ALAXSXA | ALASKA is a theatrical collage of multimedia, puppetry, and Central Yup’ik drum and dance, illuminating striking moments of cross-cultural encounter in the epic, changing landscapes of Alaska.
Directed by Ping Chong and Ryan Conarro, ALAXSXA | ALASKA features Conarro and Gary Upay’aq Beaver (Central Yup’ik), along with puppeteer Justin Perkins. The three performers use movement and puppetry to reveal a series of little-known historical narratives of collisions between people and cultures in Alaska. These histories--at times humorous, at times tragic--juxtapose against Beaver and Conarro’s own personal memories as "insider" and "outsider" in the Last Frontier.
Ping Chong + Company produce theatrical works addressing the important cultural and civic issues of our times, striving to reach the widest audiences with the greatest level of artistic innovation and social integrity. In 2015 Ping Chong was honored with the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists by the United States government, presented to him by Presdient Barak Obama.
