Signature Festival Offers more than 25 Ancestral and Innovative Performances
“We are proud to offer local audiences the opportunity to discover Northwest Coast Indigenous deep-rooted, revitalized dance traditions while providing new encounters with Indigenous performers from far beyond our shores,” says Festival Executive & Artistic Director Margaret Grenier. “We are honoured to witness the commitment, skill and passion of the many diverse festival artists, who continue to forge a crucial link between the past, present, and future for their communities.”
This year’s festival welcomes Indigenous performance groups from throughout British Columbia, the Yukon, Alaska, and Washington State as well as international guest artists. New and not-to-be-missed: Yukon’s acclaimed Boyd Benjamin, aka ‘The Flying Gwitch’in Fiddler’, who has shared the stage with such stars as Buffy Saint-Marie and Ashley MacIsaac, with guitarist Kevin Barr; and all the way from Norway, performance artist Stina Therese Lorås Hessaa, who bridges her early training in ballet at Sweden’s Gothenburg academy with Sami Indigenous traditions.
Other highlights include: Peter Espiritu, the founder and Artistic Director of Hawai‘i’s critically acclaimed contemporary dance company Tau Dance Theater is back to perform in the Pacific Islander tradition. Adorned in stunning regalia, the Haida troupe and festival favourite Rainbow Creek Dancers will share captivating masked dances. Audiences can also look forward to performances by Git Hayetsk and Git Hoan, Alaskan groups with long-standing connections to Dancers of Damelahamid; the 50-member, multigenerational Coast Salish Tsatsu Stalquayu (Coastal Wolf Pack); and Dancers of Damelahamid, who will share excerpts from their own acclaimed works: Spirit and Tradition (2010) and Interweavings (2017).
The festival takes place on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Musqueam people. Dancers of Damelahamid proudly acknowledge their hosts.
The 2018 Coastal First Nations Dance Festival comprises of the following events/offerings:
Signature Evening Performances: Ticketed gala events featuring headline performances from Dancers of Damelahamid and special guest artists.
Festival Stage Performances: Showcase presentations from visiting performers. The Festival Stage Performances take place on weekend afternoons and are included with regular admission to MOA.
School Group Performances: Weekday sessions introducing K-12 students to the rich histories and cultures of Indigenous dance, song, and storytelling.
Youth Workshops: Peter Espiritu (Hawaiian artist) and Jessica McMann (Cree hoop dancer) will lead an expanded series of workshops, a unique opportunity for mentors and youth to connect in a responsive environment that strengthens intergenerational ties and facilitates traditional learning techniques.
The 2018 Festival hosts a range of returning audience favourites, and first-time festival performers. For program details, visit: damelahamid.ca
The Dancers of Damelahamid is an Indigenous dance company from the Northwest Coast of British Columbia. Their rich history of masked dance inspires compelling performance, celebrating the diversity and time depth of the many beautiful Indigenous cultures across Canada. Through dramatic dance, captivating narrative, intricately carved masks, and elaborate regalia, the Dancers of Damelahamid transform time and space, and bridge the ancient with a living tradition.
Coming up February 9 & 10, Dancers of Damelahamid will perform as part of the 2018 Toronto
DanceWorks festival.
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Dates: |
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Ticket Prices: | |||
School Group Performances (Feb. 27 & 28, Mar. 1): |
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Youth Outreach Workshops (Feb. 27 & 28, 2:30pm) |
Presented in partnership with UBC FNHL. Free admission. Register by contacting info@nulldamelahamid.ca | ||
Signature Evening Performances (Mar. 2 & 3 at 7:30pm): |
Tickets: $30 for Adults; $25 for Students/Seniors/MOA Members. Taxes included. Service charges apply. | ||
Festival Stage Performances (Mar. 3 & 4 from 12-4pm) |
Included with MOA admission | ||
*Admission to MOA is free during the daytime performances for persons of Aboriginal ancestry
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Address: | Museum of Anthropology at UBC 6393 Northwest Marine Drive Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1 |
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Box Office: |
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Website: | damelahamid.ca |