Show Descriptions 2021
Denis with an “E” by D.B. McLeod
This stand-up comedy performance evolved from Manifest Destiny's Child, a comedy collective I was a founding member of. I tell stories about growing up Indigenous, surviving cross cultural adoption, growing up in Toronto/Urban Identity, finding my biological family, becoming a mother and finding my own way in culture, community and in my body - as well as funny stories of me slaying patriarchy, sexism, fatphobia, colonization and colonialism.
Restor(y)ing Identity by Jennifer Alicia
A short excerpt of the play-in-progress called Restor(y)ing Identity. Jennifer Alicia recently presented a 20 minute audio presentation of an excerpt of this play at the Weesageechak Begins To Dance Festival 33 through Native Earth Performing Arts. The play is based a true familial tale, the piece tells of Crawford fishing in the deep Atlantic and seeing a sabawealnu (Mi’kmaw word for merperson), Eela, one day while checking his fishing nets. It uncovers the importance of intergenerational knowledge transmission and what could happen if we forget to tell our stories.
None of that Witchcraft Dance at Residential School! by Neganigwane Company
Elder Dr. Shirley Ida Williams tells the story of her time at St Joseph’s Residential School in Spanish, Ontario through dance. In this piece, she reflects on how she and her classmates learned Ukranian folk dance, English social dance and Highland dance at school while, at the same time, it was illegal for Indigenous people to dance their cultural dances at all and the children were forbidden from speaking their language or practicing their culture at school. In a complex moment of celebratory recognition, she and her classmates encounter what appears to be Indigenous dance in a John Wayne film; she sees a marriage story told through movement by Debajemuhjig Theatre, and more. With support from young dancers, Shirley lifts up dance everywhere while holding this story of cultural suppression and expression with care.
Stand Up Comedy with Stephanie Pangowish
Stephanie Pangowish is a sassy and assy Anishnaabekwe from Wiikwemkoong on Manitoulin Island and is the co-founder of Canada’s 1st collective of Indigenous women stand up comedians, Manifest Destiny’s Child. She originally started performing to make her angry mom laugh and avoid the wooden spoon but now uses it to educate Canadians on Indigenous Culture. Stephanie has danced at pow wows for the past 10 winters, has watched every movie starring Adam Beach and pretends to have read all books about Indigenous people.
The Songs of a Modern Mohawk by Tiger Will Mason
A modern Mohawk travelling musician/activist shares a dynamic musical performance with guitar, harmonica, songs and stories - sometimes funny ones. Music played by artist, "Tiger" Will Mason, and his stories of life, love, activism. It will contain songs from his album, as well as, possibly, musician friends of his, who he has worked with, played with, or influenced his career in some form.
Hybrid Women by Vanguardia Dance Projects
Hybrid Women is an experimental dance-theatre-ritual- action that departs from the pulsating of the body in connection with and response to nature and ourselves, specifically with plants, trees, water, natural environments, also taking into consideration the diverse aspects of decadency of our planet, and its consequences. There are parallel encounters and disconnections between our bodies and the current events, and the course of where the world is going and the historical moment we are living in. We want to find those connections/disconnections between our actions, our rituals, our thoughts, our political points of view with a touch of Magic Realism. Choreographers/Performers: Norma Araiza, Olga Barrios. Composer/musician: Edgardo Moreno.
Streetheart by Sarah Gartshore: Zaagi’idiwin Collective
Streetheart centres the voices of one of the most vulnerable and marginalized groups of people in every city – the homeless. Many of our ideas about homelessness come from exploitive media coverage that rarely celebrates the beauty of the humans who ask for your help on the street, their right to safety and dignity and their beautiful senses of humour. Playwright Sarah Gartshore knows that poverty is violence and is thankful to the extraordinary and resilient people who were able to wade through their struggles with that violence to share their experiences and wisdoms with her during the creation of Streetheart. Indigenous Peoples make up a disproportionate amount of community members living on the streets in every Canadian city and Streetheart explores some of the many complex reasons for that, while celebrating the heart of each individual character as they explore their relationships to each other and to you.
Note: community members with lived experience in being unstably housed are performers in this show
Denis with an “E” by D.B. McLeod
This stand-up comedy performance evolved from Manifest Destiny's Child, a comedy collective I was a founding member of. I tell stories about growing up Indigenous, surviving cross cultural adoption, growing up in Toronto/Urban Identity, finding my biological family, becoming a mother and finding my own way in culture, community and in my body - as well as funny stories of me slaying patriarchy, sexism, fatphobia, colonization and colonialism.
Restor(y)ing Identity by Jennifer Alicia
A short excerpt of the play-in-progress called Restor(y)ing Identity. Jennifer Alicia recently presented a 20 minute audio presentation of an excerpt of this play at the Weesageechak Begins To Dance Festival 33 through Native Earth Performing Arts. The play is based a true familial tale, the piece tells of Crawford fishing in the deep Atlantic and seeing a sabawealnu (Mi’kmaw word for merperson), Eela, one day while checking his fishing nets. It uncovers the importance of intergenerational knowledge transmission and what could happen if we forget to tell our stories.
None of that Witchcraft Dance at Residential School! by Neganigwane Company
Elder Dr. Shirley Ida Williams tells the story of her time at St Joseph’s Residential School in Spanish, Ontario through dance. In this piece, she reflects on how she and her classmates learned Ukranian folk dance, English social dance and Highland dance at school while, at the same time, it was illegal for Indigenous people to dance their cultural dances at all and the children were forbidden from speaking their language or practicing their culture at school. In a complex moment of celebratory recognition, she and her classmates encounter what appears to be Indigenous dance in a John Wayne film; she sees a marriage story told through movement by Debajemuhjig Theatre, and more. With support from young dancers, Shirley lifts up dance everywhere while holding this story of cultural suppression and expression with care.
Stand Up Comedy with Stephanie Pangowish
Stephanie Pangowish is a sassy and assy Anishnaabekwe from Wiikwemkoong on Manitoulin Island and is the co-founder of Canada’s 1st collective of Indigenous women stand up comedians, Manifest Destiny’s Child. She originally started performing to make her angry mom laugh and avoid the wooden spoon but now uses it to educate Canadians on Indigenous Culture. Stephanie has danced at pow wows for the past 10 winters, has watched every movie starring Adam Beach and pretends to have read all books about Indigenous people.
The Songs of a Modern Mohawk by Tiger Will Mason
A modern Mohawk travelling musician/activist shares a dynamic musical performance with guitar, harmonica, songs and stories - sometimes funny ones. Music played by artist, "Tiger" Will Mason, and his stories of life, love, activism. It will contain songs from his album, as well as, possibly, musician friends of his, who he has worked with, played with, or influenced his career in some form.
Hybrid Women by Vanguardia Dance Projects
Hybrid Women is an experimental dance-theatre-ritual- action that departs from the pulsating of the body in connection with and response to nature and ourselves, specifically with plants, trees, water, natural environments, also taking into consideration the diverse aspects of decadency of our planet, and its consequences. There are parallel encounters and disconnections between our bodies and the current events, and the course of where the world is going and the historical moment we are living in. We want to find those connections/disconnections between our actions, our rituals, our thoughts, our political points of view with a touch of Magic Realism. Choreographers/Performers: Norma Araiza, Olga Barrios. Composer/musician: Edgardo Moreno.
Streetheart by Sarah Gartshore: Zaagi’idiwin Collective
Streetheart centres the voices of one of the most vulnerable and marginalized groups of people in every city – the homeless. Many of our ideas about homelessness come from exploitive media coverage that rarely celebrates the beauty of the humans who ask for your help on the street, their right to safety and dignity and their beautiful senses of humour. Playwright Sarah Gartshore knows that poverty is violence and is thankful to the extraordinary and resilient people who were able to wade through their struggles with that violence to share their experiences and wisdoms with her during the creation of Streetheart. Indigenous Peoples make up a disproportionate amount of community members living on the streets in every Canadian city and Streetheart explores some of the many complex reasons for that, while celebrating the heart of each individual character as they explore their relationships to each other and to you.
Note: community members with lived experience in being unstably housed are performers in this show