"Welcome to Indian opera. The cast includes a Sun God, medicine woman, humble man, cruel-hearted warrior and a beautiful woman.

The story of "Poia," or Scarface, recounts a legend of how the Blackfeet acquired the ceremonial Sun Dance. The Great Falls Symphony recently staged the opera for the first time in nearly a century.

Montana's production captivated the audience at a July 3 performance in Great Falls.

But for most American Indian people, the performance had a severe drawback. The show's costumes belonged in a Halloween shop, not onstage. Boy Scout-inspired garb, yellow chicken feathers and a bushy hairdo distracted too much from an otherwise intriguing spectacle."

Get the Story:
Jodi Rave: Reviving Blackfeet opera good, but costumes laughable (The Billings Gazette 7/10)

Relevant Links:
Jodi Rave Lee - http://www.missoulian.com/jodirave

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