Flag's Nakota LaRance nails Best New Actor Award for 2005

FLAGSTAFF -- Saturday night, Nakota LaRance, 16, a sophomore at Coconino High School, accepted the Best New Actor Award at the 14th Annual First Americans in the Arts Presentation and Dinner at the Beverly Hills Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif.

In fact, it's been a busy year for LaRance.

Last month, he nabbed his sixth straight title at the World Champion Hoop Dance Competition held at the Heard Museum in Phoenix. On Feb. 14, LaRance won his fourth Teen Division title, making this his sixth consecutive championship. He won two Youth Division titles prior to moving into the teen category.

This past year, he also spawned an acting career with five dramatic roles under his belt, including a major role as Voices That Carry in episode five of the hit TV series "Into The West." It was this role -- as a Lakotah youth sent away to boarding school -- that netted him the Best New Actor Award.

After Saturday's awards ceremony, LaRance flew back to Shreveport, La., where he's working on his sixth movie, "Not Like Everyone Else: The True Story of Brandi Blackbear." In this film, he plays the younger brother of a Native American girl that learns to fight for her rights.