Anchorage Daily News

In an ironic bi-lingual pun, the title of the evening-length performance that the Lakota Sioux Indian Dance Theatre will present in Anchorage is the same as the instructions for what you need to do in order to see the show. "Cokata Upo" means "Come to the Center," as in: Come to the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts on Friday or Saturday.

However, "the Center" at the heart of "Cokata Upo" is metaphorical, a reference to cultural grounding, finding balance and alignment, using physical motion to reveal interior reality and connect with the forces and spaces of the universe.

The power that holds the attention of the audience, however, will most likely be the nonstop energy, athleticism, grace and color of the show.

Henry Smith, the founder and artistic director of the company, said the performers are all stars on the Indian dance circuit in the Lower 48. "Everyone's a competitive dancer at powwows," he said.

These champions present a tightly orchestrated succession of traditional dances designed to tell a grand story beginning with creation and the birth of a people, their death and rebirth.

Popular powwow pieces -- Gourd Dance, Buffalo Dance, Hoop Dance, Inter-Tribal and Fancy Dances -- are interwoven with narrative to form a program that tells a story as well as spotlights the culture.

"We try to make it entertaining as well as informative," Smith said.

Smith, a non-Native, is originally from Philadelphia.

He's the founder of the acclaimed Solaris dance company that pioneered a fusion of modern choreography with martial arts and world dance.

It was in that role that he found himself as an artist in residence at an Indian school on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota some 30 years ago.

At the end of his residency, his students presented what they had learned to their elders, and the elders showed Smith some steps of their own.

"I was knocked out by it, " Smith recalled.

He went to work with elders and top dancers to create a full-length piece that originally mixed contemporary and Lakota dance, and eventually became an all-Indian showcase.

"Since that time we've been all over the world," he said. "West Africa, Turkey, baseball stadiums in Japan, the Greek Olympiads."

And even Alaska, 25 years ago, at the Festival of Native Arts in Fairbanks.

But that was a small troupe, he recalled.

The performances in Atwood Concert Hall on Friday and Saturday night will be the first time Alaska has seen the full show with a bigger cast.

Smith said that 10 dancers are scheduled for the Alaska tour, which includes Fairbanks and Juneau. He would have liked to bring more, "But airfares are like crazy!"

As it is, the dancers will drive to Fairbanks after their Anchorage show; but that's mostly to take in some scenery.

"Everyone's excited about coming to Alaska," he said.

The dances presented are in the Northern style of Plains Indian dancing shared by Sioux, Ojibwa and neighboring tribes. At a reservation powwow, some of these individual dances -- like a Grand Entrance -- might run for half an hour. "Cokata Upo" is an artistic attempt to concentrate their essence in a program that spans about 100 minutes, with intermission.

One thing guaranteed to keep the audience's attention is the spectacular regalia. Since each of the performers participates in the highly competitive powwow circuit, they pay close attention to their costuming, Smith said. Skins, furs, bright cloths, bone, metal, feathers and lots of intricate bead work are among the materials that go into a properly outfitted Plains Indian dancer.

"You have to have a new outfit every season just to get the judges attention," he said. "People make their own or have a relative do it."

The designs are a mix of traditional forms and specific family or tribal designs.

Smith pointed out that Lakota patterns tend to be very geometric while Ojibwa work will be more representative of things like flowers and trees.

While the company has evolved over three decades as cultural ambassadors, becoming more polished and focused, its mission remains the same.

Smith recalled that the first performances were intended to make "a positive statement between Indian and non-Indian people."

That statement continues to sound with the drumming and foot rhythms that they'll bring to Alaska this month.

Find Mike Dunham online at adn.com/contact/mdunham or call 257-4332.

The Program for 'Cokata Upo’

Part I - Birth of a Nation: Creation Story

Sunrise Ceremony: Grass Flattening Dance

Invocation: Prayer Song

Flute: Morning Star Song

Gourd Dance

Flags of the Four Directions

Stomp Dance

Women’s Fancy Team Dance

Buffalo Dance

Flute Song - Kahomine

Inter-Tribal Dance

Part II - Death and Rebirth of a Nation

Grand Entry

Horse Dance

Sneak Up Dance

Women’s Jingle Team Dance

Men’s Fancy Dance

Shield and Spear Dance

Women’s Traditional Dance

Victory Dance

The Vision

Eagle Dance

Hoop Dance

Grass Dance

Grand Exit

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