Daystar/Rosalie Jones, ‘Dancing the Four Directions’

Abstract Dance scholar Jacqueline Shea Murphy introduces Daystar/Rosalie Jones, who created the first Native contemporary dance company, DAYSTAR Dance Drama of Indian America, in 1980 (and who describes her recent work Dancing the Four Directions in this special issue). Shea Murphy first situates her professional relationship with Daystar/Rosalie, which spans over two decades. She then situates Daystar/Rosalie’s work in the context of this special issue, giving a brief overview of some of the dances she has made over nearly half a century, dances centred within Indigenous cultural story and mythic image, and grounded, directly or indirectly, in relation to place.