The Kenaitze Indian Tribe will welcome an internationally known indigenous dance group this Saturday as part of the Native Youth Olympics Invitational.
At 7 p.m. Saturday night, the Renee C. Henderson Auditorium at Kenai Central High School will be filled with dance and more. Tickets will be sold at the door for $15 and will support the Kenaitze Indian Tribe’s Yaghjanen Youth Program.
Yellow Bird Productions, a family dance company based in Arizona, specializes in cultural presentations celebrating the spirit of the American Indian while focusing on family strength. The performance will include traditional and contemporary dances and storytelling. The Kenai Central High School drum line will also be performing. The performance ends with hoop dancers.
Dancers will be bringing extra hoops to encourage audience participation.
“Whatever part of the world you’re from, you have culture, and culture simply means family, and family traditions,” said Yellow Bird Productions Director Ken Duncan in a press release. “What did you do when you were gathered as a family, to celebrate the important parts of your life”
Duncan said that listening to Elders, parents and others in the community, allows for the transfer and sharing of knowledge, both as an individual and a community.
The Saturday night show is part of the larger Native Youth Olympics Invitational and the annual Peninsula Winter Games. The Invitational kicks off on Friday night at 7 p.m., with competition beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 19 and 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 20.
Reach Kat Sorensen at ksorensen@peninsulaclarion.com.
