Indigenous Performing Arts Practices: Artistic Processes – What we Carry (With Us)
February 3, 10:00am-12:30pm Round Table Discussion Facilitated by Lindsay Lachance

Indigenous Performing Arts Presenting: Touring from an Indigenous Perspective
February 3, 2:15pm-4:45pm Round Table Discussion Facilitated by Dolina Wehipeihana

Indigenous Performing Arts Protocols: Modeling Right Relations
February 5, 1-3:00pm Round Table Discussion Facilitated by Mique’l Dangeli

A creative producer sits between the creative process and the operational process in a project, orchestrating ideas, resources, and people to turn the seed of an idea into reality. Creative producers shape how a work is realized, which often impacts how the work is experienced. While it can be a difficult role to define, the Digital Cultures Research Centre (UK) describes it as one that combines attention to detail with an ability to see the big picture and make connections between the two, realizing the vision of a project and making it possible for a creative team to achieve their best. In this panel discussion, Rob Thomson (Full Circle: First Nations Performance and the Talking Stick Festival), Bek Berger (New Theatre Institute of Latvia and International Festival of Contemporary Performance, Homo Novus), and Anthony Gray (Fuel Theatre) share how they got into producing and what they’ve learned along the way. Moderated by Gabrielle Martin (PuSh Festival).

This panel brings together performance curators who are leading initiatives in supporting artistic practice, from establishing co-production networks to creating hubs of exchange; from hosting residencies and taking on production risk to sharing curation, and more. In conversation, these curators will share their perspectives on the role of presenters within the ecosystems of local and international artistic communities. Speakers include Martine Dennewald (Festival TransAmériques, Canada), Quito Tembe (International Contemporary Dance Platform KINANI, Mozambique), Erin Boberg  (Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, USA), Daniel Blanga Gubbay (KUNSTENFESTIVALDESARTS, Belgium), and Fernando Zugno (Porto Alegre em Cena, Brazil). Moderated by Gabrielle Martin (PuSh Festival).

Moderated by Pedro Chamale of rice & beans theatre, this panel discussion features artists versed in multilingual storytelling. Drawing from rice & beans’ DBLSPKresearch on what is lost and gained in translation, the conversation will examine the relationship between language and culture within performance. Speakers Mayumi Yoshida, Johnny Wu, Howard Dai and Carmela Sison will be joined by Laurence Dauphinais and Nancy Saunders of Aalaapi. Part of the 2022 PuSh program, Aalaapi integrates English, French and Inuktitut in its reflection on the relative importance of speech within cultures. From their unique perspectives, these artists will share their insights on the dramaturgy and implications of multilingual creation.

This panel discussion brings together local, national and international artists who have practice in “concept touring” or performance projects where the final product is a process that tours. Moderated by Ryan Tacata, the conversation will encompass the systems artists have devised to create processes that result in consistent products, even as a given team may be entirely different from locale to locale; where the balance is between allowing locals to input in a way that meaningfully shapes the piece while still maintaining quality control; what the difference is between Process Touring and a franchise; and how to avoid the work becoming formulaic. Speakers include: Milton Lim (Hong Kong Exile, culturecapital), Patrick Blenkarn (Guilty by Association, culturecapital), Lisa Marie DiLiberto (Theatre Direct), Darren O’Donnell (Mammalian Diving Reflex), Nassim Soleimanpour (Nassim Soleimanpour Productions), and Maiko Yamamoto (Theatre Replacement).

Join Squamish cultural leader Xwechtaal (Dennis Joseph) and Scottish-Canadian multidisciplinary artist Claire Love Wilson as they walk and sing together at Sen̓áḵw. This journey brings you to the edge of what is presently known as Kitsilano, on the unceded territories of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil- Waututh) Nations, where you can listen alongside Claire as Xwechtaal shares stories of the land, his grandfather, and his visions for the future of Sen̓áḵw.

Available on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen now on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts. Explore the entire PuSh Walks series.

For PuSh Festival:

AUDIO EDITING Ashley Daniel Foot PRODUCER Ben Lange

In a journey that begins on Victoria Drive, Anais West uses story and song to transport you to her mother’s homeland, Poland. From a punk concert in Praga to the bloc apartments of Communist Gdansk, she searches for queer belonging and family history. The through-line is a protest anthem, “Rota,” written by lesbian Polish poet Maria Konopnicka and then re-appropriated through the centuries by revolutionaries, nationalists, and now queer punks.

The songs and narration are part of Underground Absolute Fiction, a docu-fantasy film Anais has been writing and developing with the support of the Canada Council, the BC Arts Council, the frank theatre, Rumble Theatre and the Queer Arts Festival.

View KhattieQ’s website here.

Available on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen now on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts. Explore the entire PuSh Walks series.

Credits

Text by Anais West Performed by Anais West and Julia Siedlanowska

Musical credits:

“Przemoc, twoja przemoc”
Vocals: Julia Siedlanowska
Guitar & Back Up Vocals: Sara Vickruck
Keyboard & Back Up Vocals: Claire Love Wilson
Drums & Music Direction: khattieQ
Lyrics by Anais West
Translation by Łukasz Wojtysko
Arrangement by Sara Vickruck
Recording, Mixing and Mastering: Piotr Wieczorek
Adapted by Sara Vickruck, khattieQ, Julia Siedlanowska & Claire Love Wilson
from the folk song “Biedoż moja, biedo,” author unknown.

“Rota”
Sung by Julia Siedlanowska|
Written by Maria Konopnicka
Composed by Feliks Nowowiejski

Audio credits:

For PuSh Festival:

AUDIO EDITING Ashley Daniel Foot PRODUCER Ben Lange

“I am here. I am now. I am grateful.” Those soothing words mark the beginning of a journey through Pacific Spirit Park with musician, writer, and self-described “natural-born clown” KhattieQ. As the artist moves through the entrance and into the forest, the ambient wash of traffic noise recedes and the sounds become fewer, softer, and more soothing, neatly complementing her gentle voice. Full of happy musings and punctuated by KhattieQ’s rousing Latinx music, this Walk is perfect for a beautiful late summer day.

View KhattieQ’s website here.

Available on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen now on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts. Explore the entire PuSh Walks series.

Credits

Jean Abreu and Naishi Wang are the dance artists behind Deciphers, currently being created as part of the PuSh In Development program supported by CDm2 Lightworks.

Here, they invite you to join them in the “nowhere space” of the digital world, as they walk through their own nighttime spaces (one in London, the other in Toronto) while sharing the third, and most crucial, location with the listener. Set against a backdrop of piano, synth chords, and experimental vocals, this a haunting and moody excursion.

Available on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen now on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts. Explore the entire PuSh Walks series.

Credits

CREATORS Jean Abreu & Naishi Wang MUSIC AND SOUNDS Jean Abreu and Naishi Wang AUDIO EDITING Ashley Daniel Foot PRODUCER Ben Lange

DECIPHERS CREDITS Deciphers is a co-production of the National Arts Centre (NAC) Visiting Dance Artist programme a joint initiative of Canada Council for the Arts and NAC, The CanDance Network small scale Creation Fund supported and presented by Montreal Arts Interculturels, The Harbourfront Centre, the National Arts Centre and PuSh Festival.

A layered walking experience of land, water, body, histories, futures and Spirit of Ulksen: Squamish place name referring to the Burrard Peninsula, colonially known as Spanish Banks. Allow yourself to be guided by the narration, encompassed in the present moment, witnessing as much of your surroundings as possible, while simultaneously giving over to your imagination.

The sonic environment for this piece was crafted and composed by Matthew Morrish: A tapestry of field recordings, imagined spaces, echoed memories, and rhythms of the earth. Matthew creates visual, sonic, and poetic art with his ongoing Futurhythms project. He also occasionally releases electronic music under the alias Owlform.

Listen now on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts. Explore the entire PuSh Walks series.

About Jeanette Kotowich

Jeanette Kotowich is a Vancouver-based, independent, dance artist and choreographer of mixed Cree/Métis and European ancestry.  Jeanette creates work that reflects protocol, ritual, relationship to the natural/spiritual world, and Indigenous futurism. Learn more about Jeanette on her website.

Recently, she sat on PuSh’s Advisory Group, supporting the organization throughout the first phase of its Organizational Review process committed to moving forward with JEDI values.

Credits

FEATURING Jeanette Kotowich IN CONSULTATION WITH Squamish Elder S7aplek (aka. Bob Baker) CREATED FOR the PuSh Festival’s PuSh Walks Series

Theatre artist Jesse Del Fierro starts their Walk with a powerful acknowledgment and concludes on a note of uplift; in between, there’s a trip down memory lane, a romantic reminiscence, reflections on dealing with adversity, and tips on how to “exist as you are.” Del Fierro speaks to their listener as a close friend would, leaving space for curiosity and offering sympathy, advice, and inspiration.

Inspired by Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan Macmiller and Ep. 692 The Show of Delights by Ira Glass and Bim Adewunmi. Constantly inspired by Natalie Tin Yin Gan, Jenna Rodgers, Jivesh Parasram, Dominique and Emilyn, and Ate Julie & Ate Jacquie.

PuSh Walks is produced by Ben Lange, Audio editing by Ashley Daniel Foot

Listen on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcast.

While traveling from a transit station to the Downtown East Side, Q Lawrence recites their harsh, imagistic, creatively profane poetry and plunges the listener into darkness. Follow the route Q takes in their wheelchair and hear their morbidly beautiful musings, which have the power to disturb, but also to provoke empathetic reflection. This work may be brief, but in its density and suggestive force, it contains volumes.

The following audio might contain content that may be harmful or traumatizing to some audience.

PuSh Walks is produced by Ben Lange, Audio editing by Ashley Daniel Foot

Listen on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcast.

Njo Kong Kie takes a walk through the streets of Toronto, and invites you to share his journey in a place of your own choosing. The musical accompaniment is drawn from the artist’s own Picnic in the Cemetery,and it’s a delight for the ears. Interspersed with the melodic interludes are Kong Kie’s musings on ideology, interpersonal connections, Kung-Fu flicks, ambition, and more, including the true cost of our smartphones. 

Text by Njo Kong Kie except the poem 一颗螺丝掉在地上 “A single screw fell to the ground” by Xu Lizhi, translated into English by Derek Kwan

Music by Njo Kong Kie, performed by Simon Claude, Alexandre Castonguay and Njo Kong Kie

Track details: Moments Cinématiques n^o 1, Quatrième Confession, Ljubljana, Moments Cinématiques n^o 11, Sweet, Toujours

Listen on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcast.

Join artists Ralph Escamillan and Kimberley Wong for a stroll through Vancouver’s Chinatown area. While journeying to New Town Bakery & Restaurant, Ralph and Kimberley share personal memories, historical reflections, and thoughts on the diasporic experiences that define the city. Topics include family dynamics and immigration. The walk concludes at the famous eatery, where you too can grab a delicious snack. 

Starting point:

Main & Georgia, Vancouver, BC

Featuring: Ralph Escamillan, performance artist, and Kimberley Wong, writer, facilitator, and community organizer.

Accessibility: All crosswalks on this route have ramps.

PuSh Walks is produced by Ben Lange, Audio editing by Ashley Daniel Foot

Listen on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcast.

An adventure with dual destinations, this Walk guides listeners through East Vancouver and Amherst, Massachusetts simultaneously. Artists Caroline Shaw and Vanessa Goodman converse in real-time as they travel through a graveyard and a stretch of local forest. The dialogue is accompanied by ambient sounds—both natural and electronic. There’s a strong spectral tone to the journey(s), with memory and the knowledge of unceded land looming large.

Starting point:

If you are experiencing this walk in Vancouver, please visit Mountain View Cemetery.

If you are in Massachusetts, please take a walk in the forest.

Featuring: Caroline Shaw, composer, voice & violin, and Vanessa Goodman, choreographer

Accessibility: The East Vancouver route goes into the graveyard over a grassy patch and a curb with no ramp but if you enter from 33rd in the middle of the graveyard there is a ramp and the sidewalk turns into a driveway with no gradient adjustment.

PuSh Walks is produced by Ben Lange, Audio editing by Ashley Daniel Foot

Listen on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcast.