Finding My Dance

by Ria Thundercloud, Kalila J. Fuller (Illustrator)

In her debut picture book, professional Indigenous dancer Ria Thundercloud tells the true story of her path to dance and how it helped her take pride in her Native American heritage.

At four years old, Ria Thundercloud was brought into the powwow circle, ready to dance in the special jingle dress her mother made for her. As she grew up, she danced with her brothers all over Indian country. Then Ria learned more styles--tap, jazz, ballet--but still loved the expressiveness of Indigenous dance. And despite feeling different as one of the only Native American kids in her school, she always knew she could turn to dance to cheer herself up.

Follow along as Ria shares her dance journey--from dreaming of her future to performing as a professional--accompanied by striking illustrations that depict it while bringing her graceful movements to life.

Genres: Picture Books, Indigenous, Biography, Nonfiction, Childrens, Native American, Juvenile

40 pages, Hardcover

First published September 13, 2022

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ria Thundercloud’s love of dance began when she was four years old. Her family’s roots stem from two Native American tribes - the Ho-Chunk Nation in Wisconsin and the Sandia Pueblo in New Mexico. Every year the Native American tribes gather for a powwow. And that is when Ria was brought into the circle. She performed a special dance alone before the entire group and was welcomed into the community.

From then on Ria knew that her calling was to be a dancer…. she trained and practiced in modern and contemporary dance, jazz, tap, and ballet and today is a professional dancer who has performed classical and traditional dances all over the world.

In this beautifully illustrated book by artist Kalila Fuller, Ria details the story of her path into the world of a dancer. She is proud to be a dancer of Native American descent and feels uplifted by the spirits of her ancestors whenever she performs.

Young children who are interested in dance would enjoy reading about Ria!

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finding My Dance is the story of Ria Thundercloud, an Indigenous dancer (Ho-chunk and Sandia) who is learned in many styles of dance and performs around the world. Fuller's illustrations are absolutely gorgeous, but the text was serviceable rather than inviting. It didn't quite capture the magic of learning dance, coming home to a style, finally getting that perfect dress, et c. The events were there, just not that simple joy that makes a picture book work. Yet, I haven't found another picture book on Indigenous dance that's this beautiful, so it's still very much worth the read!

Ria Thundercloud's Eagle Dance

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice autobiography about a dancer from the Ho-Chunk Nation and Sandia Pueblos. She does the dances traditional to her people as well as ballet and modern styles.

The text is of the role-model variety that is reserved and dry, lacking a bit when compared to the spark visible in the lively pictures and the author's actual dancing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGDrr...

[Hannah]

Okay, this is one of my favorite types of illustration--simple but very colorful, a nice mix of vignettes and full spreads, and great depictions of outfits and dance style. The problem is the writing.. This author is not someone who reads picture books, and it comes out in the writing. There are so many elements to tease out that would all make wonderful topics! The momentousness of receiving your first jingle dress. What eagle feathers symbolize. What it's like to try so many different types of dance and figure out how to make them all your own. Being treated as an outsider. Growing up to become a professional dancer. But instead of any of those things being presented in a literary manner, this is just a long expository essay that doesn't know its audience--or even what audience it wants to have, since it's not like all picture books are for the same age of reader. Such an incredible story and a book that could have been really well done if only the editor had been a better teacher and coach to the author.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely wonderful story of the life of Ria Thundercloud that shows young Indigenous people that they can do whatever they want in their lives while still keeping their ancestors with them. **I was awarded an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely, well-illustrated picture book memoir from an indigenous dancer. It's very educational, and I like that she expressed her spiritual beliefs in the story without watering them down for a general audience.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful book that tells the story of Wakaja haja piiwiga (Beautiful Thunder Woman). In school, she was always the only Indigenous girl; she felt different and didn't belong. But dance was always different. She learned to jingle dress for a powwow as a child, then kept learning and practising all different kinds of dance.

The book explains the significance of Indigenous styles of dance, powwows, and how dance is a way for Beautiful Thunder Woman to connect with her ancestors, culture, and community. We follow her story up to and including when she has her own baby daughter. She gives her an Indigenous name too, but when people mispronounce it, she corrects them (rather than just letting it go as she always did with her own name).

This is a beautiful story of (re)connecting with history and culture, specifically with cultures that many people tried hard to stamp out of existence.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enlightening, interesting, gorgeous. So much is shared with us in these few pages. Perfect for those who love dance, or strong women, or who are "indigenous" (the word of the author), or who are learning more about indigenous people's historical *and* current culture.

2022 publication

impulse Pima

I do have to admit that it's not perfect. For example, I'd love a pronunciation guide. But it's one of the books that I want to recommend to *everyone* and so five stars!

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meet Wakaja haja piiwiga, the Beautiful Thunder Woman. Of the Ho-Chunk Nation and the Sandia Pueblo (from Wisconsin and New Mexico), Ria Thundercloud shares her story of her first powwow at the age of four and how dance inspired her.
Then she found tap, jazz, ballet and others.
Despite feelings of doubt or displacement, Ria not only became a champion dancer at a young age, but she continued to do so, including dancing her way around the world.

The illustrations by Kalila J. Fuller really capture Ria's story and Indigenous culture very well.

[Bethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars. Autobiographical look at how Ria came to be a professional dancer. Love her journey with her brothers on the “powwow trail”, her classical dance training for many dance styles, her love for her daughter. Bold and beautiful illustrations show her strength and power as a dancer. I wish the illustrator had listed her indigenous background on her blurb, was going to say there was a missed opportunity for a native artist for this book, but after digging around on Google I found some reference to her native heritage. Be sure to check it the case cover art!

[Cate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful story with beautiful colourful illustrations. I loved getting to learn more about indigenous culture! Many people could benefit from reading this short but insightful story!

[MissSusie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book with great illustrations!

[Paulette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so beautiful! I loved reading Ria Thundercloud's story, and the artwork was stunning.

[Kaitlyn (ktxx22) Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Story and beautiful illustrations. Especially if you’ve got a kiddo who enjoys dance.

[Adriana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have loved maybe a little bit more info on the dance, but it's cute.

[T · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful autobiography with lovely illustrations.

[Ezza Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book because I was able to learn about the Native American Heritage and how important their culture is to them. This story follows 4-year-old Ria Thundercloud who is known as a named Wakaja Haja Pįįwįga, she is from the tribe of Ho-Chunk Nation which are located in Wisconsin and Sandia Pueblo in New Mexico. Both tribes have different languages but they play an important role in Wakaja’s life which is dance. One day when returning home from school, Wakaja, saw a beautiful orange jingle dress made from her mom hanging on her door. This dress was passed down from generations within her family. As soon as he told her the dress was a healing dress and everytime she danced it in she was sending blessings to everyone that was watching. When she received the dress, she wanted to wear it to the Powwow circle which is a gathering to honor culture through song and dance within the Native American Heritage. For the first time, Wakaja was able to dance alone at the Powwow, but she knew she was going to have fun, it allowed her to realize how beautiful her heritage really was. From then on Wakaja and her brothers loved going on the Powwow trail and would sing and dance as they traveled through different states. When attending school, Wakaja did not feel like she fit in since she was tall and with long hair and nobody knew how to pronounce her name. She always turned to dance to express herself and feel better. After completing high school, she went into professional dance where she was able to travel to different countries such as New Zealand, Italy, Czech Republic, and Canada to perform dances. Dance is a way to get close to her ancestors and be able to have pride in her country. She then had a daughter named Yelihawha Wíhta which means “She brings good energy” which helped Wakaja continue her passion of dance. I thought this was a great way to learn about your roots and pass down the power of dance to generations to come. Two major themes in the book would be being yourself, and diversity. I chose being yourself because Wakaja was able to express herself through dance from going to her first Powwow where she could dance on her own to becoming a professional dancer. I then chose diversity because she was the only indigenous woman in her school, and she had a unique name where nobody ever knew how to pronounce it.


The main genre of this book is Autobiography. There were many things to learn about this book, but I focused on two main ideas. Starting off, children reading this book can learn about the Native American Heritage and understand how different I might be from theirs. As for myself, I was able to learn about how something like dance can bring someone so close to their roots and culture. This book was a WOW book for me because it reminds me of my culture and how our traditional outfits bring me so much pride. This book was a beautiful book, and I was able to relate to it and learn about how dance was a big part of her life and how it was used in diverse ways.


Two literary devices in this book would be symbolism, and imagery. Symbolism is used in the book to describe the jingle dress and explore the Native American Heritage shown throughout the book. Imagery is used in the book because it resembles her life as an indigenous dancer and how she has so much pride from doing it. She also explains the dress as having “silver cones that click together.” I would consider this book to be anti-bias because it explores the Native American culture and how she has pride, the challenges she faces, and how dance is a big part of her personality.

[Jay WALD · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dances always brings joy and wonderful to express one’s own self and follow the traditions of one’s cultures. In this phenomenon book, Finding My Dance by Ria Thundercloud, Ria the author shares her life journey as a Native American and her deep rooted connection to her culture and her dance. This life journey of her takes place on her pride tradition and personal growth through her love of expressive dance. This book showcase the love she has in her ability to dance to express herself to her dance and I admire her inspiration and joy she has in her deep connection to her culture and how she evolve and learned many form of dancing through her life.
The great takes that I got form the themes from this book was the author deep cultural pride, as throughout her story showcase the connection with her cultural roots through the form of dance. Another theme was deeply emphasis was resilience, as she was growing up she encountered difficulties and obstacles, but she persevere through her passion and the support of her background gave her the strength to guide her life throughout.
The main genre of this book is autobiography as she tells her real-life experience and journey that convey her life storytelling.
Reading this book throughout, children could learned about the depth and rich teaching of Native American culture as the author uses her culture to tell her story and the connections she has with it, and how deep rooted she has influence her life. Another thing that children could learn is the self-expressive of self identity, this book convey that the author express her true feelings and her true self in her dancing, and many children can explore their own passion and discover their uniqueness about thier identity.
This is a WOW book for me because this book really gave me the unique of one's self and a very inspiring story about my own culture and where I came from. This books really give me the sense of my background and everyone’s own identity and thier passion in living.
As reading this book, Finding My Dance by Ria Thundercloud tells the story within the two literary devices that is used to make story great as the author pointed out was personal first-person perspective and sensory description. As this book convey her life journey, the author uses her personal first-person perspective as she uses word “I”. This clearly show that she herself has those experience and share those moments with her audience and she share her personal journey. She greatly express her personal growth and how she narrative her experience in the story to tell her audience about her life. Another literacy devices that the author used in this book was sensory description sensory description, this literary device gives her expression and her words more of depth and feel real to the audience that she can convey alongside with the vivid illustration. She really has the sense of the way her sensory description in her words throughout the book in her way of dancing and her emotional impact in her culture. She enhance her description and that makes it felt by the us audience in that she has solely put her whole emotion to her passion and the rooted depth of her Native American background.
I consider this book to be an anti-bias book because it showcase and convey the the message of the author’s culture background and highlights Native American culture in a very insightful and wonderful light that represents their traditional culture.

[Maiss Lukyana · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Finding My Dance ” is a book centered on an audience of children who are in 2nd grade to 4th grade. It is a biography book that shows topics around style, culture, self-esteem, and family. These are some things kids in those grades will enjoy and help them stay interested in the material.

It is especially inspiring to young girls. This is a beautiful story about a Native American girl named Wakaja haja piiwiga, which means “Beautiful Thunder Woman” who enjoyed dancing and carrying her family culture when she danced. Her love for dance grew when she started at powwows. The young girl got to explore all types of dances. She felt like an outsider while doing this she was shy, and when she would dance she felt like she could dance her feelings out. She joined a dance team being the only indigenous dancers around. After high school, she became a professional dancer that traveled all around. She birthed a young baby and still tends to keep dancing in her life. She will carry that with her forever. The book is also great due to its representation of young Native Americans, and its inclusion of a Native American girl as the main character.

I would choose this book for my classroom library since representation matters and to normalize enjoying what you love. I think this book is worth sharing in the classroom library since it is a positive story of how this girl shows throughout her life. This book also gives many different messages, but the ones I truly love are to love yourself, self-acceptance, and always be confident in who you are.

[Amelia]

I loved this book! I grew up dancing; I did ballet all growing up (for 16 years!), and then in high school discovered a love for contemporary as well--I also briefly studied jazz, tap, and hiphop, and have taken master classes in swing, African dance, and modern dance. I know firsthand the amazing impact dance can have on a person's life--I still go back to the studio when I feel like I need it! This book stood out to me because it was about a topic I know so well. The book is about an Indigenous girl who allows dance to be a vehicle to see the world and connect more deeply with her Indigenous culture. The book has beautiful illustrations and text, and has an optimistic and inspiring tone about connecting with who we are. This book provides some background/education on elements of Indigenous culture (such as dance styles/clothing, powwows, eagle wings and the belief that the eagle is a messenger that carries prayers to one's ancestors, etc.), which I loved, but it also tells an empowering story of a girl who found a love that filled her with confidence and helped her discover herself--despite being shy, feeling like an outsider, and struggling to "fit in" in other areas of her life. This book is a beautiful book that would be good to teach more about elements of Indigenous culture, but it would also be good to use to encourage students on their paths of discovering themselves and connecting with who they are and their culture.

[Huda Khan]

The genre of the book is a picture book, and it was a lot of fun to read. It teaches kids about different cultures and allows them to see how a person can find something they love at such a young age and grow up to become a professional. In the book she got her first dance dress at the age of four, and never stopped dancing since then. Themes that were found in the book could be to never give up, and also to stick to what you believe in. I found that in the book she always stuck to her roots no matter how different everyone around her was. She always tried to stick to her heritage and traditions, even though at school she was the only indigenous person, and at her dance class as well. She felt alone but did not let herself give up.

I think this was a WOW book, it really gave insight on how children with different backgrounds would feel, and also showed that no matter where you come from you can always become great at something you love to do. You not only become great at it, but you can also stick to your traditions and still be able to learn and grow. The book also gives some information on Indigenous culture which I feel is good to share with children, lets them know about different cultures and how there are many different people around them.

[Jenny Marcelene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finding My Dance tells the story of a Native American professional dancer, Ria Thundercloud. Ria started dancing at powwows and as her love for dance grew, she explored other types of dancing. While it was challenging to be one of the only Indigenous dancers around, she never gave up.

Strengths:
Pulls kids into an Indigenous perspective through Ria's own journey from child to adult.
Provides a good framework for Native American beliefs in a kid-friendly way.
Adults will learn alongside kids. A great book to read together!
The illustrations are gorgeous and invite kids into Ria's world.

Weaknesses:
I don't think the age range is quite right. I think slightly older kids would glean more from this book. The storyline deals with bigger issues than preschoolers and early elementary students can fully track with (but they can certainly read it and benefit from it!) I would suggest ages 7-11.

Additional Notes:
This is the true story of author and dancer Rio Thudercloud, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation and Sandia Pueblo.

[Madison Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. Age range (K-3rd)
2. This story is based on the real-life story of the author Ria Thundercloud. After dancing in her first powwow circle at four years old, Ria discovered her passion and love for dancing. As she grew older, she continued to dance with her brothers at traditional Native American gatherings. Along with this, she learned to dance in more Western, modern styles of dance like jazz or ballet. She equally loved all of these styles of dance, but always felt a special connection with Indigenous dancing. Dance became her crutch as she was one of the older Indigenous kids in her entire school. The love she has for dance eventually, she became a professional dancer. This book explores Ria’s experience with her love of dance, her indigenous culture, and how those two connect for her.
3. I chose this book because I was wondering what it could be about and after reading it, I still wanted to include it because it talks about the important message of blending culture and interests.

[Seung · Rating 5 out of 5]

As stated before for my review of I Talk Like a River, I'm glad childrens book's have embraced diversity and social emotional learning. The quote, "I correct people when they say her name wrong, so she will correct them also. Everytime someone says our names, they are speaking a language that still exists... despite many attempts to wipe it out forever." My three most read genres are sci fi, children's picutre books, and manga (which is an art form more than a single genre). Seeing the advancements of children's books to be more inclusive and allow for different ways of storytelling to inspire a lifelong love of reading in the youth, is always solid. In this book, Wakaja grows up dancing at powwows all over the country, being surrounded by family. She later learns other styles of dance (jazz, ballet, classical) which are different. Instead of assimiliation and giving up of her old style, Wakaja learns to dance between both worlds while being proud of who she is and forging a path forward.

[Salena Palacio · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose this book because this story revolves around dance and I think dance is an important part in every culture, a way to express oneself. The topics of this book are self-esteem, culture and family. This is a true story about a girl named Ria Thundercloud and her journey with dance. Throughout the story you will see how dance helped her embrace her Native American culture. At four years old Ria was introduced to the powwow circle wearing a traditional jingle dress made by her mother. As Ria grows she explores different styles of dance such as tap, jazz and ballet but always has a strong connection to indigenous dance. The book follows her from dreaming about her future to a professional dancer performing both traditional and classical dances. This book is appropriate for children ages 4 to 8 years old. In my classroom I begin this story by providing background on Ria Thundercloud and her story. After reading I would ask students to share their thoughts on how Ria used dance to connect with her heritage.

[Kendi Freelain]

Finding My Dance by Ria Thundercloud, illustrated by Kalila J. Fuller is a story of an indigenous woman named Wajaka haja piiwiga who loves to dance. When she was a little girl, Wajaka and her family danced during the powwow circle where tribal members and spectators come to celebrate. Her first time dancing ‘invigorated’ her spirit, filling her with life. She soon discovered contemporary dance, jazz and ballet. When Wajaka joined the dance team, she and her team went on to win the International Dance Championship. While she was a winner, she experienced feelings of “otherness” at school because of her long black hair and long name. Over the years, Wajaka traveled far to pursue her dream of dancing and never let anyone take that from her. Growing up a dancer, this story was relatable for me because, like Wajaka, I have always found strength and joy in dance. This story highlights the challenges of wanting to be seen, while having to face the unfortunate consequences of being seen as a member of a minority.

[Grace Tomlinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about the author telling her dance story. When she was younger, she performed in her first Powwow. This experience made her feel connected with her Native American heritage and made her fall in love with dance. As she was growing up, she enrolled into many different dance classes. While she felt like an outsider at school, she was always able to express her emotions through dance. Dancing made her the person she is today and wants to share that story with everyone. Now that she has a daughter of her own, she will correct anyone who pronounces her name wrong because they are speaking a language that still exists.

I would use this book in my classroom to teach my students stand up for themselves and find a hobby that allows them to express their emotions. The author struggled with standing up for herself, but through dance, she felt the best she could. I will also teach my students about Native American heritage/culture because it's important to know. I could also ask my students if any of them dance, and what their favorite style is.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wakaja haja piiwiga recieved a beautiful hand sewn by her mom, ornage jingle dress when she was four. That meant she was preparing to brought into the powwow circle, and dance.

Every summer she and her family hit the 'powwow trail' and danced. Her love for dance grew.
She discovered comtempory dance, then tap and jazz, ballet, and modern. Dance was a joy,
but sometimes she felt like an outsider - traditional dance was a bit of a contrast to what she
was used to. She was shy and relied on dance to express herself.

After high school - she became a professional dancer

An interview about Ria Thundercloud: https://dchieftain.com/new-childrens-...
Look for her on YouTube.

[Maeve Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story about a girl who is from two different tribes in Wisconsin and New Mexico. While they are both different, they both have one thing in common which is dance. Her mom gifted her first Jingle Dress, which was a special moment for this young girl. The story explains and highlights many important pieces of Indigenous culture including Powwow, and special drums. She then tried different styles of dance and knew that she could dance it out to feel better. No matter what dance she tried, she also could return to her traditional dance.

In my future classroom, I would read this book during Native American Heritage Month and when talking about types of dance around the world. Learning about customs and cultures of others is so important and this book is a wonderful way to show it.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A picture book memoir that follows Thundercloud as she learns to dance, but specifically for her tribes wearing a jingle dress which she distinctly remembers getting her first one. Then she learns other dancing and dances throughout her life to feel connected to her being and her body but also her people. It talks about powwows and having her daughter. She touches on pronouncing her name but also the religious aspects of what dancing means.

It's a beautiful lesson in understanding the importance of dancing as well as what is worn and what the drum beats do but also about acceptance and growing up Indigenous-- a full well-lived life.