Kevin Locke doesn’t just talk about unity. The internationally acclaimed performer literally jumps through hoops to make audiences aware of the critical need for harmony in the world.


Kevin Locke In a blur of movement, Mr. Locke, a Native American, executes a complex Hoop Dance distinctive to his tribe, the Lakota. The twirling black, red, yellow and white hoops represent the races, and also the four directions, winds and seasons.

To appeal to “all people,” who “have the same impulses, spirit and goals . . . I want to create a positive awareness of the oneness of humanity,” says Mr. Locke, a Baha'i who lives on the South Dakota reservation where he grew up.

His concerts, which he has taken to 84 countries, also feature him playing a Plains cedar flute, telling Lakota stories and showcasing traditional Lakota drumming and dancing.

Mr. Locke joined the Baha'i Faith in 1979 after reading the writings of Baha’u’llah, which he interpreted as “a message from God, a renewal of the eternal principles.”

Read a profile on Mr. Locke from the November/December 2007 edition of Brilliant Star, the award-winning Baha'i children’s magazine and a 1996 interview in One Country, the newsletter of the Baha'i International Community.