The Denali Arts Council in Talkeetna, Alaska hosts a Performing Arts Season from September through April at the Sheldon Community Arts Hangar. Past seasons have featured a variety of acts, including jazz, comedy, indigenous folk, historical theater, and guitar. DAC strives to introduce diverse performers to Talkeetna, support emerging talent, and contribute to a more inclusive music industry.

The 2024-2025 Performing Arts Season boasts five internationally touring acts.  Season Subscriptions and individual show tickets are NOW AVAILABLE!

Get the best deal on tickets by subscribing to the whole season!  With this package, you’ll have guaranteed tickets to all five nationally acclaimed acts.

The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc – September 12, 2024

The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc is a fiddle trio that masterfully blends the traditions of Norway, Sweden and the Shetland Islands. Olav Luksengård Mjelva (Norway), Anders Hall (Sweden) and Kevin Henderson (Shetland Islands), have swiftly gained a reputation for their gripping and unique blend of fiddle music since the inception of the Bloc in early 2009. They maintain a firm focus on the traditions of their home while developing a sound that has been described as “meaningful”, ”intense” and “invigorating”. Their clever use of harmony, rhythm, riffs & bass lines creates a sound that leaves the listener enthralled but at the same time dumbfounded that the sound only comes from three fiddles. Their third and most recent album “Bonfrost” has gathered numerous reviews and is said to by Folk Radio UK to “leap out of the speakers and demand attention, keeping the energetic and creative levels up throughout its twelve tracks. It will be a constant visitor to your ears and heart once you surrender to its many charms.”

“Seldom before can three fiddlers have sounded so well matched as the Nordic Fiddlers Bloc. And seldom before can three fiddles have sounded so much like four and at times five instruments without using electronic trickery.”

The Herald

360 ALLSTARS – November 2, 2024

SOLD OUT ON BROADWAY

SOLD OUT IN EDINBURGH

SOLD OUT AT THE SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE

SEEN BY OVER 1 MILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE

BMX, basketball, breakdancing, acrobatics, drumming and more, the international smash hit returns!

A phenomenal physical performance exploring all forms of rotation, 360 ALLSTARS connects the street with the elite to deliver a supercharged urban circus. Boasting a stellar cast of World Champion and World Record holding artists and athletes, 360 ALLSTARS is a spectacular fusion of the extraordinary artistry that emerges from street culture.  Add to this a stunning live soundtrack delivered by award winning musicians, coupled with spectacular video projections, 360 ALLSTARS is as aurally exciting as it is visually astounding.  A magnificent, colourful and astonishing expression of a generation that has reinvented the circus, 360 ALLSTARS is a revolutionary production that will leave you dizzy with excitement!  Don’t miss this chance to catch 360 ALLSTARS at the Willow Community Center as part of their 10 year anniversary World Tour.

”As a modern circus performance this was as slick as it gets… a fantastic display of athleticism, grace, poise & balance.”

Stage Whispers

International Guitar Night XXV – January 26, 2025

International Guitar Night is the world’s premier touring guitar festival, each show bringing together the most interesting and innovative acoustic guitarists to exchange musical ideas in a public concert setting. For each tour, IGN founder Brian Gore brings together a new cast of guitar luminaries for special evenings of solos, duets, and quartets that highlight the dexterity and diversity within the world of acoustic guitar. Brian founded IGN in 1995 as a forum for the world’s finest guitarists/composers to play their latest original songs and share musical ideas and talent with their peers.

Join us for the 25th Annual North American Tour of International Guitar Night, a celebration of the world’s most innovative and diverse guitar talents. Brian Gore has curated a stellar lineup featuring Lulo Reinhardt (Germany), Alexandra Whittingham (Britain), Niwel Tsumbu (Democratic Republic of The Congo) and Sönke Meinen (Germany), promising a night of breathtaking performances that span the global spectrum of guitar artistry.

“It is a delightful show produced by caring and knowledgeable people who have connections to great talent and curate a new and exciting show for each tour. It has a devoted audience that will return year after year and is appealing to a diverse and multi-generational crowd. I truly recommend it!”

Miranda King

Reser Center

Unit Souzou – March 22, 2025

‘Souzou’ can be written in three ways meaning ‘creation’ (創造), ‘imagination’ (想像), or ‘noisy’ (騒々), alluding to a force by which new ideas are born and take shape in the world. Inspired by these words, the mission of Unit Souzou is to build creative, imaginative works while honoring the history and roots of the taiko art form. The core of Unit Souzou’s artistic voice is personal and authentic, sound shaped and inspired by form and by movement. The essence of Unit Souzou is an expressive blend of taiko and Japanese folk dance, forging new traditions for evolving communities. In addition to creating groundbreaking professional theatrical works, Unit Souzou is deeply committed to share taiko through community performances and collaborations, public classes for adults and youth, and school-based education programs.

Unit Souzou was founded in 2014 by Co-directors Michelle Fujii and Toru Watanabe, relentless innovators at the forefront of a growing artistic movement within the taiko community. Fujii and Watanabe met at Warabi-za, Japan’s foremost traditional folk dance troupe based in Akita, Northern Japan. They have been guest artists and collaborators with many North American and international taiko groups.

Unit Souzou has received support from Regional Arts & Culture Council and the National Performance Network (NPN) Creation and Development Fund, and was a featured showcase performer at NPN’s 2015 Annual Meeting. Unit Souzou has toured throughout the United States including Oregon, Washington, California, Montana, Wyoming, Minnesota and Washington DC, performing professional theatrical work and teaching taiko workshops. They were founding teaching artists with the Right Brain Initiative and are on the teaching artist roster with Young Audiences of Oregon & SW Washington.

“Makes my spirit soar!”

Student

Lightwire Theater – April 19, 2025

Lightwire Theater is a unique entertainment experience that utilizes light, technology, and music to tell captivating stories. Their shows are designed to bring audiences of all ages into a fantastical world of imagination.

Lightwire Theater has been featured as a semi-finalist on NBC’s America’s Got Talent and winner of Tru TV’s Fake Off. The group combines theater and technology to bring stories to life in complete darkness and is internationally recognized for its signature brand of electroluminescent artistry.  

Lightwire co-creators Ian Carney and Corbin Popp met in New York City while dancing in Twyla Tharp’s Movin’ Out on Broadway. An immediate connection was made between the kindred spirits as they discovered their mutual love of art, theater, and technology. After coming across a product called, “el wire,” the lights turned on and the possibilities seemed endless. Together, with their wives Eleanor and Whitney, they began to experiment with shapes and designs to develop puppetry-based neon creatures that quickly came to life.

Based in New Orleans, Lightwire Theater continues to create and deliver innovative theatrical experiences to audiences worldwide including: Hong Kong, Estonia, Canada, Belarus, China, Abu Dhabi, and as finalists on My TF1’s, The Best Le Meilleur Artiste in Paris.

The Adventures of Tortoise and Hare The Next Generation begins with Aesop’s classic fable of the The Tortoise and the Hare but continues the story, which finds them 10 years down the road, now with children of their own and exploring modern day distractions.  Smart phones and video games create a new landscape of lost connections to life experiences. The Next Gen features Tortoise Junior and Lil’ Hare in a whole new kind of race; where their adventures lead them into unexpected territory. Old man Tortoise and Big Daddy Hare must come together despite their differences to find and save their children. What hurdles will they have to overcome to make it to the finish line?

With dazzling visuals, poignant storytelling and the creative use of music from classical to pop, this production brings this tale into a new brilliant light.

“An eye-popping display of storytelling that’s like nothing you’ve ever seen!”

BroadwayWorld.com