Alianait music fans dance into the wee hours
Terry Uyarak and the Beatrice Deer Band bring Iqaluit arts festival audience to its feet
A fan raises her cellphone above the crowd to record the Beatrice Deer Band performing at Iqaluit’s Aqsarniit Lounge as part of the Alianait Arts Festival on Friday night. The band is scheduled to perform as part of a concert under the big-top tent downtown beginning at 7 p.m. on Saturday. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Live music fans packed the floor at Iqaluit’s Aqsarniit Lounge on Friday, dancing to the tunes of Terry Uyarak followed by the Beatrice Deer Band, on the second night of the Alianait Arts Festival.
Terry Uyarak performs original songs in Inuktitut at the Aqsarniit Lounge as part of the Alianait Arts Festival on Friday night. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Uyarak opened the late-night show close to 11 p.m. It followed a whole day and evening filled with festival events at other venues throughout town.
The Igloolik musician played original songs in Inuktitut and was soon joined on vocals by Deer. Allan Kangok and James Ungalaq of Igloolik hard rock band Northern Haze stepped on stage to join Deer on backup vocals.
Deer, who hails from the Nunavik village of Quaqtaq, and her four-piece band took over close to midnight with a string of original songs from her latest album, Inuit Legend.
“I listen to Beatrice Deer every day at my store, so this is like a holy experience for me,” said Robin Teague, who works at Baffin Phones.
Teague is teaching himself Inuktitut by singing along with Deer’s lyrics at work, he said.
Beatrice Deer smiles at the audience between songs at Iqaluit’s Aqsarniit Lounge on Friday night. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Deer ended her original set with a high-volume, high-energy song titled Kiinayaq, the Inuktitut word for “cash.”
“It’s a about capitalism,” Deer told the audience.
She also sang Bear, a true story of an elder who stopped a bear attack using her cane.
She ended with a string of cover songs by powerful female artists such as Shania Twain, Tina Turner, and Miley Cyrus.
She sang Eye of the Tiger — the 1982 Survivor hit that was used as the Rocky III theme song — as her encore, as the clock crept close to 1:30 a.m.
Deer and her band perform Saturday night on the Tupiq Main Stage downtown under the festival’s big-top tent.
Deer headlined the Tapiriit gala in Ottawa on May 25 and is scheduled to perform on the main stage during Ottawa’s Canada Day celebration.
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