This week we begin the unit on St. Lawrence Yupik dance. There is a lot of overlap between St. Lawrence Island/Siberian Yupik dance and Iñupiaq dance. Many songs have been exchanged between the cultures. The styles are quite similar. Both types of songs consist of the two/three-part structure (soft beat, hard beat). Song can be with or without lyrics. The drum is struck from beneath, like the Iñupiaq drum. However, in addition to the language difference, you’ll see some differences in the songs that you learned in the Iñupiaq unit. The following video gives an introduction to St. Lawrence Island drumming and dancing.