Matriarchs Uprising spotlights stunning contemporary dance by Indigenous women, February 16 to 21
Festival brings live performances, conversations, and community workshops to the Scotiabank Dance Centre and Morrow
SPONSORED POST BY O.Dela Arts Society
Olivia Adams’s Matriarchs. Photo by Jade Ellis
O.Dela Arts, in partnership with The Dance Centre, presents the eighth annual Matriarchs Uprising Festival, a celebration of contemporary dance by Indigenous women from Canada and Australia. Six unique programs of live performance take place from February 18 to 21, while artist-led Talking Truths circle conversations, dance masterclasses, community workshops, and the IndigiDance on Screen film series run from February 16 to 21.
Curated by Olivia C. Davies, the 2026 festival program opens February 18 at the Scotiabank Dance Centre with the long-awaited Western Canada premiere of Wahsipekuk: Au-delà des montagnes by Wolastoq and Quebecois artist Ivanie Aubin-Malo. On February 19, Ktunaxa choreographer Samantha Sutherland shares her latest work, ʔa·kinq̓uku, in a double bill with carriers and keepers of the ancestral portals from Sophie Dow and Beany John. And on February 20, another double bill features Sandra Lamouche’s Out of Wounds followed by Australian Indigenous choreographer Amelia O’Leary’s Ngambaa.
Ivanie Aubin-Malo. Photo by Pierre Tran
On February 21, there’s a studio preview of Michelle Olson’s newest work in development, where did you go; and programming closes with Matriarchs from Australian Indigenous choreographer Olivia Adams. Directly afterwards, folks are invited to celebrate at a closing night reception featuring musical guests Tsimka and Michael Red.
Elsewhere at Matriarchs Uprising, the signature Talking Truths Circle Conversations invite audiences to witness festival artists speaking their truth. IndigiDance on Screen returns with five short dance films by Indigenous women, available on-demand all week on the festival website. And over at Morrow, Gathering Hope Collective’s Remembering Our Return Home offers an invitation to witness Vancouver-based Indigenous story-keepers and dance artists in an improvised score for dance and story-weaving.
Sandra Lamouche. Photo by Lowell Yellowhorn
Throughout the festival there will also be a variety of workshops on offer hosted by the performers. World champion hoop dancer Beany John is putting on a community workshop about the form’s history. In partnership with the Training Society of Vancouver, Aubin-Malo is teaching a masterclass exploring movements symbolically linked to the oral narratives of the Wabanaki people. And Dow and Sutherland are facilitating a community workshop revolving around both of their contemporary practices.
Tickets and festival passes are now on sale. Explore the full range of performances, workshops, and masterclasses through Matriarchs Uprising.
Post sponsored by O.Dela Arts Society.
Related Articles
Featured
