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Juneau residents will have the opportunity to celebrate National Native American Heritage Month next week by seeing the acclaimed Lakota Sioux Indian Dance Theatre perform.

The dance troupe will perform "Cokata Upo!," translated as "Come to the Center," at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at the Juneau-Douglas High School auditorium. The group performs its three-part piece that includes traditional and sacred songs, narratives and creation stories that celebrates the culture of the Lakota people. The event is presented by the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council.

The evening should be a great way to explore a Native culture that people in Alaska may be unfamiliar with, JAHC executive director Nancy DeCherney said.

"I think we are in for something that is very, very exciting," she said.

The Lakota Sioux Indian Dance Theatre performs in colorful, elaborate traditional regalia, dancing against a video backdrop and interweaving songs and stories throughout the act.

The arts council has had their eye on the long-standing group for years, DeCherney said.

"It's been a group that we've had on the list for a really long time," she said.

When the arts council found out that the group was planning an Alaskan tour, they jumped at the opportunity to bring them to Juneau.

"We've been trying really hard to conserve money by doing what's called 'block booking' with the rest of the state, so this group is on a tour of Alaska," she said. "Because the tour was put together we thought, 'Yep, this is the year.'"

This will be the largest performance the JAHC will present this year, DeCherney said.

"I just hope people will take the time to come. It might give us a greater appreciation for what the groups here in town are also doing to keep alive our traditions in this neighborhood," she said.

The dance group will also have two special shows for students on Monday.

The group is a highly respected Native dance group that has performed in many venues, including performing at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.

"Originally we were just going to do one (student show) but it sold out instantly," DeCherney said.

The arts council is also trying to get some of the performers to possibly visit some classrooms to provide some cultural education.

"I'm really looking forward to having this group interact and meet with our Native dance groups here and we're making an effort to have the group come in and work with the Tlingit immersion elementary class," DeCherney said.

Presenting cultural art can be very inspirational for children, she added.

"I'm always happy to offer that to children whenever we can, because live performances are so exciting and so different from what you see on TV," DeCherney said.

• Contact reporter Eric Morrison at 523-2269 or eric.morrison@juneauempire.com.