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'I love my culture': Sask. Indigenous dancer to perform at Super Bowl LVII

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An Indigenous dancer from Saskatchewan is preparing for a performance of a lifetime, taking the stage at this year’s Super Bowl.

Patrick Mitsuing is a fancy dancer from the Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation, about 300 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon.

He’s one of several Indigenous dancers performing on Sunday, but the only one from Canada.

“I’m anxious. I’m nervous … I feel like I’ve been preparing for things like this my whole life,” Mitsuing told CTV News in a Zoom call from Phoenix.

“I love my culture. So to be a part of this big platform to represent my people, my community is such an honour. I'm just going to do the best that I can.”

Mitsuing has been dancing since he could walk. He’s danced at major powwows and the New Orleans Jazz Festival, but performing on Super Bowl Sunday at the State Farm Stadium— with an estimated 70,000 people in the stands — will be his biggest stage yet.

Patrick Mitsuing at Super Bowl Opening Night in Phoenix. (source: Facebook)

Mitsuing landed in Arizona on Sunday.

On Monday, he danced at Super Bowl Opening Night at the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix.

“It was totally out of my realm of what I'm used to,” Mitsuing says.

“Right now, it feels like Phoenix doesn't sleep because there's so much going on all night. It’s just been unreal the amount of people we're meeting and seeing. Tonight we're hanging out with Snoop Dogg and Shaq!”

This Super Bowl, the NFL is shining the spotlight on Indigenous culture.

Indigenous artist Lucinda “La Morena” Hinojos was commissioned to create the official artwork printed on all the tickets.

For the first time in Super Bowl history, the NFL will read a land acknowledgement.

“To have us included as Indigenous dancers is really cool. This is the first step,” Mitsuing says.

"Pretty soon maybe there'll be an Indigenous person doing a big thing with a halftime show. We’ll see where it goes from here.” 

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