Celebration features dance performances in several venues from about 50 groups from Alaska, Canada, and the Lower 48. Through these performances, attendees witness ancient dances and songs that tell of the history of clans. Some groups also perform contemporary songs and dances.
SHI’s Board of Trustees names a lead dance group for each Celebration. The lead dance group is responsible for overseeing the Grand Entrance and Grand Exit songs, during which every participating group dances across the stage to mark the beginning and end of Celebration. That requires the lead group to drum and sing for up to three hours straight during both processions.
Dance groups must apply to perform at Celebration. After the application deadline, SHI reviews submissions and invites groups to perform at the event.
Interested? Apply now!
Celebration 2026 Lead Dance Group
SHI’s Board of Trustees named Lepquinm Gumilgit Gagoadim Tsimshian Dancers (Our Own Dance in Our Hearts) as the lead dance group for Celebration 2026. Lepquinm Gumilgit Gagoadim Tsimshian Dancers, a multigenerational group from Anchorage, formed in 2005.
The members were very surprised by the news, said Marcella Asicksik, the group’s leader. “This is such an honor. We were excited and still in shock,” Asicksik said a few days after hearing the news while still in Juneau for Celebration 2024. “We all met up in my hotel room, screamed, cheered, hugged and cried. We’re all so happy for this opportunity.”
Video Archive of Previous Celebrations
In 2023, SHI wrapped a major project to digitize and post online every Celebration since the event’s inception in 1982. Select a program cover to watch that year’s Celebration on YouTube.
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