Aboriginal dancers celebrate Nunavut in Banff

IQALUIT — The Aboriginal Dance Festival at the Banff Arts Festival in Banff, Alberta highlighted Nunavut this year with a special program called Dance for a New Century… celebrates Nunavut.

From July 8- 11 performers with the Chinook Winds Aboriginal Dance Program performed two original works at the Banff Centre for the Arts.

“Throw Away Kids” wove stories of urban native youth into dance, while “Light and Shadow”, inspired by the Arctic landscape and culture, featured experimental lighting design, environmental sounds and Inuit stories, songs, drum-dancing and throat-singing.

“The Inuit spirit takes flight. It travels through a mystical landscape of dancing light and shadow,” said choreographer Alejandro Ronceria about his work “Light and Shadow,” which premiered in 1997.

Eva Adams coordinated the company’s costumes, as wel las cultural elements of the production. This year’s company included two young dancers-in-training from Nunavut, Feliks Kappi and Leslie Qammaniq.

Qamminq, from Pond Inlet, arrived in Banff with experience in traditional forms of performance such as a-ya-ya-ya songs and drum-dancing. Learning contemporary dance required Qamminiq to carefully count her movements and master the art of using her body in a new way.

“It’s supposed to be sensual. You make a lot of use of your buttocks,” Qammaniq said. “It opened me up.”

The physicality of modern dance also surprised Feliks Kappi, who like Qammaniq, came with background of traditional performance.

In one scene of the work “Light and Shadow” Kappi played a bird. He remained stationary and had to make use his entire body to imitate flight. He would often finish the long days with tired muscles.

“But I love it,” said Kappi.

This was the fourth edition of the Aboriginal Dance Festival that an American magazine called “the most active and creative dance study and performance program for Natives in the hemisphere.”

It’s supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, Canadian North, the Nunasi Corporation, and various job training programs.