Watch This! Hoop Dancer’s Fancy Footwork Across Utah

You guys have to check out this recent video of hoop dancer Patrick Willie from Utah. If you follow hoop dancing at all, you might recognize him from the Heard Museum World Hoop Dance Competition, in which he took 4th place last year. So you know he has the skills!

A little background on Patrick – He's full blooded Navajo from Orem, Utah and he's currently a senior at Utah Valley University, ready to graduate with a Bachelors in Mathematics. Smart and talented! He's been hoop dancing for almost 4 years and keeps pushing himself to be the best.

In this video, you'll see Patrick dancing in some beautiful places around Utah – each one meaning something special to him as he explains below.

“I filmed in my hometown (Orem) and areas surrounding. My older sister is a Navajo Dentist in Monument Valley and her husband is a teacher at Tse'bii'nidzisgai Elementary School and I did a performance at his school. So when I recorded my shots at Monument Valley it was the same day I had danced at the elementary which I loved, it had even more meaning to me. Each shot has its own story.”

So what inspired him to make the video?

“I wanted to encourage people to be creative. I made the video entirely for fun because I have a pure love for the hoop dance and its ability to share a story. My goal with the video was to hopefully inspire other hoop dancers creatively but also to highlight that wonderful feeling we all get, where we feel inspired, where we feel a burst of creative energy, whether it be when you hear your favorite song or watch your favorite movie and so forth. We all can relate to that inheritably magical feeling of happiness. It seems my video has been able to make people smile and with that I am so grateful.”

Well I think you just inspired all of our readers! Thank you so much for sharing your story and your talents with us! I can't wait to hear how the Heard Museum competition goes this coming year.