Mariah Brewer flies through the air with attitude and grace.
Mariah Brewer: Dancing to her own beat
By Christina Rose
Native Sun News Associate Editor RAPID CITY—No matter what she decides, whether it's to be a dancer, poet, or psychologist, Mariah Brewer, a junior at Stevens High School, has a solid future ahead of her. Having danced for 10 of her 16 years, a visit to Prima Ballet on West Main St, Rapid City, proved that years spent in training have proved fruitful. Teacher Alyssa Record described Mariah as a beautiful dancer, and she is often cast as a feature dancer with dance troupes, such as the Russian Ballet, that come to Rapid City through the Black Hills Theatre. Right now Mariah is researching colleges that fit her future. “I used to want to audition for Julliard, but then I was exposed to a broader spectrum of dance,” she said. As of right now, Mariah is hoping to attend the University of Wyoming where she took part in the Snowy Ridge Summer Dance Festival. However, she is keeping her options open and also considering the University of Minnesota and University of Montana. While Mariah is aware of the opportunities that living in New York City or Los Angeles might afford, she said, “I like the big cities, but I don’t want to live in them.” Even though Mariah has focused on Modern Dance, she remembers her Lakota traditions. She currently dances almost three hours a day and said she doesn’t have time for pow wow dancing anymore. “I used to jingle dance when I was younger. I still like learning about my culture and I am proud of being Lakota. I spoke Lakota when I was young. I learned it while I was Dakota Head Start, and when we went to Pine Ridge. I don’t forget it.” Planning ahead for her career, Mariah is looking at splitting her goals between dance and psychology. “My sister is getting a degree in psychology,” she said, “and I have always enjoyed helping people and learning how people deal with things,” Brewer said. Jennifer Glen, Mariah’s mother, said Mariah has so many gifts there are a multitude of things she could do. Apparently her mother is not her only fan. “I entered a poem in a contest, and I got back a letter about having my poem published,” Mariah said. “After that I was accepted into new contests, so I have two published right now.” Mariah said her poems are often about what she is feeling at the time. “I wrote about my very first break-up. The second one was about how I feel that society is turning away from what is really important. Nowadays people are focusing less on God and what God gives them each day, like their talents,” Mariah said. Mariah’s 4.0 grade point average shows that she takes her studies seriously. “She is working to keep her grades up because she wants to be able to get into a good school. I know they look at the whole package,” Glen said. As excited as Brewer is about going to college, she said, “It’s going to be hard to leave all the things I have been involved with, but I am excited to meet new people. I’ll miss my mom and my bird.” Mariah’s Grandfather Melvin “Dickie” Brewer, originally from Pine Ridge and now living in Denver, Colo., called Native Sun News to say how special he thinks his granddaughter is. He was the first advertising sales representative for the original Lakota Times on the Pine Ridge Reservation in 1981. He is also proud of Mariah’s mothers. “She is such a good Mom; nobody has a bad thing to say about her. She has done such a good job raising Mariah. The thing I like about her is she is always so grateful for anything anybody does for them.” (Contact Christina Rose at christinarose.sd@gmail.com)
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