Student Matinee

Dancers of Damelahamid

Raven Mother

A side profile of an Indigenous dancer in a Gitxsan raven mask.
Dancers of Damelahamid, Raven Mother © Chris Randle
Dancers of Damelahamid, Raven Mother © Michael Slobodian
Dancers of Damelahamid, Raven Mother © Michael Slobodian
Dancers of Damelahamid, Raven Mother © Michael Slobodian
Dancers of Damelahamid, Raven Mother © Michael Slobodian
Dancers of Damelahamid, Raven Mother © Michael Slobodian
Dancers of Damelahamid, Raven Mother © Michael Slobodian
Dancers of Damelahamid, Raven Mother © Chris Randle
1-damelahamid-ravenmother-credit-andrew-grenier
Dancers of Damelahamid, Raven Mother © Andrew Grenier
2-damelahamid-ravenmother-credit-andrew-grenier
Dancers of Damelahamid, Raven Mother © Andrew Grenier
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Dancers of Damelahamid, Raven Mother © Andrew Grenier
Family programming Indigenous arts Dance Contemporary
  • In-person event

  • Ages 12+
  • ≈ 1 hour
Performance options Start time Language Availability
Friday, November 22, 2024 11:00 am Without words sold out
Thursday, November 21, 2024 11:00 am Without words sold out

“Raven Mother is the Dancers of Damelahamid’s most ambitious production and will be the culmination of generations of artistic and cultural work.”

Istvan Reviews

These performances are a co-production of NAC Indigenous Theatre and NAC Dance. Please note that, for financial assistance requests, funds for Raven Mother are associated with NAC Dance. 

Raven Mother is the Dancers of Damelahamid’s newly choreographed dance work in honour of late Elder Margaret Harris (1931 – 2020). Raven Mother illustrates the vast impact Elder Harris had on the revitalization of Indigenous dance along the Northwest Coast, and the integral role of women in holding cultural knowledge. It celebrates the mothers who created the stronghold of these artforms and influenced the next generation of women. Raven Mother illuminates the profound leadership of mothers, their essential contribution in this resurgence, and the force and transformation of this awakening.

Raven Mother is the Dancers of Damelahamid’s most ambitious production and will be the culmination of generations of artistic and cultural work. With Raven Mother, movement, song, regalia, sculpture, and design, are interwoven with the embodied narrative. The Raven crest, manifested in multiple forms, embodies transformation, the strengthening of culture, the unveiling of a new spirit, and breathing life into a promise made to the children of generations to come.

Raven Mother speaks to the current Indigenous realities, drawing from a rich lineage of teachings and insights. Innovation is conditional upon revealing the truths of today to pursue cultural endurance and intergenerational sustenance. The work is a tangible remembrance of a woman’s spirit, marking the shift between generations that has sparked a new role for daughters as the force to hold their grandmother’s vision.

This performance will be followed by a 20 minute talkback. 

Artists

  • Artistic Director and Choreographer Margaret Grenier
  • 02-andrewgrenier
    Set Designer and Artwork Andrew Grenier
  • Regalia Designer and Creator Rebecca Baker-Grenier
  • Raven Grenier
    Song Composer and Vocalist Raven Grenier
  • 05-ted-hamilton
    Collaborating Composer Ted Hamilton
  • 06-jeff-harrison
    Lighting Designer Jeff Harrison
  • andy-moro
    Projection Designer Andy Moro
  • Collaborating Director Charles Koroneho

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Learning and engagement at Canada’s National Arts Centre is made possible through the support of many generous individuals and organizations from across the country. Arts Alive is generously supported by the Azrieli Foundation, the Government of Nunavut, Canadian North, Calm Air, The River Philip Foundation, The Turnbull Family Community Building Foundation, and The Thomas Sill Foundation. Thank you also to Grant and Alice Burton, Canada Life, A Donor-Advised Fund at the Community Foundation of Ottawa, Friends of the NAC Orchestra, Donors to the NAC Foundation's Future Fund, The Janice and Earle O’Born Fund for Artistic Excellence, and the donors and sponsors of the NAC’s National Youth and Education Trust, the primary resource for youth and education funding at the National Arts Centre.