Dancing Through Time

In the rhythm of life, two women, Cynthia Gibson and Kristine Wilcox, struck up a friendship in a local dance group. Meeting as kindred spirits, they shared a passion for not only dance but for their town of Sitka. Realizing the amount of visitors that arrive in Sitka each year, their shared passion ignited a spark that became the dance troupe “Alaska Storytellers” and, through movement and music, they take visitors on an exhilarating journey of early life in this former Russian town.

Sitka was originally a Tlingit village and, according to their oral history, the now dormant volcano, Mount Edgecumbe brought the Tlingit to the area like a signal fire, blazing against the night sky, cutting through the darkness, bringing wanderers to safety. The Russians arrived in the area in 1799 and brought their religion and culture and inventible clashes with the local Tlingit. It is this time period that Alaska Storytellers explore in their dance performance titled “The Russian Saga”.

“Sitka is such a unique area, and we wanted to show through dance why the Russians came, what they found, what they did when they were here and why they left,” says Director Wilcox.

Fifteen dancers, plus a storyteller, stage 160 performances a year. The company choreographs each dance with a mesmerizing display of grace, passion, and tradition. From the spirited kicks and leaps of the Cossack dance to the elegant swirls of traditional folk dance, to jitterbug and western swing, each movement resonates with soul-stirring melodies of music. “During the battle of the Russians and Tlingit we used contemporary, interpretive dance and with the transfer dance, when Sitka passed from the Russians to the U.S. we used swing. Each dance tells a story and a part of Sitka’s history.” Not only will the dances dazzle, but the costumes showcase artistic sewing skills. “When we first started, we thrifted a lot of our costumes, but now many of our ensembles come from Russia, plus we have amazing seamstresses,” Wilcox states.

Right now, most performances take place in conjunction with cruise ship tours at the Harrigan Centennial Hall, located a few miles from downtown. They also perform at Sitka Cirque which is in the downtown district. Both places can take walk-ins. If you are able to attend a performance of “Russian Saga” you will leave enchanted with a deeper understanding of the richness and legacy of the enduring spirit of Sitka. “I am living my dream job,” says Wilcox. “I get to create a show that I love so much, in a town that I love so much.”

For more information and tickets please visit: alaskastorytellers.com