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Aqsarniit (The Kennedy Center)

Aqsarniit

Aqsarniit is an Inuit performing group whose members first came together several years ago to explore their own history and culture, as well as create new music and dances inspired by the northern aboriginal traditions of throat singing and drum dancing.  The performers are from across Canada's Arctic—Nunavut and Nunavik—where they grew up learning the basics of traditional Inuit music, song, and dance which have always reflected the Inuit way of life: living out on the tundra, hunting, camping, and celebrating life. Having spent time training artistically in the south, members of Aqsarniit have continued the Inuit traditions of their heritage, as well as incorporating new elements into their art that they have developed through modern dance and performance training.   They have also taught Inuit youth from all over the north in drum dancing, throat singing, and ajaaja songs, often recruiting from their trainees for larger ensemble concerts. Aqsarniit’s shows, not unlike the traditional Inuit performing arts that spawned them, include songs that are still expressions of individual personal experiences, dances that are still shared in celebration, and throat singing that still imitates the sounds of nature.

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Watch Past Performances

Aqsarniit and The Cherokee National Youth Choir 6/5/08: Aqsarniit and The Cherokee National Youth Choir

Aqsarniit, an Inuit performing group from Nunavut and Nunavik, explores its own history and culture through music and dances inspired by the northern aboriginal traditions of throat singing and drum dancing. The Cherokee National Youth Choir, made up of 40 young people from northeastern Oklahoma communities, performs traditional Cherokee songs in the Cherokee language.

Aqsarniit and The Cherokee National Youth Choir

Aqsarniit, an Inuit performing group from Nunavut and Nunavik, explores its own history and culture through music and dances inspired by the northern aboriginal traditions of throat singing and drum dancing. The Cherokee National Youth Choir, made up of 40 young people from northeastern Oklahoma communities, performs traditional Cherokee songs in the Cherokee language.

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