A Burnaby-based dance group will be part of an international festival of First Nations dance next week.
The Git Hayetsk dance group is taking part in the annual Coastal First Nations Dance Festival, which runs at the Museum of Anthropology at UBC from March 8 to 10.
Hosted by Dancers of Damelahamid, the event gathers indigenous dance artists from as far as Australia to share and celebrate First Nations culture.
"The opportunity to share traditional dance amongst the totem poles of the visually spectacular Great Hall is one we hold extremely dear," said Margaret Grenier, executive and artistic director of Dancers of Damelahamid, in a press release. "It is a rare and meaningful experience for both performers and audience, celebrating the rich history and diverse culture of our people."
The Git Hayetsk are an internally renowned First Nations maskdancing group. "Git Hayetsk" means "the people of the copper shield" in the Sm'algyax language, spoken by the Nisga'a, Tsimshian and Gitxsan nations.
Their dancers share common ancestry to the Sm'algyax speaking peoples, with ties to the Haida, Haisla, Tahltan, Tlingit, Lil'wat and Musqueam nations - with home villages and ancestral lands in Vancouver, in Southeast Alaska and along the coastline of the Terrace-Prince Rupert area.
Other performers include the Chinook Song Catchers, Dakhká Khwáan, Spakwus Slolem, GitHoan Dancers, Kwe Unglis, Rainbow Creek Dancers, Le-La-La Dancers, Kwa Kwa Ka Wakw, hoop dancer Jessica McMann-Sparvier and Australian dancer Robert Bamblett.
The festival includes two signature evening presentations at 7: 30 p.m. March 9 and 10. Tickets are $25 regular, or $20 for students, seniors and museum members.
It also includes a festival stage that showcases visiting performers, running 1 to 4 p.m. on March 10 and 11. It's included with museum admission.
See www.damelahamid.ca.
LOCAL ARTIST HONOURED
A Burnaby artist has been selected as Ducks Unlimited Canada's 2012 National Artist of the Year.
Denis Mayer Jr. has been chosen for his painting Master of the North.
Hundreds of artists submit their work each year in the hopes of being included in Ducks Unlimited's National Art Portfolio; of those, one is chosen as the Artist of the Year.
All the portfolio artists have their artwork made into high-quality, limitededition prints that are given national exposure through Ducks Unlimited Canada's fundraising efforts. Money raised supports the group's wetland conservation work, scientific research and education programs.
It's Mayer's fifth time being included in the National Art Portfolio and his first time being named Artist of the Year.
