Staff Reports | Community Updates
At the Heard Museum’s 35th annual World Hoop Dance Championship Contest, Josiah Enriquez clinched the title of champion for the second year in a row with a total score of 199 points out of 225.
Judged on precision, timing/rhythm, showmanship, creativity, and speed, 124 of the top Indigenous hoop dancers competed for the prestigious title and prizes totaling $25,000 across multiple age divisions, Heard Museum officials tell the Digital Free Press.
“Defending my title at the 35th Annual Hoop Dance Competition is an incredible honor, and I am deeply proud to be part of such an amazing and supportive community,” Mr. Enriquez said in a press release. “This journey has been more than just a competition—it’s been about inspiring the youth, preserving tradition, and paying tribute to the legacies of Nakotah Larance and Valentino Rivera. Carrying their spirit forward while creating my own legacy has been nothing short of extraordinary, and I am grateful for every step of this path.”
Mr. Enriquez is a 22-year-old Navajo, Isleta and Pueblo Hoop dancer from the Pueblo of Pojoaque in New Mexico.
He started dancing and participating in traditional ceremonies at three but didn’t start hoop dancing until the age of 8, inspired by his teacher, Nakotah Larance, dancer Valentino Rivera, and his grandmother along with the kids of the Lightning Boy Foundation. Being able to teach has revealed a completely different level of understanding of the hoop dance for Enriquez.
The winners across the age divisions are:
2025 Heard Hoop Dance Contest Champion
*First Place: Josiah Enriquez (Pueblo of Pojoaque, Navajo, Isleta)
*First Runner-Up: Talon Ree Duncan (Three Affiliated)
*Second Runner-Up: Tony Duncan (Apache, Arikara & Hidasta)
*Third Runner-Up: Scott Sixkiller Sinquah (Gila River Pima, Hopi/Tewa, Cherokee, Choctaw)
Fourth Runner-Up: Joseph Secody (Diné)
Fifth Runner-Up: Sky Duncan (San Carlos Apache)
2024 Heard Hoop Dance Contest Senior Champion
*First Place: Dallas Arcand (Cree, Nakota Sioux, Metis)
*First Runner-Up: Terry Goedel (Yakama/Tulalip)
*Second Runner-Up: Moontee Sinquah (Hopi-Tewa, Choctaw)
2024 Heard Hoop Dance Contest Teen Champion
*First Place: Mateo Ulibarri (Pueblos of Pojoaque and Santa Clara)
*First Runner-Up: Kailayne Jensen (Diné, Maricopa)
*Second Runner-Up: Cyrus First Charger (Blackfoot Confederacy, Blood Tribe)
2024 Heard Hoop Dance Contest Youth Champion
*First Place: Victor Duncan (Plains Cree, Taino, Apache, Arikara, Hidasta, Mandan)
*First Runner-Up: Aaron James Vigil (Pueblo of Pojoaque, Nambe Pueblo)
*Second Runner-Up: Lakai Torres (Diné, Mexican)
“This event is a cornerstone for cultural preservation and the Heard is honored to host hundreds of dancers from all over North America in a place where their masterful skills are on full display for the community to celebrate,” said David M. Roche, dickey family director and Heard Museum CEO. “We are so appreciative of the dancers and dozens of volunteers who invested so much time and effort to bring the championship to the Valley for another incredible year.”
