March 10 to 14, 2025
On Tuesday, March 11, join us at 9:30 a.m. at Théâtre Outremont for Nanatasis — Opera in Three Legends. Ivanie Aubin-Malo and Lysanne O’Bomsawin will perform, and join us after the show for a discussion.
9:30 am to 12:30 pm (Mon-Fri)
Full week: $95 (taxes included)
Drop-in: $28 (available one month prior)
Language of instruction: English
Questions can be asked in French and English
This professional workshop is supported by the Conseil de la formation continue Arts et Culture de Montréal (CFC), with the financial participation of the Government of Quebec through the Intervention-Compétences program.
CATEGORY
OBJECTIVE
In her current research, Ivanie Aubin-Malo explores movements symbolically linked to the oral narratives of the Wabanaki people. The Wabanaki Confederacy includes the First Nations Mi’kmaq, Wolastoqiyik, Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, and Abenaki. Being Wolastoq, Ivanie will share certain words in the Wolastoqey language that describe important aspects of this culture, inviting participants to translate them into movement.
In connection with the concept of time in the territory, with the portage route, and certain giants like Kollu, Cinu, kiwahq, or Koluskap, the group will refine its connection with space, the anatomy of a canoe, and the invisible. It will also explore the embodiment of other entities. Small jumps and undulations of the body will be present in the research, as well as nuances in the body’s density and its entirety (movement radiating from the navel)
Each person may be invited to interpret these concepts in movement and voice. The principle of interrelation is fundamental to the research, participants will develop an increased sensitivity to the common movements of the group, reminiscent of the synergy of waves.
CONTENT
Opening with a circle, readings, visual document sharing, guided travels through movement and voice, improvisation, duo and group explorations, feedback, closing circle.
| Workshop Pace | Workshop Features |
| Slow Adaptable to the group’s needs | Intense emotional work Visual support (i.e., documentation, texts…) Exercises are adaptable Physical contact between participants Jumps and shocks Cardio exercises |
BIOGRAPHY
Choreographer, performer, and Wolastoq and Québécois curator, Ivanie Aubin-Malo was awarded the Montréal Dance Prize in the Revelation category in 2023. Since 2020, she has founded and coordinated the event series for the MAQAHATINE collective, which connects Indigenous movement artists to facilitate the sharing of cultural and technical knowledge and to encourage collaborations. She also contributes to the conceptualization of recurring events such as OHAKWARONT and Nikak Tagocniok.
Her artistic research aims to invite the body to reconnect with the Wolastoqey language in relation to the territory. Co-initiated with Natasha Kanapé-Fontaine, Ivanie created a performance on the Wolastoqiyik giants, with the purpose of reconnecting to and perpetuating the transmission of knowledge through oral, sung, and danced stories. Based in L’Islet (QC) in Wolastokuk, she dreams of a Wolastoqey cultural center in the region to allow members to reconnect with their community through cultural and artistic events.
Daughter of renowned anthropologist Nicole O’Bomsawin, Lysanne O’Bomsawin has been immersed in her culture since childhood. A member of the Mikwôbait traditional dance troupe from the age of 3, she has performed Abenaki dances and songs in Canada, Europe and the United States. She has also been a Guide Animator at the Musée des Abénakis of Odanak and at the First Nations Garden at the Jardin botanique de Montréal. A qualified chef, she runs a small catering business based on recipes passed down to her orally. She has also had her own cooking show on the APTN channel, and has made a number of other appearances in the media to popularise the culinary traditions of her ancestors.
Creating a bridge between ancestral knowledge, contemporary dance and land-based practices
— Nate Yaffe
