Why We Dance

From an Indigenous creative team comes a powerful and exuberant story about the heritage, joy, and healing power of the Jingle Dress Dance

It’s a special day—the day of the Jingle Dress Dance! Before the big powwow, there’s a lot to do: getting dressed, braiding hair, packing lunches, and practicing bounce-steps. But one young girl gets butterflies in her stomach thinking about performing in front of her whole community. When the drumbeats begin, though, her family soothes her nerves and reminds her why she dances.

Emerging historically in response to the global influenza pandemic of 1918–19, the Jingle Dress Dance is a ceremonial dance of healing and prayer that still thrives today in many Indigenous and First Nations communities across North America. Lyrically written and lushly illustrated, Why We Dance is a joyous celebration of a proud Indigenous tradition that inspires hope, resilience, and unity.