St. Lawrence University: Festival of the Arts

Thursday, February 22, 8:00 p.m. Gulick Theatre

Performance by Sikumiut Inuit Dancers and Drummers

The Sikumiut Inuit Dancers and Drummers are based in Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut. The group is dedicated to giving Inuit youth an opportunity to discover, recover, and further their own culture through dance, drumming and song. "Sikumiut" means "people of the ice" in Inuktitut. Siberian dancer and choreographer Zinour Fathoullin lived and worked among Siberian Hunti and Nentsi Inuit for many years. In consultation with Inuit elders, he has created a powerful performance suite that is true to the Inuit traditions of throat singing, dance, and drumming. Reflecting the nature of Nunavut itself, Sikumiut is an evolving and diverse blend of the traditional and contemporary. Sikumiut performers are Inuit who have dedicated an enormous amount of time and effort to creating a polished and exciting performance. Materials are purchased locally, and local elders, seamstresses, designers, and technicians are employed whenever possible in an effort to support Nunavummiut (the people of Nunavut) economically. Established in 1999, the group has given highly acclaimed performances in Nunavut, Greenland, the Ukraine, France, Belgium, Ottawa, and Alaska, as well as performing for the Canadian Broadcasting Company's World Millennium Special "2000 Today," broadcast internationally on December 31, 1999. They perform works inspired by the graceful movements of the caribou, goose, and raven, by Inuit legends, myths, and traditional games, as well as works incorporating contemporary movement and music.

Sponsored by the St. Lawrence University Alcoa Foundation Cultural Affairs Program Fund and by the Association for Campus Entertainment (ACE).