Alaska Native Dance and Performance
Grades: 7 - 9
Dates & Times: July 15 - 19 (Week 7), 9 AM - 12 PM
Location: SRC Group Fitness Studio, UAF Campus
Cost: $195
Description: Learn different styles of Alaska Native dance and songs with Asikluk and Ahnaughuq, two Inupiaq from Northwest Alaska. You will learn the motions, songs, and how different groups move to their music.
Instructor: Amy Topkok
A little about Amy: Amy Ahnaughuq is a third-year PhD student focusing on Indigenous Knowledge systems at UAF. She completed her master's project in 2018 entitled, "Alaska Iñupiaq Skin-sewing Designs: A Portal into Cultural Identity," focused on identifying Native values and the importance of cultural identity in her family of skin-sewers, reaching several generations. She plans to continue to research skin-sewers' artistry and connect it with the Sami in Norway, Inuktitut/Inuit of Canada, and across Alaska Native groups such as the Yup'ik and Siberian Yupik groups.
Instructor: Sean Topkok
A little about Sean: Dr. Topkok is the Director of the Indigenous Studies master's and doctoral programs at the University of Alaska Fairbanks in the Center for Cross-Cultural Studies. His research interests include multicultural and Indigenous education, decolonization, and Indigenous methods and methodologies, working with communities to help them document their cultural heritages and community well-being.