With the support of The Cole Foundation + Canada Council for the Arts + Conseil des arts et des lettres du Quebec
Technical residencies Usine C + Centre de Création O Vertigo
Presented in association with MAI + Espace Libre
Written by Elsa Pépin
Translated by Neil Kroetsch
“Lara’s compositional dramaturgies rely on principles of connection to land, inter-relationality and horizontality that are all foundational principles of First Nations worldviews. Thus, Lara reminds us that there is no seeing without responsibility, no understanding without accountability for action. Her choreographies may at times appear deceptively simple, and yet, they are mathematically rigorous, resulting into a majestic precision of gestures and a supremely crafted minimalism. Rarely have I seen a more artful mastery of time unfolding with weight, and of bodies, present with purpose and acuity. ” ~Angela Conquet, independent dance curator, editor & researcher
WINDIGO
Fierce and visceral, Windigo resonates with us as a cry, a vibrant echo of a long history of human devastation, and violation of land and culture. Returning to her grandmother’s home in the Lac Seul Reserve in northwestern Ontario, the Canadian choreographer Lara Kramer, of Ojibway and Cree heritage, challenges the Canadian narrative of the colonial project of reconciliation and uses narrative as a form of resistance.
With the air of a post-apocalyptic ballad, Windigo confronts the violence perpetrated against Indigenous lands and bodies. Overlapped mattresses ripped open with a knife, shredded, and straddled. A jumble of reanimated objects, a breath of life in death. Peter James and Jassem Hindi continuously transform, infused with the original sound played live by Lara Kramer. The choreographer’s voice with her child gives space to the visual and heart to the inner landscape. The work plays with strong symbols, powerful metamorphoses and vivid emotions, sowing hope in the midst of massive destruction.
