Simik Komaksiutiksak’s inaugural show explores healing power of dance

Rankin Inlet-born dancer is artistic director of show on stage in Montreal this weekend

“Anxiety,” a dance show under the direction of Simik Komaksiutiksak, who was born in Rankin Inlet, examines individual and collective traumas, showing how inner turmoil gives rise to unique mannerisms and gestures. The show is on stage in Montreal from Jan. 29 to Feb. 1. (Photo courtesy of Alexis Vigneault)

By Amélie Mouton
Special to Nunatsiaq News

Anxiety, Simik Komaksiutiksak’s first dance show as artistic director, is taking the stage this week at Montréal, arts interculturels, a place known for its commitment to supporting interdisciplinary and intercultural artistic practices.

Two years in the making, Anxiety stemmed from Komaksiutiksak’s own experience dealing with trauma and depression. The two-spirit Inuk artist, who uses the pronouns they/them, grew up with family members who endured the residential school system.

Yet, the dancer emphasized that the performance transcends personal narratives.

“It deals with how generational trauma affects various communities and focuses on how we can heal through movement and dance,” they said in a recent interview.

Komaksiutiksak, who started dancing at the age of six and also trained in circus arts, has known the power of improvisational movement from a very young age, “ever since I can remember.”

In addition to directing and choreographing “Anxiety,” the show’s Rankin Inlet-born artistic director Simik Komaksiutiksak performs on stage alongside the other dancers. The show is on stage in Montreal from Jan. 29 to Feb. 1. (Photo courtesy of Alexis Vigneault)

“It’s always been a good way for me to express my emotions when I didn’t have words to express them. If I was feeling sad, if I had a bully, I could just put some music on at home and dance it out,” they remembered.

A similar process is at work in Anxiety. Led by Komaksiutiksak, artists Cheyenne LeGrande, Courtney Taticek, Chrystal Tam and Katie Couchie use improvisational movement as a vehicle to explore their traumas and create a safe space for reflection and dialogue.

All the dancers are friends with Komaksiutiksak, who said that having an intimate connection with the cast was crucial for the creative process.

“I wanted to work with people who already knew my approach. I went to high school with a few of them a decade ago. Now we are dancing together, so it feels like a full-circle moment,” they said.

Born in Rankin Inlet, Komaksiutiksak moved to Ottawa at the age of three and settled in Montreal five years ago. The artist became familiar with the city while collaborating with Cirque Éloize on the show Sept moments de joie.

“I found a very supportive artistic community here, particularly among Indigenous women and Inuit women in the arts and dance industry,” they said.

Last December, Komaksiutiksak delivered a mesmerizing performance at Elisapie’s show Uvattini at Mtelus, which drew on the artist’s previous participation in the Inuk singer’s music video Qimutsilunga (I Want to Break Free).

Among Komaksiutiksak’s other career highlights are their performance alongside Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas at the North American Indigenous Games and their participation in Sky Dancers, a An A’nó:wara Dance Theatre Production reflecting on the Quebec Bridge collapse that killed 33 Mohawk ironworkers in 1907.

Komaksiutiksak, who works with the Arctic Rose Foundation, a charity founded by Inuk singer Susan Aglukark, is also keen to mentor and inspire young Inuit. The artist regularly travels to the North to offer dance workshops.

“It is important to show my students that pursuing a career as a professional dancer is possible,” they said.

Anxiety opened Jan. 29 and runs until Saturday, Feb. 1, and will be touring other Québec cities: Rouyn-Noranda on Feb. 17, Trois-Rivières on Feb. 20 and Saint-Jérôme on Feb. 26.

It features a range of engaging activities, including an Indigenous artisan market, a pre-show gathering aimed at deaf communities, and a party with the multidisciplinary Kanien’keha artist DJ Pøptrt.

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