Albuquerque
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A Dance for Then and Now: Photos

Damari Arkie, 13, Laguna, Zia and Apache, dances with the Pueblo Dance Group at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque on Saturday, Dec. 20.
Kade Valley, 5, Acoma, shakes a rattle as Christopher Charlie Junior, Laguna, Acoma, and Zuni, beats the drum as the Pueblo Dance Group perform cultural dances at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque on Saturday, Dec. 20.
From the left, Kaliyah Valley, 17, Damari Arkie, 13, Shaynce Abeita, 16, and Darius Tiller, 9, dancers with the Pueblo Dance Group, the Laguna, Acoma, Hopi, and Zuni dancers, perform cultural dances at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, N.M., on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025.
Darius Tiller, 9, of Acoma and Laguna, prepares to dance with the Pueblo Dance Group, the Laguna, Acoma, Hopi, and Zuni dancers, at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, N.M., on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025.
The Pueblo Dance Group, the Laguna, Acoma, Hopi, and Zuni dancers, perform cultural dances at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, N.M., on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025.
Damari Arkie, 13, of Laguna, Zia, and Apache, prepares to dance with the Pueblo Dance Group, the Laguna, Acoma, Hopi, and Zuni dancers, at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, N.M., on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025.
Darius Tiller, 9, of Acoma and Laguna, prepares to dance with the Pueblo Dance Group, the Laguna, Acoma, Hopi, and Zuni dancers, at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, N.M., on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025.
Darius Tiller, 9, of Acoma and Laguna, prepares to dance with the Pueblo Dance Group, the Laguna, Acoma, Hopi, and Zuni dancers, at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, N.M., on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025.
Christopher Charlie Junior, of Laguna, Acoma, and Zuni, center, drums with the Pueblo Dance Group, the Laguna, Acoma, Hopi, and Zuni dancers, at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, N.M., on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025.
Shaynce Abeita, 16, of Laguna and Hopi, Arizona, prepares to perform cultural dances with the Pueblo Dance Group, the Laguna, Acoma, Hopi, and Zuni dancers, at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, N.M., on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025.
Damari Arkie, 13, of Laguna, Zia, and Apache, prepares to dance with the Pueblo Dance Group, the Laguna, Acoma, Hopi, and Zuni dancers, at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, N.M., on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025.
Chancey Bush
Chancey Bush Journal Staff Photographer
Published Modified

Adorned in feathers, draped in hides and bathed in sunlight, the Pueblo Dance Group stamped and twirled in the courtyard of the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque.

The dancers — from Laguna, Acoma, Hopi and Zuni — offered a blessing with every dance to both those present and the spirits of loved ones who have died.

During the Dec. 20 gathering, the group performed two dances that, according to organizers, "connect us to our ancestors, community, and traditions while honoring gifts from our Creator." 

The center's website states it is the only venue in North America to hold Native American dances every week, year-round.

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