In the series premiere of MTV’s new digital series Hidden Healers, Cree creative James Jones (whose TikTok handle is @notoriouscree) talks about his journey as a hoop dancer, his mental health problems, and a bit of the history of the Cree.
“I wanted to share my story on healing through movement in hopes to help someone who might need to hear some teachings that were passed on to me,” Jones said. “I think our voices and stories need to be heard and MTV is a good platform for storytelling. I just want people to realize that they can heal in many different ways, whether it be movement, therapy etc. I think it’s important to remember that we all deserve to be happy, and sometimes that happiness comes from doing what we love. Dance is a part of that happiness for me and I wanted to share that.”
While the premiere focused on Jones, from Tallcree First Nation in Alberta, and Cree culture for Native Peoples Heritage Month in the US, future episodes will highlight people from various communities depending on the time of year. For example, there will be an episode for Black History Month in February, Women’s History Month in March, and Arab American Heritage Month in April, among many other important cultural dates.
Jones’ Notorious Cree TikTok account has 3.8 million followers and 95 million likes. He has appeared on So You Think You Can Dance Canada and has performed hoop dancing on tour with A Tribe Called Red.
His hoop dance to The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights has been viewed millions of times.
The first episode of Hidden Healers is available to watch on MTV’s channels on Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
