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15 Years ago in the Sounder - Barrow dancers to perform in Inaugural Parade

December 23rd 3:32 pm | Charles Bingham Print this article   Email this article   Create a Shortlink for this article

The Presidential Inaugural Committee liked the Barrow Dancers so much the last time the group performed in an Inaugural Parade for President Bill Clinton that the group has been invited back to help kick off his second term.

The Barrow Dancers, a group of Inupiat dancers whose president is Robert Aiken Sr., was chosen by parade planners from hundreds of entries from across the nation, Presidential Inaugural Committee co-executive director Debbie Whillhite said in a press release. The dancers will join groups representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories.

The theme of this year's inaugural festivities is "An American Journey: Building a Bridge to the 21st Century," and Willhite said the Barrow group reflected the theme.

After Clinton is sworn in on Jan. 20, the dancers will join a parade up Pennsylvania Avenue that will pass before the president and Vice President Al Gore at the White House reviewing stand.

For many members of the group, this will be their second trip to see Clinton sworn in, and they figure the program will be similar to four years ago.

"It was awesome to be able to take part in the inaugural parade," said Priscilla Sage, the group's secretary. "We went to one of the inaugural balls and we performed a couple of more times when we were in Washington, D.C., the last time. It was really too awesome for words, being there watching the president get sworn in. The elation you feel being part of that was really quite something."

Sage said group members will wear traditional costumes with ahtiqluks (similar to kuspuks), and some will carry traditional drums.

She said there are at least 20 members of the group on the travel list, but some are still trying to confirm their trip plans and its unclear how many will actually be able to travel. Those that travel will range in age from 21 to 72 years old.

"We're not taking the students because we have to march a long way and most of them can't get off from school," Sage said. "When we went the first time, it was probably about a 5-mile walk, and it will probably be the same this time."

Since the dance group will be marching, it will use a special routine that varies from the traditional stationary dances.

"We'll be walking," Sage said. "We have a routine we do where we're coming from behind the scenes, that kind of performance. We do a similar routine at Kivgiq where people are lined up behind the scenes with two leaders, a man and a woman, in front who lead us out into the crowd."

The Barrow Dancers found out Dec. 18 that they would be invited to the inaugural parade, which hasn't left the group much time to raise funds for the trip.

"We're looking for contributions since we have to foot the whole bill and we're just finding out," Sage said.

 

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