Pillow Lab: Indigenous Enterprise

Pillow Lab:
Indigenous Enterprise

Residency: October 6 – 16, 2021
Showing: October 16, 2021 at 2 pm Eastern

Indigenous Enterprise is a Native American dance troupe consisting of champion dancers from what is currently called Canada and the United States. Its mission is to share the culture of Indigenous people and increase the understanding of Native identity through film, fashion, and dance. Members have toured internationally and domestically since 2015. Champion Fancy Dancer Kenneth Shirley founded Indigenous Enterprise and regularly collaborates with Champion Chicken Dancer Ty Lodgepole, Champion Jingle Dress Dancer Acosia Redelk, and Champion Hoop Dancer Jorge Gonzales, among others.

Indigenous Enterprise has produced five shows in Australia since 2017 for various organizations. It is also the first Indigenous company to perform capacity-sized shows at the Sydney Opera House in 2018 and 2019. In 2016, the company collaborated and performed with the Black Eyed Peas for a music video and live concert. That production went on to win an award at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards for the song “Stand-N-Rock”. In 2018, the company won a film award for its documentary Indigenous Enterprise at the international Chandler Film Festival. The company was introduced to Pillow audiences in 2019 as part of The Land on Which We Dance, a week-long celebration of Indigenous dance.

In 2020, Indigenous Enterprise made history by being selected as the first Indigenous people to perform on Season 4 of NBC’s “World of Dance” with Jennifer Lopez. The company was also called upon by filmmaker and choreographer Kenny Ortega to participate in and bring Indigenous representation to the 2021 “Virtual Parade” of the Presidential Inauguration of Joe Biden. This year, Indigenous Enterprise was also featured in The New York Times Weekend Pick.

In the Pillow Lab, Indigenous Enterprise will be developing a new work titled Indigenous Liberation in partnership with the Joyce Theater in New York City.

Discover more on Jacob’s Pillow Dance Interactive:

• Kenneth Shirley in Men’s Fancy War Dance in 2019.
• Tyrenn Lodgepole in Men’s Chicken Dance in 2019.