The MN Made series celebrates the dynamic range of films made by Minnesota filmmakers and artists. Presented with support from the McKnight Foundation and Minnesota State Arts Board.
Why We Dance traces the heartbeat of land through footwork, sound and circular movement, revealing how dance becomes a bridge between body and earth, self and community, and why reclaiming space matters.
On land marked by erasure and ignorance, a letter arrived in 1923 ordering hundreds of Tribal Nations to stop dancing. What officials called “unproductive gatherings” were in truth ceremonies of harvest, gratitude, and renewal — times when communities came together to thank the land, share food, and prepare for winter.
The Meskwaki people refused to be silenced. In response, they organized one of the largest powwows of their time, a four-day celebration that drew thousands from neighboring towns and Tribal Nations. The tradition itself became the resistance. One hundred years later, the Meskwaki Annual Powwow continues celebrating, gathering families, friends to dance, sing, and give, carrying forward a rhythm that could not be outlawed.
Why We Dance traces that enduring heartbeat of land and people, examines the culture and complexity of dance within Indigenous communities, and the resilience of individuals and nations continuing to preserve their traditions despite generations of erasure and ongoing atrocities. Through powwow footwork, hand-beaded regalia, stories passed down through families, the film reveals how dance becomes a bridge between body and earth, anger and hope, memory and future.
Filmed across the Rosebud Reservation, the Meskwaki Settlement, the Twin Cities, O'ahu, Hawaii and Mataxhi, Mexico, Why We Dance is both document and celebration. A story of endurance, belonging and the movement that continues to bind communities across generations and geographies.
The screening is preceded by a party in the Film Strip at The Main Cinema and will be followed by a conversation with the filmmakers.