SHOWS:
Thursday Febuary 5th 7:30pm
Friday February 6th 7:30pm
Saturday February 7th 7:30pm
Sunday February 8th 2:00pm
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.
Spine of the Mother began as an innovative collaboration with Indigenous artists in Canada and Peru and over the past decade has been performed across Canada and most recently internationally at the Kia Mau Festival in Wellington, New Zealand as part of Raven Spirit Dance’s 20th Anniversary tour.
CHOREOGRAPHY: Starr Muranko
In collaboration with and performed by Tasha Faye Evans * and Marisa Gold *
Past performers and artistic lineage: Andrea Patriau, Olivia Shaffer and Sarah Formosa
Produced by: Raven Spirit Dance
Original Sound composition by: Edgardo Moreno (‘Gracias a la Vida’ sung by Daniela Andrade)
Lighting Design: Jonathan Kim
Video/Media Design: Sammy Chien
Dramaturge and Mentor: Alvin Tolentio
Mentor: Michelle Olson
Cultural Advisor: Jhaimy Alvarez-Acosta (Peru)
Original Costume Design: Ines Ortner
Additional costume design:Additional Dramaturgy: Alejandro Ronceria
* The participation of this Artist (these Artists) is arranged by permission of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association under the provisions of the Dance Opera Theatre Policy (DOT).
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” performance rooted in dance.
Creators: Norma Araiza, Penny Couchie, Animikiikwe Couchie, Lilia León, Olga Barrios
Dancers: Norma Araiza Lilia León, Olga Barrios
Guest Dancers: Lucia Llano, Maria Riaño
Director & Choreographer: Olga Barrios
Composer and Sound Designer: Edgardo Moreno
Projection Designs: Alejandra Higuera and Olga Barrios
Visual Artist: Sherry Guppy, Alejandra Higuera
Costumes: Jennifer Kelly
Lighting Design: Trevor Schwellnus
Stage Manager: Kelsey Rulh
February 5-8, 2026
Aki Studio