
• Rememberin’ the Child-Like Wonder by Elle Nado (Acoma Pueblo and Navajo)

Elle Nado (Acoma Pueblo and Navajo) and Wiyaka Pomarleau (Diné and Oglala) will be the first IAIA students to graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Performing Arts this May and they will soon be followed by Sean WN Seymour (Lakota) and Willard Claschee (Shoshone and Paiute) in an upcoming term.

Free and open to the public. Please RSVP to performingarts@iaia.edu or (505) 428-5952.

About the IAIA Performing Arts Program

The Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts, an Associate of Fine Arts, and a minor in Performing Arts. When IAIA became an institution of higher education in 1975, performing arts courses were taught at the school, but Performing Arts was never a degree program until December 2018. Performing Arts has been a part of IAIA for more than 50 years, and IAIA has produced numerous alums and faculty who have made grand contributions to the performance and entertainment field. In 2014, the IAIA President’s Cabinet passed a resolution to revive the Performing Arts since its pause in the mid-1990s. With the newly launched BFA and AFA degrees, the department recognizes the importance and interdisciplinary nature of performing arts in building an Indigenous vision. Through our degree programs, students discover their role as architects in creating artistic voices through theater, movement, sound, and visuals.