Visible Bodies Collective

Visible Bodies Collective, founded by Lindsay Delaronde (Kanienkehaka) and co-founders Cheryl Henhawke (Kanienkehaha, Seneca), Elowynn Rose (Metis), Nicole Mandryk (Anishinaabe, Ukrainian), is a newly formed inter-cultural, inter-generational group of BIPOC artists and dancers, who come from many nations and places across Turtle Island. Birthed in August of 2019, Visible Bodies Collective has completed two performances; Red on Red, a 20-minute performance responding to the MMIW National Inquiry, performed during Dance Days, Rough Cuts 2020, and The Fire She Makes, a land-based performance embodying the element of fire, created for the film Mother-Embodying Mother Earth Teachings Through Land-Base Performance, directed by Lindsay Delaronde, and videography by Dean Kalyan, and sponsored by the BC Arts Council.

Visible Bodies was selected as a recipient for a second year-long residency at Dance Victoria from September 2021 to June of 2022. Our collective practice is centered in Indigenous worldview, social justice, somatic processing, and land-based inquiry. Our creative process is held by a council of Indigenous women gathering stories and igniting the fire of truths to be embodied. We gather to heal mending past, present and future, weaving story, rhythm and our natural abilities to orate our experiences. We unite to explore theatre, dance, movement, and story-telling through our bodies. Embracing the complexities of our Indigeneity our core value is creating safe space for Indigenous women to research, create, and perform.