The story of the Osage people, told through ballet, was performed at the Festival of Families for Pope Francis during his visit to the U.S.
The ballet, "Wahzhazhe," featured dancers with strong ties to Oklahoma and Native American communities including Eric Glenn, a graduate of OU, and Roman Jasinski, whose mother was one of the five famed Native American ballerinas.
Randy Tinker Smith, Osage Ballet director, said she created and privately raised funds to produce the ballet in order to tell the story of the Osage people through dance in order to continue the legacy of previous famed Native American dancers.
“I sought to continue the legacy of two Osage women: the late prima ballerina Maria Tallchief and her sister Marjorie Tallchief,” Smith said. “Following the path paved by them by telling the story of the Osage people through ballet seemed natural.”
This continued legacy was especially felt by Osage Ballet Artistic Advisor Roman Jasinski.
"I was proud and honored to be there, even though I'm not Osage, it was incredible for me to represent the Peoria's and the Shawnee's, it was a huge honor for me and the history of our people in the Native American community," Jasinski said.
Jasinski’s family founded Tulsa Ballet and has had an incredible influence on ballet in Oklahoma. Jasinski himself was the artistic director of Tulsa Ballet for many years. He retired from the stage many years ago but returned for this ballet.
“We are honored that Roman Jasinski, the son of Moscelyne Larkin, an accomplished Native American ballerina of the Peoria and Shawnee tribes will be one of the dancers to perform,” Smith said.
The Osage Nation and its people have strong ties to the Catholic Church, giving them the opportunity to tell their story through dance for hundreds of thousands of people in Philadelphia.
The Osage Nation is headquartered in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, which features the only Catholic Church in the world to have stained glass windows depicting priests meeting with the Osage people and evangelizing and converting many to Catholicism, Smith said.
The Osage Ballet performed the opening prayer scene from "Wahzhazhe" at the festival. You can watch the full ballet here.
