curators welcome

Aaniin, boozhoo. Hello! My name is Olivia C. Davies and it is my pleasure and honor to welcome you to the fourth edition of Matriarchs Uprising, happening in partnership with the Dance Centre, on unceded Coast Salish Territory.

A little bit about me: I’m a mixed heritage Anishinaabe, French-Canadian, Finnish and Welsh dance artist, mother of Daisy and the Artistic Director of O.Dela Arts. Since 2019, I have curated this festival to gather together other Contemporary Indigenous dance artists who are pushing the form forward into the future.

Our festival brings together Indigenous women who are nurturing the art of Contemporary Indigenous dance and storytelling so that these forms may be appreciated by audiences from all backgrounds. The performances are accompanied by “Talking Truths” circle conversations in order to provide deeper insight into the creative impulses guiding the creators. Master classes and community workshops have also been offered as opportunities for people from all backgrounds and experiences to come together and practise contemporary Indigenous dance and creation methodologies.

As we witness Indigenous people around the world rise up to confront colonial power structures, I am inspired by these women who use their artistry to hold space for past, present and future in artistic presentations. Matriarchs Uprising creates a platform for Indigenous women to gather to share their work and perspectives among one another as well as with the broader community. We gather together to witness these sharings and be enveloped in the experience of all of our heartbeats co-mingling with the rhythm of the earth. Gratitude to all the teams who have helped bring this vision to life and my deepest honoring to the many, many mothers, grandmothers, and great grandmothers seven generations beyond whose dreams we are living now.

All my relations.

Olivia