This past October, DanceWorks opened the Mainstage season with the Toronto premiere of Mînowin, a multimedia work by Dancers of Damelahamid, a celebrated Indigenous dance company from the Northwest Coast of British Columbia.
Here we look back at the work through photographs and an interview with choreographer Margaret Grenier.
Margaret Grenier shares, “Mînowin translates to the act of clarifying direction. In the dance piece we worked with the Indigenous worldview of time as circular. We come back time and again to stories that that inform how we move forward: through imbalance and renewal.
The inspiration for Mînowin came from reflecting on this critical place that I have come to in my personal narrative. I am privileged to have the foundational knowledge of the previous generation but that is not my story to tell. Mînowin was sourced from a process of digging deep to find strength from experiencing loss and disconnection. We can also look at these places as a time for renewal and resiliency.” Read the full interview, here.
Co-producers of Mînowin: National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, the CanDance Network Creation Fund, National Arts Centre, The Vancouver East Cultural Centre (The Cultch), DanceWorks, Neighbourhood Dance Works and with support from the Canada Council for the Arts. The production of this work was supported by Dance Victoria’s Chrystal Dance Prize.
