Next generation steps in: Two young dancers show how tradition moves forward through everyday moments, community
Special to the Times | Donovan Quintero
Grace Kaydence Etsitty and Kacee Yazzie step into the arena during a Benefit Song and Dance at the Sanostee Multipurpose Building in Tsé Ałnáozt’i’í, N.M., on Dec. 27, 2025. Grace, the Northern Navajo Baby Princess for 2025-26, and Kacee, a second-grader from Tohlakai, N.M., are part of a generation learning song and dance through family and community.
By Donovan Quintero and Krista Allen
Navajo Times
WINDOW ROCK
When the drum starts, Grace Kaydence Etsitty and Kacee Yazzie do not wait for instruction. They move when the rhythm feels right, stepping into the circle with the calm assurance of children who know where they belong.
Grace, 5, is in kindergarten. Kacee, 7, is in second grade. Together, they are part of a generation learning tradition through participation, guided by family, curiosity and the steady presence of community.
Their paths to the dance floor look different. Their reasons for staying are strikingly similar.
Learning the rhythm
At song and dances across Diné Bikéyah, Grace and Kacee are often easy to spot. Grace, wearing her crown, dances with confidence beyond her years, her movements practiced but unforced. Kacee follows the beat with precision, his dootł’izhii and sis łigaaí catching the light as he turns.
To read the full article, please see the Jan. 2, 2026, edition of the Navajo Times.
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