Sky Dancers was the first on our roster and they were amazing. They are an ensemble of performers of different ages from the Six Nations of the Grand River in Ontario Canada. They first began with a Welcome Dance to honor the people and land. One dancer said, “when we come together like this, we use our songs to greet our visitors and each other.” Their second performance highlighted the rich culture of Indigenous peoples in Delaware and of the perseverance traditions through social dancing. 

→ Watch their first performance on our Livestream here!

→ Watch their second performance here!

Tchin was outstanding. This year his live-performance delightfully educated us on topics including cultural diversity, music appreciation, and environmental consciousness. He explained the amazing teachings of the Rabbit’s Wish for Snow, the seldom seen or heard courting flute and other magical stories that only Tchin can bring to live.

→ There is no recording from this performance, but you can learn more about his work by visiting his website here!

Inkarayku is a fusion Andean Band based in New York City, led by the Indigenous musician Andres Jimenez from the Quechua-speaking peoples of Peru. The name “Inkarayku” is a Quechua phrase that translates to “because of the Inca” as lead singer claims, “because of the Inca, we are still here today.” Their performances combined ancestral Indigenous languages with the energy of Quechua folk songs that had the crowd dancing. 

→ Watch their performance on our Livestream here!

Richie Olivera is an Andean flute player and maker from Peru of Inca cultural heritage. His music blends the sounds of the quenas and zampoñas and will lift your spirits in an instant! Richie performed multiple songs with different flutes showcasing the range of Inca heritage honoring places like Bolivia and covered songs like “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong

→ Watch his performance on our Livestream here!

Marcus “Quese IMC“ Frejo is Pawnee and Seminole and has been performing since the early 90’s. He’s one of many multi talented artists who joined us for IPDPhilly 2023 as a hip-hop artist, speaker, activist, organizer, actor, producer, and writer. Marcus first began his performance by starting a round dance amongst the crowd and later rapped about Indigenous perseverance. 

→ Watch his performance on our Livestream here!

→ Watch the intro performance here!

Native Nations Dance Theater are a group known for their dances, songs, and passion for educating the community are always energizing. Their PowWow Style performances are led by Vaughnda Hilton of Seminole-Cree & Blackfeet heritage who said “I want teachers to teach Native history and education all year long, not just in November.” Through music and dance, the Native Nations Dance Theater accurately represented Indigenous culture and at the end of their performance involved the audience in their Crow-Hop dance.

→ Watch their performance on our Livestream here!

Canpatlaneci was the last performance of the event and they are a Philadelphia-based Aztec dance troupe led by Native Mexicans from various Indigenous communities. They referred to their music as “the medicine of sound” and their ancestral dances from Tenochtitlan and Mexico were extremely powerful and brought strength, hope, and purification to everyone at Shackamaxon. 

→ Watch their performance on our Livestream here!