PLATTEVILLE, Wis. — The Super Bowl will get a small taste of Wisconsin talent on Sunday, as one University of Wisconsin-Platteville student performs a Native American hoop dance.

Nedallas Hammill is a sophomore business administration major at UW-Platteville. He grew up in New River, Ariz. and as a member of the Dine’ (Navajo) Nation and Ho-Chunk Nation, began hoop dancing at 4 years old.

He started with five hoops and advanced all the way to 13, though at one point, he even incorporated as many as 28.

It’s an art-form that Hammill said has special meaning in the Indigenous community. The hoop, he said, represents that circle of life, which has no beginning and end.

“The Ho-Chunk tribe’s story is about a warrior’s journey,” explained Hammill in a press release. “A warrior went out because he felt lost. Throughout his journey, he discovered many things of beauty and nature; the eagle taking flight, the butterfly coming out of the cocoon, the flower, sun, moon and stars. When he got back to the village, he wanted to tell his people what he saw, but he couldn’t put it into words and instead he crafted the hoops to tell his story.”

But Hammill isn’t the only one in his circle that does hoop dancing. He said it’s a family affair.

Hammill’s dad owns Native Spirit Productions. The company specializes in musical, cultural dance performances — and Hammill said he hopes to take it over one day.

“I have been all over the United States and outside of the country hoop dancing. It’s given me a chance to meet a lot of different people,” he said in a press release. “To share my culture is cool. I enjoy hoop dancing. I want to make it my career. To share the art is not only good for the educational aspect, but it’s also something I would like to do for the rest of my life.”

In 2020, Hammill was the teen world champion Native American hoop dancer.

Now, he’ll return home to perform for the millions of football fans watching the Super Bowl on Feb. 12 in Glendale, Arizona.

“I’m excited to go back to Arizona. It will be one of the bigger shows I have done. I’m nervous and excited to get my name out there,” said Hammill in the release. “I will hoop dance and my uncle will be doing the singing.”

After the Super Bowl, Hammill said he’ll travel to Phoenix to compete in the World Championship Hoop Dance Contest from Feb. 18-19. It’s the first time he will compete following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hammill said the thing he enjoys most about hoop dancing is telling a story.

“Whenever I’m hoop dancing, I like to put emphasis on my moves. When I do the Eagle, I don’t want to just show it off a little bit and then go to the next formation — when I make the Eagle, I want to tell the story of the eagle taking flight and flying around — then eventually morph into the next formation,” Hammill said in the press release.

He said he encourages those in the community to attend all Native American performances, such as a pow-wow.