5 things to see at the 2020 Talking Stick Festival
Credit to Author: Stuart Derdeyn| Date: Tue, 11 Feb 2020 19:00:21 +0000
When: Feb. 18 – 29
Tickets and info: Free to $30 at talkingstickfest.ca
Full Circle First Nations Performance has presented the Talking Stick Festival for the past 19 years.
Founded by artist Margo Kane (Cree/Saulteaux) in 1992, Full Circle’s mission statement was to contribute to the development of Indigenous performance in Canada.
Today, the festival extends that idea beyond national borders, presenting Indigenous artists from across the globe in performances that often focus on contemporary issues and experiences through a native lens.
This year’s theme is chén̓chenstway, a Skwxwu7mesh Snichim/Squamish word meaning to uphold one another and to lift each other up.
With a strong foundation in dance, the Talking Stick Festival also showcases music, theatre, film, visual arts and a lot of family activity.
Here are five things to see at this year’s event:
1: RISING — Chén̓chenstway Visual Arts Exhibit
When: Feb. 18 – 29, various times
Where: Roundhouse Exhibition Hall
Curated by Richard Heikkilä-Sawan, this exhibit includes the work of visual artists working with textiles, sculpture, multimedia and painting. Year in and out, this exhibit tends to be one of the festival highlights and a great place to get introduced to rising stars of the local art scene. There is a free curator’s talk on Feb. 22 at 1 p.m.
2: WaÅ~ hoks en Shqalawin (Open Your Hearts) Opening Gala
When: Feb. 20, 7 p.m.
Where: Roundhouse Performance Centre
Tickets: From $10
Can’t really decide what your mood is? Then take in a sample serving of 2020 festival performers from writer/storyteller Joseph Dandurand, M’Girl’s hand drumming songs, Mortal Coil with Tsatsu Stalqayu (Coastal Wolfpack), and the dynamic Louis Riel Métis Dancers. NOTE: This almost always sells out quickly.
3: Isitwendam (An Understanding)
When: Feb. 26, 27, 28, 1 and 7:30 p.m.; Feb. 29, 2 p.m.
Where: Roundhouse Performance Centre
Tickets: From $10
Bound To Create Theatre and Native Earth Performing Arts present Meegwun Fairbrother’s one-person play examining the legacy of damage from the Residential School system. Blending Indigenous signing, drumming, dance and song, the work is about reaching isitwendam, an Ojibwe word that denotes an idea of understanding.
4: Digging Roots, Logan Staats and Quique Escamilla
When: Feb. 22, 8:30 p.m.
Where: Roundhouse Exhibition Hall
Tickets: From $15
Juno award-winning duo Digging Roots (Raven Kanetakta and ShoShona Kish) marry their Anishinabek and Onkwehonwe heritage to all manner of musical styles into what they describe as “global blues.” Logan Staats is a Six Nations singer/songwriter who won CBC’s The Launch and Quique Escamilla is a Juno award-winning “Pan-American troubadour” known for mixing ranchera and reggae.
5: The Stew Jams After Party
When: Feb. 24, 10 p.m.
Where: Red Gate Arts Society
Tickets: Suggested donation $10
It’s the hard-groove open-mike night to beat all others. A live band gets the funk flowing and then local singers, rappers and ravers take to the stage to keep the music flowing. Come dressed to sweat because this is a serious night of dance happy tunes.
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