Maggie Lile, features editor

From dancing her way across Minnesota and onto the stage of a local historic music venue, one Augsburg student embodies what it means to not only keep an age-old tradition alive, but to help it thrive too. 

Caley Coyne is in her second year here at Augsburg. As an elementary education major and President of the Augsburg Indigenous Student Association (AISA), it’s clear she has a love for connection, teaching and leadership. When she’s off campus, dancing is one of her passions.

“[…] I started dancing when I was in kindergarten. I was lucky enough to go to a school where dancing was taught to everyone,” she reflected in an interview with the Echo. “Dancing has always been my passion, I’ve stayed with the same style since I was 5-6 years old […] I just modeled after the older girls that danced the same style I did. Watching their footwork and their gracefulness, and over the years I’ve made it my own.”

As Coyne made the dance her own, opportunities to showcase and teach her unique style popped up across the state. “I’d say one of my favorite ever performances was the welcoming of Minnesota Lynx player Alissa Pili. We did this because she is one of the first players that have Native heritage, she’s Alaskan and Hawaiian. The representation of Native women across all of the country is needed, so for her to become such a talented basketball player meant a lot.” Coyne recalled. 

In her most recent adventure, Coyne’s talent carried her onto the stage of First Avenue. According to their website, First Avenue is one of the longest-running independently owned clubs in the country and is known for its commitment to the arts, expression and community. Having featured stars such as Prince, Ice Cube, Lizzo, The Kinks, Hüsker Dü and more, the small stage is no stranger to big talent. Recently, on Nov. 1, Coyne joined in on the talent with a band called Dirtwire, an experimental group from California. “One of my aunts reached out about Dirtwire needing a dancer to join them on stage,” she said. When first listening, Coyne noticed the band’s music wasn’t necessarily traditional — but that didn’t stop her. “It definitely was a new experience for me, because the songs they assigned me to were not what I’m used to, and in fact did not match my style of dance,” she added. “Being on stage is always empowering though. I was nervous the entire day until I stepped on stage. So I’m grateful for the experience but I’m going to try and stick with more Native based presentations, with authentic music and performances that best match my style of dance.”

Coyne’s traditional dance of choice is called fancy shawl, otherwise known as the butterfly dance. Featuring upbeat spinning and fast footwork, she has taken to the phrase “poetry in motion” to describe her flow. “Poetry in motion has been used by Larry Yazzie, the head of the Native Pride Dancers, during my performance at the State Fair in 2019,” she remembered. “I was doing my solo performance on stage and he was beside me, narrating and describing my style. Hearing him describe me and my style of dance as ‘poetry in motion’ perfectly described it.”

November is Native American History Month. While Coyne can dance in celebration today, it is important to remember that it wasn’t that long ago that other Indigenous individuals could not. This has lead to Coyne’s passion behind her dancing. “My overall favorite thing about dancing is the fact that my ancestors weren’t able to dance for so long,” she stated. “So now I dance for those that couldn’t.”