July 9th Dancing in Sitka

Cultural highlight today was being in the front row for a performance of the "New Archangel Dancers". This is an all-female dance troupe that performs throughout the summer months delivering renditions that represent the cultures of Russian and surrounding areas. The troupe is all volunteer and perform on their lunch hours or days off from "regular" work in Sitka. None of them are Russian but they were trained by Russian choreographers and perform authentic Russian, Byelorussian, Moldovan and Ukranian folk dances in very colorful traditional costumes. The women portray both female and male dancers and it is a very strenuous performance. We loved it.

Another highlight today was a visit to the "Alaska Raptor Center".Here they rehabilitate injured raptors (which we learned are "birds of prey" including eagles, owls, ravens, falcons, and hawks). We were able to view them up close and personal and learn the importance of their rehabilitation work.

Awesome day!


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