Osage Nation Congratulates Dance Maker Academy on Arts Award

Governor’s Arts in Education Award Recognizes Outstanding Leadership and Service 

OSAGE RESERVATION, OKLA. (October 7, 2021) – Osages Randy Tinker Smith and Jenna Smith LaViolette of Dance Maker Academy to be awarded an Arts in Education Award from the Oklahoma Arts Council during the 44th Oklahoma Governor’s Arts Awards on Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021. The Arts in Education Award recognizes an individual, organization, school, educator, or group for their outstanding leadership and service in the arts benefiting youth and/or arts in education. Osage Nation congratulates Smith and LaViolette on this well-deserved recognition. 

“We believe this will open more doors of opportunity for our children and for us to be able to continue telling our Osage story through the ballet,” said Randy Tinker Smith. 

The Dance Maker Academy is a dance training facility located in Pawhuska, Okla. It is the home of Wahzhazhe: An Osage Ballet that depicts the story of the Osage people through dance. Inspired by Maria and Marjorie Tallchief, Dance Maker Academy is committed to training a new generation of dancers in previously underserved rural Osage County. Their website states: We recognize that access to dance education is a privilege, and we are committed to providing opportunities for everyone in the community, regardless of age or experience, to discover the joys of dance.

The awards will be presented by Governor J. Kevin Stitt during a special ceremony beginning at 4:00 p.m. in the fourth-floor rotunda at the Oklahoma State Capitol. A reception will follow in the second-floor rotunda. The event is free and open to the public. To find out more, please visit www.arts.ok.gov.