Rosalie Mae Jones facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Daystar Rosalie Mae Jones
Jones at a National American Indian Heritage Month event in Rochester, New York in 2023
Born	Rosalie Mae Jones 1941
Occupation	choreographer, dancer, educator
Years active	1966–present
Partner(s)	Ned Bobkoff
Current group	DAYSTAR:Contemporary Dance-Drama of Indian America

Rosalie Mae Jones, known professionally as Daystar, is a famous dancer, choreographer, and teacher. She also started and leads a dance company called DAYSTAR: Contemporary Dance-Drama of Indian America. This company creates modern dance shows that tell Native American stories.

Daystar's Early Life and School

Rosalie Mae Jones was born in 1941 on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana. She grew up in Cut Bank, a town outside the reservation. As a child, she learned ballet and piano. Her parents encouraged her to go to college.

She attended Fort Wright College to study piano. There, she took a modern dance class with Hanya Holm, which changed her plans. She later earned a Master's Degree in Dance from the University of Utah. At Utah, she learned from Joan Woodbury and Shirley Ririe. She also met Barry Lynn, who became a very important mentor to her.

In 1969, she received a scholarship for young Native American artists to attend Juilliard. At Juilliard, she studied with famous dancers and teachers like José Limón and Bertram Ross.

Daystar's Dance Career

While studying for her Master's degree, Jones was hired by the Institute of American Indian Arts. She created a show called "Sipapu: A Drama of Authentic Dance and Chants of Indian America." This show featured 30 modern dancers and 200 traditional dancers from the Institute in Santa Fe.

Later, at Juilliard, she worked with another student, Cordell Morsette. They also worked with students from the Flandreau Indian School in South Dakota. Together, they created "The Gift of the Pipe." This performance retold the story of White Buffalo Calf Woman.

Founding Daystar Dance Company

Jones founded her dance company, Daystar: Contemporary Dance-Drama of Indian America, in 1982. This company became known for its modern dance performances. These shows shared Native American stories and oral histories.

The company's goal is to help and train Native American artists in performing arts. It also teaches others to respect Native American dance, music, and art. Daystar was the first modern dance company in the United States made up entirely of Native performers.

Jones considers choreographer Barry Lynn a lifelong mentor. She has also worked a lot with her partner, Ned Bobkoff. In the early 1990s, she led the Performing Arts Department at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe. From 2005 to 2017, she taught about Indigenous performance at Trent University.

Daystar's Unique Dance Style

Daystar's dance style combines many different forms. She retells Indigenous stories and helps reclaim Native identities. She does this by building on traditional culture. Her work also shows her skill in Western stage dance techniques.

Daystar's Family Background

Jones was born on the Blackfoot Reservation in Montana. Her mother was part of the Pembina Chippewa and Blackfeet tribes. Her mother worked as a hotel maid. Her father was a Welsh-Canadian railroad worker and welder.

Her great-grandmother, Susan Big Knife, inspired one of her works called "No Home But the Heart."

Daystar's Major Works

• Sipapu, a Panoramic Drama of Myths, Dances and Chants (1966)
• Blackfeet medicine lodge ceremony: ritual and dance-drama (her Master's thesis, 1968)
• The Gift of the Pipe (1969) with Cordell Morsette
• Daystar: An American Indian Woman Dances
• Tales of Old Man
• La Malinche: The Woman with Three Names
• Dancing the Four Directions
• The Dispossessed (1975)
• Spirit Woman (1979)
• Between the Earth and the Moon: Voices from the Great Circle (2005)
• Allegory of the Cranes (Tsimakitakkitapohpa...Where are You Going?): a dance-drama (2011)
• jiibayaabooz: Light In The Underworld (2014) with Coman Poon and Heryka Miranda
• Dancing the Four Directions (2017)
• No Home but the Heart (2018)

Daystar's Awards

• National Endowment for the Arts Choreographer's Fellowship, 1995–1997
• Lifetime Achievement Award (Performing Arts), Institute of American Indian Arts 2016