If you’ve missed seeing the incredibly talented kids who perform with the Kwahadi Dancers at their own theater in Amarillo, Texas, perhaps you could catch their act in Busan, South Korea, where they’ve been invited by the International Olympic Committee to entertain between Sept. 22 and Oct. 4 this year.

You also might be able see them in late July and early August 2009 — if you happen to be traveling in Scotland, England or Ireland.

Scoutmaster and advisor Charles Ritchie, who has been working with the dancers since the 1960s, says, “We’re currently trying to arrange transportation while we’re in Europe to accept an invitation from Denmark, where we’d perform before 20,000 Scouts. In London, our dancers will be the featured entertainment at Wings 2009, a gathering of 5,000 Scouts.”

Ritchie, who was the drummer and chanter for the performance I saw this summer in Amarillo, can’t stop praising the talent and dedication of the group. “They’ve presented 126 performances in 23 states over the past 14 months,” he proudly says. “They’ve had adventures from California to Vermont, and along the way they’ve performed for more than 18,000 Scouts and Scouters, plus thousands of others in shows for schools and communities.”

He has the facts at his fingertips. “Seventeen high school and college-age Kwahadis and four leaders will make the journey to Korea, with the students making up two weeks of school when they return to Texas.

“They’re on the road again to perform in 12 schools just before the Thanksgiving holidays.

“Our dancers help raise funds for church youth groups and other causes. They’ve danced for prisoners twice and for the children of the Scottish Rite Orthopedic Hospital in Dallas.”

Obviously, these travel gigs aren’t your normal “field trips” for a group of Explorer Scouts. Their performances took them this summer to Oklahoma, Tennessee, Virginia, New York, Illinois and Washington, D.C. They were scheduled to perform in Waterloo, Iowa, on Aug. 1 — but the aftermath of the spring flooding interfered with that performance and it had to be canceled, so they substituted a performance in Omaha.

The dancers, who range in age from 11 to 21 years, are dedicated to the Kwahadi program, which has been described as “a magical combination of Scouting, Indian lore and showbiz.” They’ve danced in 48 of the 50 states over the years.

When I caught their performance recently at their five-year-old theater in Amarillo, I couldn’t believe the professionalism with which they performed, the amount of energy it takes to do these intricate dances and their skill in creating the authentic costumes.

The performers are made up of a Kiowa Clan, a Sioux Clan and a Maidens’ Society. The Kwahadis are Venture Crew 9 of the Golden Spread Council of the Boy Scouts of America and Troop 99 of the Girl Scouts of America. “Song of the Eagle” is their current show; it involves a lot of drumming and chanting by Ritchie, who says, “These kids dance for hundreds of thousands of people each year. More than 1,600 boys and girls have been involved in this program. Our theme is to ‘do something special with your life.’ ”

On the wall of their theater-museum-gift shop are these words from Sitting Bull: “Let’s put our minds together and see what we can do for our children.”

Visitors to Amarillo shouldn’t miss a performance by the Kwahadi Dancers. In 2001, thanks to a gift from a wealthy Texas woman, their outdoor arena got a roof, and the building became a theater, a museum of paintings and artifacts of the Pueblo and Plains Indians, plus a gift shop featuring jewelry, weaving, pottery and blankets made by native artists.

The Kwahadi Kiva Indian Museum and Event Center is a nonprofit enterprise. Visitors to the Texas Panhandle area can attend a performance in Amarillo by calling (806) 335-3175 for reservations. Some performances come with dinner. Visitors can attend rehearsals on most Sunday afternoons, beginning today.

There’s also a youth hostel program for visiting Scouts (6,000 scouts have stayed there since the museum complex opened in 2004). Their web site is www.kwahadi.com.

Shirley Davis can be contacted at (563) 383-2281 or sdavis@qctimes.com. Comment on this column at qctimes.com.