‘Dancing Dakota’

This Thursday, March 27, at 4:30 p.m., Gov. Kelly Armstrong will sign HB 1397 into law, officially designating Chuck Suchy’s song, “Dancing Dakota” as the North Dakota State Waltz. He’s going to sign it in the Great Hall of the North Dakota Capitol. Chuck will be there. He’ll sing the new North Dakota State Waltz. You are invited.

Here’s the language from the bill:

“SECTION 1. A new section to chapter 54-02 of the North Dakota Century Code is created and enacted as follows:

“State waltz.

“Dancing Dakota”, written and composed by Chuck Suchy, is the North Dakota state waltz.”

If there was ever a better piece of legislation to pass the North Dakota Legislature, I can’t think of what it might be. It’s a great song, and it honors a great state. And in doing so, it honors one of North Dakota’s real treasures, Chuck Suchy.

And there’s another great part of the bill, a section that creates a State Troubadour. Also from the bill:

“SECTION 2. A new section to chapter 54-54 of the North Dakota Century Code is created and enacted as follows:

“State troubadour.

“The chairman of the North Dakota council on the arts shall designate an individual to serve as the official state troubadour or trobairitz for a term of five years.

And there’s another piece of legislation the Governor is going to sign, HCR 3007, which designates Chuck as the first North Dakota State Troubadour. From that bill:

“A concurrent resolution that Chuck Suchy be designated as the first state troubadour of North Dakota for a term of five years until a successor is selected pursuant to law.

“WHEREAS, Chuck Suchy is an accomplished folk musician who has dedicated his life to preserving and sharing the musical traditions of the state; and

“WHEREAS, Chuck Suchy has been a prominent figure in the state for decades, performing across the state and beyond, and creating a unique and lasting impact on the cultural heritage of the region; and

“WHEREAS, Chuck Suchy’s work as a songwriter has highlighted the stories, values, and history of North Dakota, resonating with audiences of all ages and backgrounds; and

“WHEREAS, Chuck Suchy’s music draws upon the state’s diverse cultures, from its agricultural roots to its Native American heritage, and has consistently celebrated the natural beauty and spirit of North Dakota; and

“WHEREAS, the designation of a state troubadour will recognize Chuck Suchy’s significant role in advancing North Dakota’s musical legacy and will help to promote the state’s cultural identity to the broader public; and

“WHEREAS, the title of state troubadour is in keeping with the state’s tradition of honoring individuals who have made substantial contributions to the arts and cultural preservation;

“NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF NORTH DAKOTA, THE SENATE CONCURRING THEREIN:

That Chuck Suchy be designated as the first state troubadour of North Dakota for a term of five years until a successor is selected pursuant to law; and

“BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Legislature expresses its deepest appreciation for Chuck Suchy’s contributions to the musical and cultural life of the state, and extends its warmest congratulations to him on this well-deserved honor and that the Secretary of State forward a copy of this resolution to Chuck Suchy.”

Well. That pretty much says it all. And despite some of bad things the 2025 North Dakota Legislature is doing (to be fair, they do a lot of bad things most sessions, and a few good things, too), they’re making up for a lot of those things with these two bills.

This has been a long time coming. There’s a bit of a back story. We’ve been down this road before.

Back in the fall of 2010, not long after Lillian and I had moved to our house in Highland Acres in Bismarck, Lillian threw a surprise birthday party for me. It was a beautiful fall day, September 5, and we had spent the weekend in the Bad Lands, and were driving home on Sunday afternoon, my 63^rd birthday.

We were cruising east on I-94, and somewhere between New Salem and Mandan I said “Hey, it’s my birthday. How about we drive down to Prairie Knights for supper?”

“NO!” was her definitive answer.

I puzzled over that, but didn’t argue. Little did I know she had 30 or 40 people waiting for me in our back yard to surprise me. There were a lot of cars parked on our street when we arrived home. I said, “Looks like somebody’s having a party.”

No comment from Lillian.

We walked in the front door, and as I passed through the dining room, I looked out the window and saw a back yard full of people.

“SURPRISE!”

Among the guests were my friends Chuck and Linda Suchy and a pair of Legislator friends, Senator Connie Triplett and her husband, Gerald Groenwald, and Representative Joyce Kingsbury and her husband Bill. Sometime during that evening, we came up with the idea of introducing a bill in the 2011 Legislative Session to do exactly what the 2025 Legislature is doing right now: Making “Dancing Dakota” the official state waltz.

The song had been around since Chuck was the North Dakota Centennial Troubadour back in our Centennial year of 1989. It was a good one. We knew there was already a State Song, the North Dakota Hymn, written by James Foley, and we weren’t going to mess with HIM.

So Connie and Joyce agreed to sponsor the bill. When the Legislative session rolled around in January of 2011, they rounded up a few more House and Senate members and introduced SB 1294, “A BILL for an Act to create and enact a new section to chapter 54-02 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to designation of “Dancing Dakota”, written and composed by Chuck Suchy, as the official North Dakota waltz . . .”

Since Senator Triplett was the first listed sponsor on the bill, a hearing was held in front of the North Dakota Senate Agriculture Committee (kind of appropriate—Chuck’s a farmer/rancher) and Senator Triplett and Representative Kingbury testified in favor of the bill, explaining why they introduced it.

Joyce said, “This is a great idea . . . The history of the waltz is as easy as 1-2-3 (heh heh—good one, Joyce). Dancing was our entertainment when we were growing up. The waltz is a wonderful dance.”

Connie followed, with, “This song is a celebratory recognition of the glories of North Dakota and the beauty of our state and the cultural heritage that it recognizes. It was written by a North Dakota native as part of our Centennial celebration and speaks to our spirit.”

Senator Carolyn Nelson from Fargo, a gifted musician, got up and said, “When you read through the words of this song, it talks about winds, trees, the romance of our area, midwinter nights, the magic and the warmth of the summer. It’s a picture of North Dakota, rather than a blue skirt waltz . . .” (again, heh heh).

Finally, North Dakota historian and folklorist Tom Isern got up and gave a pretty impassioned testimony, which you can read here, along with the other testimony, closing with, “I predict, my dear senators, that the stirring chorus of this waltz will lodge in your heads. You will find yourself humming it or whistling it at odd moments. Your feet might even start to move in time with it. Dakota asks, May I please have this dance?”

And then Chuck sang the song for the committee. It was a pretty emotional moment for those of us sitting in the chairs and watching.

But not, apparently, for some of the Senators on the committee. Three Republicans, Oley Larsen, Joe Miller and Tim Flakoll, voted against recommending it to the full Senate. Two Democrats, Joan Heckaman and Phil Murphy, were joined by Republican Larry Luick in favor. So the result was it went to the Senate floor with no recommendation.

A few days later I was in the gallery watching what I expected to be a great moment when the bill came to the Senate floor for a vote. What I didn’t know, and what Senator Triplett didn’t know, was that Republican Senate Majority Leader Bob Stenehjem had quietly told his caucus members that no bill sponsored by Senator Connie Triplett was going to pass the North Dakota Senate. Including this one.

Most of them obeyed him. When the key was opened and the Senators were asked to cast their votes, the board went very, very red. Almost every Republican voted to kill the bill. The bill failed, 14-32.

What followed was a few moments of stunned silence in the Senate chamber. And then the President of the Senate, Lt. Gov. Drew Wrigley, called for the next bill, and the Senate went about its business for the day. We learned later what Stenehjem had done. It was by far the meanest thing I have ever seen in all my years of paying attention to politics and government in North Dakota.

The worst part was, it was very embarrassing for Chuck Suchy. He had kind of reluctantly gone along with our scheme to create a North Dakota State Waltz. Chuck‘s kind of an “aww shucks” guy, and although he has performed in hundreds of concerts, the show is always about the music, not about Chuck.

By the way, Stenehjem didn’t just single out Senator Triplett during that session. There were just 12 Democrats in the Senate that year. Among them they introduced a total of 66 bills and resolutions. Seven of the resolutions passed and 12 of the bills. The Republicans killed 47 of them, almost all on party line votes. Ryan Taylor, the Senate Minority Leader, was Stenehjem’s other favorite target. He went zero for nine. Okay, so enough history.

Fast forward to 2025. This year, Rep. Bob Martinson of Bismarck and Rep. Todd Porter from Mandan enlisted all the other Morton County (Chuck’s home county) Legislators, all Republicans, to join them in sponsoring the two bills which will become law this Thursday.

And now we will have a North Dakota Waltz, joining six other states, Connecticut, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Wisconsin, and of course the “Beautiful Tennessee Waltz.”

We have a lot of other official “state things” in Section 54-02 of the North Dakota Century Code, including wonderful things like the State Flower (Wild Prairie Rose), State Bird (Western Meadowlark), Honorary Equine (the Nokota Horse), State Fossil (Teredo Petrified Wood), and some weird things like the State Insect (Convergent Lady Beetle), State Beverage (Milk), and State Sport (Curling). You can read the whole list here. It’s kind of fun to see what the various Legislatures have done over the years.

But none, in my opinion, more refreshing and culturally significant, than making Chuck Suchy our North Dakota State Troubadour, and putting the words “Dancing Dakota” into the North Dakota Century Code. Just read these lyrics. God, I love North Dakota. And Chuck Suchy.

Dancing Dakota

The music is calling quiet and clear

A voice gently falling on the listening ear

It calls from the rivers, from the wind in the trees

It calls, I know you, Do you know me?

For I am a dancer, I am a dance

I am a dreamer living romance

I am all ages, timeless I be

I am Dakota. Will you please dance with me?

(Chorus)

Dance, Dakota, far as you see

Dance and your spirit renew

Dance, Dakota, long may we be

Dancing, Dakota, with you

I am the magic of mid-winter night

I am the warmth of a spring morning light

The aura of autumn in quiet repose

A sunset of summer, a wild prairie rose

And I have been dancing for thousands of years

With many for partners, I’ve danced joy and tears

To the flags o’er me flown I’ve given a chance

I am Dakota. May I please have this dance?

(Chorus)

I dance with the sun, I dance with the rain

I dance with the ones who come home again

I dance with justice and with dignity

I am Dakota, will you please dance with me?

(Chorus)

You can listen to Chuck sing it here. “Dancing Dakota”

See you Thursday. Please come and join in this celebration. You can hear it again. Live. You can even dance if you want to. The Great Hall of the North Dakota Capitol is a wonderful dance floor. 1-2-3.