Spine of the Mother by Raven Spirit Dance
Tracing the inner terrain of our bodies as women through breath, impulse and memory unlocks kinetic energy creating ritual, which spans the spine of the mountain range we have shared for millennia.
The metaphor of the “Spine of Mother Earth” is a name given by Indigenous Elders in South America to the Andean mountain range that spans from the base in Argentina, through the Americas and ends at the tip of Alaska. Our bodies become the landscape like the mountain ranges that connect the North and South (the Eagle and the Condor) and through this we find our kinetic connection to others that transmits impulse, breath and spirit.
Conversations: Hidden Stories by Vanguardia Dance Projects and Aanmitaagzi
Conversations was inspired by the investigation of “body and territory” by the Colombian-Canadian choreographer Olga Barrios. This work springs forth from the women of many colors that she experiences in herself and the many other voices in the world that seek connection with ideas of traces erased from history. In 2023, under the direction of Olga, the artists of Vanguardia and Aanmitaagzi came together with the desire to share, investigate and explore the land, people, culture and stories we are connected to. Looking at stories of displacement and erasure, Conversations is a journey through what has separated us from ourselves and each other. Through soil, fabric, land and water, the work Conversations reaffirms a sovereign right to ancestral memory, connection and future. “Conversations: Hidden Stories” is a 60-minute performance rooted in dance.
Aanmitaagzi brings forth an indigenous community engaged methodology in the creation of a large-scale installation which accompanies the performance. The installation maps the people, land and cosmology we come from and the stories that run through us. It brings forward the remnants and fabric of those that loved us long before we came into being. Made in collaboration with the artists and community, this installation uncovers the pathways our ancestors have travelled and seeks to uncover what has been hidden.
February 5-8, 2025
7:00 PM
Aki Studio