Oki, Ske:kon, Taan-shi, Boozhoo!

Spring has sprung, our clocks have changed (save Saskatchewan) ​and IPAA is back with our quarterly newsletter.

IPAA is pleased with the Indigenous performance on offer this year having recently returned from Full Circle's Talking Stick Festival and SNTC's premiere of Réunir by PJ Prudat followed closely by IPAA hosting a conference at the international Indigenous Rutas Panamericanas festival in Toronto.

Introducing this newsletter's Featured IPAA Artist: Sarain Carson-Fox

Sarain works as an actor in film, a professional dancer, and an up-and-coming clothing designer and model.

In February, Sarain performed her piece The Missing as part of The Chimera Project’s Fresh Blood 2014 – at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre Enwave Theatre. The Missing explores tensions between the lives of Canada’ Missing and Murdered Women and their families and the inattention paid to these lives by the government.

Dreary and Izzy by Tara Beagan completes its tour at Persephone Theatre in Saskatoon, Mar 26-April 6.

When the Monoghan sisters lose their parents in a car accident, Deirdre must care for her beloved older sister Isabelle, who’s adopted, First Nations and affected by fetal alcohol syndrome. Deirdre struggles to manage until twin rays of hope appear in the form of a gorgeous vacuum cleaner salesman and a family friend.

Compaigni V'ni Dansi and New Dance Horizons present "Sara Riel: The Long Journey," in Regina March 27-30.

Yvonne Chartrand dances this exploration of an undersung Métis heroine and her trek across the prairies.

Created by Robin Poitras and Edward Poitras, for Yvonne Chartrand, Sara Riel: The Long Journey __is a co-production between Compaigni V'ni Dansi and New Dance Horizons.

NOW Toronto awards In Spirit top marks, NNNN!

Congratulations to the In Spirit team: Tara Beagan, Andy Moro, Sera-Lys McArthur, and Native Earth Performing Arts.

Jon Kaplan writes: "In Spirit, though perfectly straightforward, packs a cumulative emotional wallop, asking viewers simply to care about the loss of a precious life."

The Centre for Indigenous Theatre is offering a FREE theatre workshop (March 27 and 28), featuring Sid Bobb and Craig Lauzon.

9:30 am to 4:30 pm, Lunch provided. (Ages 18+ with limited space available).

This free two-day participatory theatre workshop is open to participants of Indigenous ancestry and will be led by Sid Bobb and Craig Lauzon offering beginner instruction in: Acting Techniques, Voice, Physical Theatre, Story Creation, Ensemble and Comedic Improvisation.

NeoIndigenA the full-evening solo work created and performed by AD Santee Smith, May 1-3.

The new conceptual performance explores Indigenous sources from the perspective of an unbroken continuum. Smith navigates liminal space between the futuristic realms of Skyworld, Underworld and Earthworld. It’s an ecstatic, transcendent, primordial, perilous and biomorphic journey propelled by the elemental voice of Tanya Tagaq, Cris Derksen’s cello and others.

A Spirit's Face presented by Spiderbones Performing Arts at Aki Studio, June 3-14.

Written and produced by Jeff D’hondt and directed by Ali Joy Richardson, A Spirit's Face is a genre bending drama that combines science fiction, comedy, romance, and Indigenous spirituality. Hunter (Madison Wilson) is a gifted Indigenous palliative care worker who confronts her emerging dark side as she falls in love with addictions counselor Jake (Cole Alvis).

Compaigni V'ni Dansi presents Spring Dance, its first annual fundraiser, April 12 at 7:30pm

Learn Métis jigging and square dancing! The fundraiser with support ongoing activities of Compaigni V'ni Dansi and The Louis Riel Métis Dancers.

Featuring Métis music, song, and dance by: Yvonne Chartrand, Any Eustergerling, Ron Gerard, Keith Hill, Sandy Scofield, and the Louis Riel Métis Dancers.

The Full Circle First Nations Performance team is happy to report that their 2014 Talking Stick Festival was a huge success!

This year’s festival opened with Wax hoks en Shqalawin (Open Your Hearts) opening gala which featured the music of Kawandak with special guest Kathia Rock.

Festival audiences were treated to an exceptional array of performances, featuring top notch Canadian Aboriginal Theatre, dance, and music. For the full overview, click here!

MAKING TREATY 7 has a showing April 4 – 6, Canmore Opera House @ Heritage Park, Calgary.

We are all treaty people. The Making Treaty 7 Cultural Society is creating a performance that explores the historic events, and the contemporary consequences, of the Alberta treaty that was made at Blackfoot Crossing in 1877. A large and diverse contingent of interdisciplinary artists has been working together to create this work-in-progress.

Check ATPlive.com for details. Admission is free.

New Appointments! Congratulations to Christine Frederick and Ryan Cunningham Artistic Directors for Alberta Aboriginal Arts and Native Earth Performing Arts, respectively.

Christine and Ryan co-founded AAA in 2009 to produce events that bring artists of multiple disciplines and Aboriginal traditions together.

Looking forward to seeing them shine in their new positions at these vital organizations!

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This just in! Playwright Cliff Cardinal is to cap his 2nd year of studies at the
National Theatre School with a week residency at the Banff Playwright's Colony.

Looking forward to catching his showing this April before we get down to work at The Summit!

Michael Greyeyes' A Soldier’s Tale and Lara Kramer's Native Girl Syndrome will be performed at The Canada Dance Festival, June 9-14.

A Soldier’s Tale explores the aftermath of war on the soldiers who wage it and their families who survive its consequences with them.

Native Girl Syndrome delves into issues of marginalization and victimization of Aboriginal women.

Full festival details and the complete schedule for CDF 2014 will be announced April 9.

Big congrats to Herbie Barnes for joining the National Arts Centre English Theatre Ensemble

The NAC traveled up and down this country in pursuit of this Ensemble and we are proud to report Herbie Barnes will be on the Ottawa stage next season.

Go, Herbie!

Click here for the full list of Ensemble Members!

Red Sky Performance is currently on tour to Saskatchewan and British Columbia after a 12-state tour throughout the United States.

Associate Artist Meegwun Fairbrother was Dora-nominated for his multi-character role in The Great Mountain. Red Sky's next stop is at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa next season.

Red Sky will be auditioning for their newest creation, Mistatim. Stay tuned for audition details, an interview with Artistic Director Sandra Laronde and an excerpt of the piece Tono in a CBC documentary, airing in June.

Adaka Cultural Festival June 27 - July 3, 2014!

At its idyllic location at the Kwanlin Dun Cultural Centre on the Whitehorse waterfront, the Adäka Cultural Festival shines with awesome energy, arousing inspiration, pride, and excitement in the thousands of artists, visitors, and supporters who attend the Festival each year.

Program planning for the 2014 festival is currently underway. Watch for highlights and announcements in the coming months.

Gwaandak Theatre is looking for feedback

Have you seen The Hours That Remain in Whitehorse?

Gwaandak Theatre would like to your opinion about the play The Hours That Remain __and to know a little more about you to continue to produce plays and other activities that correspond to your community. It should take you maximum 5 minutes to fill it out. The information provided will remain confidential and will only be used by Gwaandak Theatre.

This is the link to the online survey.

Check out *Keith Barker on the CBC, speaking about The Hours that Remain and the disappearance of Indigenous women in Canada.*

Dancing Earth announces its SEED crowdfunder campaign on Hatchfund.org!

Click here for the campaign page.

The first $1000 contributed to our campaign will be matched!

Dancing Earth, IPAA's first international member, is a dance group of our earth and our communities, making work for our earth and our communities, and can only continue with the gracious support of our earth and our communities !

Cris Derksen featured instrumentals on Leanne Simpson's Islands of Decolonial Love, songs and stories.

Derksen contributes her "war cry movement I" and "war cry movement II" to Leanne Simpson's "she sang them home" and "a love song for Attiwapiskat," respectively. Other artists featured: A Tribe Called Red, Tara Williamson, Nick Ferrio, Sarah Decarlo, Melody Mckiver, and Sean Conway.

Congratulations Leanne Simpson, recipient of the inaugural RBC Taylor Emerging Writer Award!

Simpson was nominated by Thomas King, whose book, The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America won the 2014 RBC Taylor Prize.

ARTICLE 11 launched its new website in January!

Upcoming works and collaborations include: A Solider’s Tale, Quilchena, Dreary and Izzy, and Ministry of Grace.

AND, ARTICLE 11 co-founderTara Beagan has been named one of this year's Berton House Writers in Residence

The residency invites writers to spend three months at Pierre Berton’s childhood home in Dawson City, Yukon.

GREAT PHOTOS from festivals and training camps from Jan-March 2014!

Full Circle's 13th annual Talking Stick Festival

Kaha:wi Dance Theatre's March Break Camp and PowWow Bootcamp

The Coastal First Nation's Dance Festival 2014.