Students perform at Crazy Horse Memorial

Advocacy performances tell stories of Crazy Horse, LakotaA group of Alma College students will bring Ziolkowski’s story–and the Lakota people that his work honors–to life via an original script that’s based on interviews with his family and the Lakota who live on and near the Pine Ridge Reservation in the Black Hills.

The advocacy performance is a “first” at the memorial, which pays homage to the 19th century Native American leader who fought to preserve the traditions and values of the Lakota way of life.

“The script is derived from original transcripts of interviews I conducted in 2007, and the students use a theatrical style called ‘everyday life performance’ to weave the words into a story–it’s using performance as advocacy for the voices of the real-life people,” Alma College professor Joanne Gilbert says about “Living a Dream: the Creation of Crazy Horse Memorial” and its unique performance style.Comment:  For more on the subject, see Dueling Monuments in Black Hills and The Crazy Horse Memorial.