Lied Live! The Puppets, Song, and Story of Ajijaak on Turtle Island

Show Details

This presentation includes an interview with puppeteer Heather Henson, author/director Ty Defoe, and composer Dawn Avery, as well as a short video segment of the Ajijaak performance featuring Cranes and other puppets. The full performance of Ajijaak on Turtle Island will be featured in the 2021/2022 Lied Center Season! Ajijaak on Turtle Island is a story about Ajijaak, a young whooping crane, brought to life through puppetry, dance and visual projections. Separated from her family in a Tar Sands fire caused by the monstrous creature, Mishibizhiw, Ajijaak must make her first migration from Wood Buffalo, Canada down to the Gulf Coast. As Ajijaak travels, she encounters many animals as well as communities of people from Ojibwe, Ho-Chunk, Lakota, and Cherokee Nations, living in balance with their environments. Eventually Ajijaak finds her own voice and a family, through many interconnections with peoples and creatures along the way. Heather Henson and Ty Defoe collaborated with regional storytellers, choreographers, poets, indigenous tradition bearers, and ecologists to weave an insightful story that enhances our connection to the earth and sky through puppetry.

Upcoming air times

4/8 at 8:00 PM