Testimonials

Polk Museum of Art

Dear Ed: First, let me say how thrilled I was with your performance here at the Museum on September 20, 2003 in celebration of Family Day. Your costumes and choreography were matched only by your infectious enthusiasm and good cheer for this important, community event. Not only was this your first time performing for our Lakeland audience, but the fact that your performance served to educate our audience to Native American culture through dance and song in a lively, interactive way was a perfect blend of art and learning. You were an inspiration to the many young people who attended the event, many who gathered around you after your performance to learn more about your background. This is what our Family Day is all about -- opening up the minds of people, young and old alike to new ideas through creativity and art! Your performance drew SRO crowds at this event, which drew an estimated 2200 people throughout the day.

On behalf of the Executive Director, Daniel E. Stetson, and the entire Museum staff, let me extend a hearty Thank You. We look forward to having you here with us again!

Sincerely, Paul H. Perry, Curator of Education

Nanticoke Indian Association

It is a pleasure to welcome you as a member of the Nanticoke Indian Association, Inc., a tribal entity that our elders secured and preserved for us and for future generations. We are proud that you too are taking your rightful place to continue the history and traditions of our tribe.

God's Peace, James T. Norwood, Chief

Sarasota 2K Festival

Dear Mr. WindDancer, I have had the good fortune to collaborate with you in the creation of three important functions for the Sarasota community and the two-day Sarasota 2K festival. Thanks to your contributions of dance, music, and story telling,our presentation was more spectacular than could have been imagined. You have given a gift of beauty and education to our community that was heartfelt and spirited, one that was filled with dignity and an honoring of your culture in a manner that resonated with all in attendance, especially our young audience.

I look forward to your participation in future cultural events and will give you the highest recommendation to those wanting to know about your cultural and educational programs.

In Gratitude, David Gittens - Producer/Director State of Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediator

Standing Rock Souix Tribe

I, Errol M. Medicine of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe - of the Hunkpapa band of Chief Gall's people - have the honor of creating a "Hanka - Making of Relative Ceremony" with Ed WindDancer of the Nanticoke Nation. I would like to say this about my brother Ed WindDancer, "If we all had a heart like him the world would be a better place to live.

Errol M. Medicine

McIntosh Middle School

As principal of Mcintosh Middle School I encourage my school to celebrate diversity and embrace the great heritage of native Ametica. We are fortunate to have Ed WindDancer visit our campus on different occasions and provide a colorful and meaningful presentation to the learning community on Indian culture.

Ed WindDancer's demonstration is authentic. His exhibition includes genuine artifacts, custom and costuming assoviated with native lifestyles and beliefs. He stressed the importance of values and ethics across historic boundries and facilitated a deep appreciation for individuals and societies. his teachings challenged the students with fresh ideas, unique facts, personal wsdom, and a desire to consider both the internal and external assets of people.

It is my hope that others will have the opportunity to enjpy this wholesome and significant educational program.

Sincerely, Robert Hagemann, Principal

Rehoboth Elementary school

Dear Ed: I want to thank you for the outstanding program that you provided for my K-5 students on October 16th, 2004. It was both an entertaining and educational experience for the student body as well as my faculty. I was awestruck by your talents in music, dance and storytelling, but was most impressed with your ability to relate to children. You have a way of combining academics with the arts, along with character building. I received noting but positive comments from students, parents and staff. Thank you for the CD. We plan on using it to help students with relaxation exercises, to help them with state testing. I hope to see you at the National Elementary School Principals Convention this coming April in Baltimore, Md.

On behalf of the Howard W. Blake High School of the Performing Arts we would like to express our sincere appreciation and thanks for the Native American Performance you shared with our Dance, Music and Theater students on April 25th of this year.

The performance offered a wealth of information and was a powerful venue to share the beauty, traditions and majesty of your culture. The first appearance of a warrior in full regalia was breathtaking, from that moment the students' interest was peaked and grew like wildfire. It became intensely personal as the performance grew interactive with the audience. "I also liked the way he would perform the dances and then give us a chance to dance them", said a ninth grade dance student. Our students are still talking about the warrior who married Victoria Eleuterio, the myth of the Native American flute.

Your dances were both powerful and graceful and your words gave meaning to the images on-stage beyond the obvious. On student stated, "The music sounded like wind and drums, along with the dancer's howl like screams. His head was always moving, and his feet were always in sync with the drums." The rapport that you immediately built with the audience was captivating and immensely enjoyable. We would highly recommend this program to any organization. Thank-you for regaling us with personal and cultural information. The performance made a lasting impression on our students. The performance instilled in us both awe and respect for your traditional ways.

Dear Mr. WindDancer, The students, staff, and administration are still talking about the beautiful clothing, the fantastic artwork, the melodic flute playing, the resounding drum, and rhythmic dancing. Thank you also for educating us on the meanings behind your peformance and helping us to better understand Native American culture, history, and heritage.

We appreciate the time that you spent with our students ater the performances to answer questions and to spark their interest about Native peoples. We wish you the very best in all your endeavors in helping us to remember and celebrate a significant part of the American story.

Ed EindDance has been part of pur Powwow for some time now. He presens one o the most entertaining and educational school day presentations that I have ever seen. our kids love to interact with him and we heear comments of praise from all that attens our presentation.

Ed has been our Head Man the last two ywars and has done a very professional job. He would be an asset at any powwow or event that he attends and he is impressive, his regalia is very impressive and he is vey knowledgeable.

To Interested Elementary Schools, Ed WindDancer, American Indian, was scheduled at Kingsway Elementary to meet with each of our six second-grade classrooms. He came in full Indian dress and spent a minimum of thirty minutes in each classroom. He provided a fantastic program, informative as well as entertaining. He had all students on task, asking questions or simply absorbing the information. The day was culminated with a total group activity. It was a wonderful day for the students and the teachers. What a great learning activity for the students! I highly recommend Ed WindDancer as an affordable program for second grade students.

A mere letter of recommendation such as this barely covers how we feel about the recent visit of Ed WindDancer to our school. His time with us was probably the most meaningful of any experience the children have had to date.

Mr. WindDancer went the extra mile many times over the quality of the presentation and the sincerity of his program. Besides spending many hours with us as a group, he carefully listened to each child's questions and made them feel special and important. The lessons of kindness, peace and generosity which he so skillfully wove into his presentation were artfully done and had an immense impact on our students. His regalia was absolutely stunning, and it was very evident that he had spent many, many hours researching every detail and pulling it together with great care. Every single student in our classes participated in the dance, which to us signals another important fact: Mr. WindDancer made everyone feel that they could accomplish anything without fear of embarrassment or failure. What a remarkable teacher he made! I can't think of a time we saw our students more spellbound or involved. Thank you so much for the opportunity which your sponsorship afforded our students. We only with we could get the word out to more teachers of how valuable this experience was. Please let all concerned seeking a recommendation for this event know that we are ready and willing to highly endorse this artist and event. Again, thank you for obtaining the skill of this artist for the enrichment of our students' lives.

I was overwhelmed by the majestic way in which you were able to portray your heritage to us. As I watched the tape Mrs. Kreminski made of your three day visit to us, I was humbled by the beauty and dignity of your ancestral history that you brought to life with your commanding presence. Even though I saw you in person for the first two days, I watched the tape and was fully able to appreciate the magic your brought to us. The students and adults were spellbound as you effortlessly metamorphosed yourself from a twenty-first century man to a person from your lineage and their times.

As you said, we wouldn't learn this information from any book, but more importantly, the way in which you presented the information is why we will never forget what we saw and heard. I hope you never question the importance of what you are doing because you are a gifted storyteller, a consummate actor/entertainer and a beautiful dancer and an extremely articulate representative of the spiritual beings that are too, too rare in our world.