Dancers of Damelahamid
Flicker
- 7:30pm
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Vancouver
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Margaret Grenier
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Andrew Grenier
-
Andy Moro
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Approx 75 minutes with no intermission
Shortly after the potlatch ban was lifted in 1951, Ken and Margaret Harris founded Dancers of Damelahamid to preserve the Gitxsan peoples’ traditional songs and dances. Now, five decades later, the company is under the artistic direction of their daughter, Margaret Grenier, whose works redefine and characterize traditional practices to be accessible for new generations. Flicker incorporates multi-media technology in a story about a young man who discovers his potential. An innovative multi-media dance piece that combines graphic design with vividly rich imagery that represents the mystical realm portrayed through coastal masked dance.
While the Fathers of Confederation toiled at the table of nation making, two voices were not invited to the discussion: women and Indigenous peoples. Co-curated by Amy Bowring, Director of Collections and Research at Dance Collection Danse, and dance and theatre artist Troy Emery Twigg, By Invitation Only: Dance, Confederation and Reconciliation illuminates the stories of how women and dance were essential to networking during the 1864 conferences that led to Confederation, and how Indigenous dance was banned within two decades of Confederation in an attempt to suppress the culture and assimilate Indigenous peoples. Join us for this pre-show chat at 6:45 pm in the McPherson Playhouse lobby.
Theatregoers are also invited to stay for a post-show chat, lead by UVic’s Dr. Allana Lindgren, with Dancers of Damelahamid Executive and Artistic Director/Choreographer, Margaret Grenier, and dancers Nigel Grenier & Rebecca Baker. The discussion will include Flicker and the work’s intention as a powerful healing space for indigenous people and all Canadians to advance the ongoing process of reconciliation.