01x23 - Seal Dance/Snowboarding Qyah Style

[bunniefuu]

Hey, everyone-- it's me, Molly!

♪ Molly of Denali ♪

Let's go!

♪ She's Molly of Denali ♪

(laughing): Whooo!

♪ By plane or sled or snowshoe ♪

♪ She is ready to explore ♪

♪ From Kaktovik down to Juneau ♪

♪ Always wanting to learn more ♪

Yeah!

♪ Together with her best friend Tooey ♪

♪ Always by her side ♪

And Trini!

♪ Discovering the outdoors ♪

♪ On adventures day and night ♪

♪ Come along with Molly ♪

♪ Molly ♪

♪ Through fields of fireweed ♪

♪ Come along with Molly ♪

♪ Molly ♪

♪ From tundra to the sea ♪

Mahsi'choo-- let's go!

♪ Molly of Denali ♪

Yeah! ♪ She's Molly of Denali ♪

♪ Come on ♪ ♪ Let's go! ♪

♪ Molly of Denali ♪

♪ She's Molly of Denali ♪

MOLLY: "Seal Dance."

(calling)

(plane propeller whirring)

(gasps): Wow.

This place is amazing.

GRANDPA NAT: Yup!

The Aleutian Islands are quite spectacular.

And volcanic.

(laughs): That, too.

My team has been researching seismic activity here.

It'll be good to see them again.

(rumbling, Grandpa Nat and Molly exclaim)

Ooh!

Hang on, everybody.

Nothing to worry about, segoya.

Just a little turbulence.

Your mom has it under control...

(yelping)

MOLLY: Whoa!

Whew.

(laughing)

See? Under control.

(rumbling) (gasps)

(laughing) There we go.

(turns on radio): Atka Island, do you read me?

TATIANA (over radio): Read you loud and clear, Layla.

I'm feeling some bumps up here, Tatiana.

What's the situation?

Glad you radioed.

There's a low-pressure weather system

moving in from the south.

Looks pretty stormy.

Roger that.

(turns off radio)

I think I better land while the landing is good.

What about the volcano?

Doesn't look like we'll be visiting a volcano today, Molly.

Oh.

(sighs): Okay.

Sorry about that, segoya,

but we have to accept what life brings us.

Mm-hmm.

(wind howling, flowers rustling)

(gasping)

Ah!

♪ ♪

Wow.

It's beautiful.

TATIANA: Nice flying, Layla.

You made it.

Couldn't have done it without you.

Molly, meet my friend Tatiana.

She's the airport manager on Atka Island.

Also the post master,

the yoga instructor, and the kindergarten teacher.

Hi.

Molly!

I haven't seen you since you were a baby.

And Nat, welcome back to Atka Island.

Thanks.

Good to see you again, Tatiana.

And who is this?

It can't be.

Yup.

Another girl growing like a weed.

Molly, meet my daughter Nadia.

Aang! Hello.

Aang.

Tatiana, I should really send an email to my team

to let them know I've been delayed.

Of course, Nat.

You can use the computer in my office.

Nadia, can you show Molly around?

Her mom and I have lots of catching up to do.

Sure!

Come on, Molly.

(gasps softly): What's going on?

Practice.

We're getting ready for the gathering tonight.

And I'm doing the Seal Dance.

The Seal Dance? What's that?

I'll show you.

♪ ♪

Can I try?

Sure, just do what I do.

So, first you do this.

Then you do this.

And then you bob like a...

(yelps)

Whoops!

(laughing): Gotcha.

(sighs): Sorry, Molly.

I just can't get this part right.

(sighs): I'm supposed to bob up and down like a seal in the ocean,

but it's not easy.

Is it a traditional dance?

Yes.

Our people created it

when they brought our dancing back.

It was inspired by our ancestors' dances.

What do you mean?

Well, during World w*r II,

our people were forced to leave our village.

Really?

It was a very hard time for us.

We stopped dancing for many years.

Later, some of our elders remembered parts of our dances,

but other parts were forgotten.

That's really sad, Nadia.

Yes.

But now we're bringing the dances back.

But how can you bring them back if they were forgotten?

I'll show you.

These are all historical artifacts,

things you might find in a museum.

They're about our people, the Unangax.

MOLLY: Are those people dancing?

NADIA: Uh-huh.

When we were trying to figure out the ancient dances,

we looked for clues in old pictures and drawings.

What language is that?

Russian.

It's the journal of an explorer who came here in the s.

He wrote a lot about our dances.

So we also used his descriptions

to try and figure out how to do them.

Ooh, and what are those?

Ooh, yes, our ancestors made them a long, long time ago.

Cool.

Look closer.

See?

They're doing our dances.

Really?

Yeah-- that one's my favorite.

(gasps): She's doing the Seal Dance!

That's right!

I love her so much, my mom made me this,

so we can dance together.

Like this.

(gasps)

(groans)

But I just can't get the hang of it.

And the dance is just a couple of hours away.

GRANDPA NAT: You girls having fun?

Hi, Grandpa!

Nadia was just showing me her Seal Dance.

I'm dancing tonight.

Really?

Oh, I'd like to see that.

Me, too!

While I'm here,

there are some seismographs I want to check out.

You girls want to come with me?

Yes!

Maybe a little break from practicing

is what you need.

The ocean always makes me feel better.

Me, too.

♪ ♪

(birds squawking, waves churning)

(wind blowing strongly)

NADIA: Molly, look!

MOLLY: Whoa.

The sand is black.

That's because of the volcanoes.

But look farther.

♪ ♪

Seals!

In our language, a seal is isux.

Ooh, I see you've made some new friends.

Uh-huh.

Aren't they cute?

Oh, look at them bobbing up and down.

(thunder rumbling)

(barking)

(thunder crashing more loudly)

♪ ♪

Storms come up fast here.

Ooh, better make a run for the shack.

♪ ♪

(exhales)

Made it.

(thunder rumbling)

(gasps)

Nothing to worry about, segoya.

The power just went out, that's all.

That happens sometimes.

There should be some candles around.

GRANDPA NAT: Ah-ha! Found one.

(sighs): There we are.

We'll be fine in here until the rain stops.

Ooh, look at this beauty.

Just as old as I am

and it still works great. (laughs)

I hope the rain stops soon.

I really have to practice for the dance tonight,

and I still don't have it right.

Can't you practice here?

Uh, I guess.

Down and up, down and up.

You look a little like the bobbing seals we just saw.

It's hard to bob like you're in the water

when you're really on land.

Try it, Molly.

Okay.

Oh! Wait a sec.

There.

My little dancer can inspire us.

I'm ready to be a seal!

Uh, what do I do?

So, do a little bow, then come up, like this.

Down and up.

Down and up.

Down and up.

Huh.

You two are getting the hang of it.

Thanks, but it's still not quite right.

I feel so stiff.

(door blows open, wind howling)

♪ ♪

(gasping): Nadia! Look!

Her shadow is dancing.

Like the seals!

That's it.

We need to move like the shadow.

BOTH: Down and up.

Down and up.

You're doing it, Nadia!

Smooth as a seal.

Yes!

I finally got it!

How do we look, Grandpa?

Just like seals.

(laughs, light clicks on)

Ah, there we go.

♪ ♪

Sounds like the rain has stopped.

Time to head back.

♪ ♪

Qagaasakuq.

Thank you for the dance, seals.

Nadia is going to make you very proud.

(seals barking)

There you are!

Nadia, it's time to get ready for the dance.

Did you figure it out?

Yes!

With a little help from Molly.

And the seals.

And the shadow.

Grandpa said we could stay for the performance.

What do you say?

How could we miss it?

Great!

Well, come on, Nadia, you better get dressed.

Mom, I need to ask you something.

(whispers)

(gasps): I think that's a fantastic idea.

Where's Molly?

She'll miss the show.

She's off with Nadia.

Ooh, ooh, ooh, it's starting.

(drum b*ating)

Dad, look!

MAN: Isugix!

♪ Isux waya ♪

♪ Yaya, waya ♪

♪ Isux waya ♪

♪ Yaya, waya. ♪

(drum b*ating)

♪ Isux waya ♪

♪ Yaya, waya ♪

♪ Isux waya ♪

♪ Yaya, waya. ♪

(drum b*ating)

MAN: Sanakux! (drum stops)

(audience cheering)

MOLLY: Hey, everyone!

Molly here to answer your questions about life in Alaska.

Clarke in New Hampshire asks,

"Can you show me other dances from Atka?"

Sure!

My friends in Atka are practicing now.

ALL: Aang, Molly!

GIRL: We are in Atka, Alaska,

down on the Aleutian Islands.

My ancestors have been living here forever, basically.

Today, we are going to practice Unangax dancing.

Tax ii!

GIRLS: Aang.

Aadixt.

(drum tapping)

BOY: Isugix!

(drum pounding)

Sanakux!

(drum stops, girls chirping and howling)

Our dances relate to our ancestors and to our culture.

If I was to look at how my culture has changed

and how it's the same,

I'd look in books, history books.

We have a lot of history books here.

We looked at a lot of books to see

how our ancestors danced

and to see what our ancestors wore.

GIRL: These are Unangax people dancing.

They're holding the drums sideways,

like we do sometimes.

We learned that our ancestors wore very similar things

that, what we wore today in our dancing.

BOY: This is a traditional Unangax hat.

Our ancestors actually used to use this for hunting.

And this is what we wear when we dance.

(kids singing, drum tapping)

GIRL: The dances themselves have changed,

but they're very similar to what our ancestors did.

(singing, drum b*ating)

(shout, song ends)

ALL: Ukudigaasada, Molly!

Mahsi'choo!

Thanks for asking and see you next time.

MOLLY: "Snowboarding Qyah Style."

(computer chirps) Hey, everyone!

Molly here with an important news item.

Remember last fall, when my cousin Randall

sent me this video called "Traffic Jam, Sitka Style"?

It's nuts!

(sighs): Why are there so many seagulls?

There's nowhere to dock.

And then I sent one back called "Traffic Jam, Qyah Style"?

(horn honking)

(moose snorts)

Well, Randall just sent me a new video.

Want to check it out with us, Suki?

I call this the shifty-twisty-bitey.

Here we go!

Whoo!

♪ ♪

(mimics guitar playing)

(exclaims and grunts)

And that's snowboarding, Sitka style!

(mimics guitar note)

Whoa.

(phone chimes)

"Did you see my moves?"

Amazing!

But wait until you see how we snowboard, Qyah style.

(phone chimes)

"Bring it on, cuz!"

Coming in one week.

See you on the slopes.

(computer chirps)

I can learn to snowboard in a week.

Right? (whimpers)

TOOEY: A shifty-twisty-bitey?

Oh, man.

Randall's got mad skills.

Yeah!

And that's why I need to borrow a snowboard,

a helmet, goggles.

Oh! And can you teach me some sweet tricks?

Uh, sweet tricks?

I gotta make a video that shows Randall

how we snowboard, Qyah style,

in one week.

I'm a dogsledder.

My brothers are snowboarders.

I've done it exactly once.

That's % more times than me.

You'll be a great teacher.

That makes sense.

Unless I think about it.

We'll practice a lot!

Like an hour a day, all week.

Then-- video time!

Come on!

(sighs): This is gonna be interesting.

The important thing is balance.

Molly! (yelps)

Are you okay?

TOOEY: I'm good!

I've been learning this new dance.

It's called the whip-shake-slide.

Check it out!

Whip, shake...

(yelping): Slide...

(grunts)

Pretty cool, huh?

Sweet!

Let me try.

BOTH: Whip, shake, slide.

(laughing)

Uh, Molly?

Remember you've got one week to learn snowboarding?

Oh, right.

Why do you have to learn how to snowboard in a week?

I'm making a video for Randall.

It's a long story.

Wanna watch us?

No thanks.

I gotta practice my whip-shake-slide.

Good luck!

♪ Whip, shake, slide ♪

♪ Make me feel alive. ♪

♪ ♪

You want to bend your knees a little.

Got it?

Got it.

(yelps and grunts)

Guess I lost it.

We'll try it together.

BOTH: Whoa!

(Molly yelps, both grunt)

♪ ♪

Maybe we should try it on flat snow first.

Yes!

This works!

I can totally balance when it's flat.

I am the snow queen!

Yeah!

Huh?

Uh, hey, why'd I stop?

Whoa!

♪ ♪

Debaa nughnenh?

Who is that?

I have no idea.

♪ ♪

Now, that's who you want for a snowboarding teacher.

Hey!

That was awesome.

Thanks, but the name's not hey.

Auntie Midge?

Much better.

Wow, you've got great snowboard style.

Thanks, Tooey.

I do like to shred it up.

(gasps): Could you give us a lesson or two?

Or... ?

Sure.

Let's see...

I have yoga on Thursday, then I'm going to Anchorage.

Hmm-- how's two weeks from Tuesday?

Aww, I don't have that long.

Molly needs to make a video in a week.

I told Randall I'd show him snowboarding, Qyah style.

Oh, yes.

I saw the shifty-twisty-bitey on Sno-tube.

Pretty sweet.

My advice for you-- don't tense up.

Stay loose but strong.

Noneetenaghe'aanh.

See you again!

Loose but strong.

Huh, I could do that.

(grunts)

(yelps)

(grunts)

(moans): Maybe not.

(sighs)

Hey!

You're getting pretty good on the flat part.

Yeah, but it's been three days,

and I still can't jump, or even go downhill without falling.

Well, maybe you could make Randall a video

without all that stuff?

But then snowboarding, Qyah style,

will be really boring.

What even is Qyah style?

I don't know.

But I'm sure we'll figure it out.

♪ ♪

Hi, Mr. Rowley.

Hey, Molly! Hiya, Tooey!

Why are you balancing pilot bread on your nose?

Oh. (laughs)

I'm just trying to teach Brownie a new trick.

(laughing): Not bad.

Now that's Qyah style.

Now you try it.

Eh...

Wait. Tooey! That's it!

You're gonna snowboard

while balancing pilot bread on your nose?

No.

Maybe Qyah style doesn't have to be fancy.

It's like Mr. Rowley's trick.

Just goofy and funny.

Hmm.

Goofy and funny.

We're already pretty good at that.

Then we're gonna need some ideas.

To the library!

♪ ♪

Molly, look!

I've been practicing.

Whip, shake, slide.

Whip, shake, slide.

BOTH: Whip, shake, slide.

Whip, shake, slide.

(laughing)

(Daniel laughs)

Great moves.

(whispering): But I hate to tell you this--

we're in a library, not a dance club.

(both laughing)

Sorry, Dad.

TOOEY: Molly! Look what I found.

We might be able to find

something goofy and funny in here.

Great idea.

Oh, and I think there's some winter sports magazines

on the front desk.

Let's check those out, too.

Bye, Trini!

See ya!

Whip, shake, slide.

TOOEY: Hmm.

All these tricks look super-hard.

You find anything yet?

(moans): No.

And now we only have three days.

Hey! What's this?

Skijoring?

"Harnessed sled dogs pull skiers across the snow."

(laughs): That's pretty funny.

Hey!

I think I found something, too.

Tandem snowboarding.

"Two snowboarders doing tricks together

on a board built for two, or tandem board."

I love it!

There's only one problem:

we don't have a tandem snowboard.

Hmm.

(gasps): Wait!

We do have a dog sled, right?

How about one dog team,

one snowboard, one sled?

Two-person sled-board-joring.

Pretty cool.

But I feel like we're missing something.

Yeah.

Randall's trick had three elements:

a shifty, a twisty, and a bitey.

We need something else.

(phone chirps)

It's Trini.

"I finally perfected the whip-shake-slide."

(phone chirps)

Whip, shake, slide.

Whip, shake, slide.

BOTH (in realization): Ah.

Ready?

TOOEY: Ready!

(phone chirps)

(dogs panting)

Now!

(phone chirps)

Whip, shake, slide.

Whip, shake, slide.

Whip, shake, slide.

(laughs): Whip, shake, slide.

Whoa!

♪ ♪

(yelps)

Whoa!

Whoa.

Go Molly!

I'm doing it.

Sweet tricks.

(thuds)

BOTH: Ooh.

And that's tandem dogsled-snowboard-joring,

Qyah style.

(Randall laughs and sighs)

Wow, that was amazing!

Gotta hand it to ya--

you and your friends got major style.

Not just major style.

Qyah style.

ALL: Whip, shake, slide.

Whip, shake, slide.

(cheering)

♪ ♪