A hoop dancer from New Westminster is part of the Coastal First Nations Dance Festival opening next week.
The 11th annual festival runs Feb. 27 to March 4 in the Great Hall at the Museum of Anthropology at UBC.
Among the artists taking part is Jessica McCann, a musician and hoop dancer from New Westminster. She’ll perform for school shows on Feb. 27 and 28 at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and she’ll also host a hoop dancing workshop on Feb. 28.
McCann has been dancing fancy shawl and hoop dance for 15 years and has presented both contemporary and traditional work at festivals across Western Canada and Northern Europe. She’s currently the director of Indigenous Dance Studio and performs with the Ambrose Chamber Orchestra, Foothills Philharmonic Orchestra, The Jabberwocky Players and Kiskisiwat.
The festival also includes school performances, free festival stage performances on weekends, and ticketed gala evening events that showcase the Dancers of Damelahamid and special guest artists.
The festival lineup includes Yukon’s acclaimed Boyd Benjamin, a.k.a. The Flying Gwitch’in Fiddler; performance artist Stina Theresa Loras Hessaa from Norway, who combines early ballet training with Sami Indigenous traditions; the Haida troupe Rainbow Creek Dancers, and the multi-generational Coast Salish Tsatsu Stalquayu (Coastal Wolf Pack).
See www.damelahamid.ca for all the festival details.
