Yellowknives Dene Drummers to feature in Drums Across Canada
The Yellowknives Dene Drummers will take part in a drumming call-and-response live show across Canada this weekend.
Sunday’s Drums Across Canada show runs from 1:30pm at Yellowknife’s Northern Arts and Cultural Centre. Admission is free. Residents can also watch a live broadcast online.
The event is hosted by Celebration of Nations, a St Catharines, Ontario-based group that holds an annual three-day gathering dedicated to Indigenous arts, culture and tradition.
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Indigenous drumming groups in eight performing arts centres across Canada will respond to drummers in Niagara. Organizers said participants will “foster healing, send love and drum for the children’s spirits who never made it home, for our ancestors, our matriarchs, MMIWG2S, the next generation, for healing, and for wisdom.”
Each drum circle will perform for 10 minutes before proceeding to the next group.
The show can also be watched online from home via the Celebration of Nations website.
Drums Across Canada opens a fall season at NACC that is being unveiled in stages.
Steve Hill, a one-man band originally supposed to perform across the NWT in 2020, will bring his show to various communities later in September.
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Hill, a Juno award-winner from Trois-Rivières, Québec, plays guitar and harmonica while drumming and singing. His NWT tour starts in Norman Wells on September 13 followed by Inuvik on September 15, Yellowknife on September 17, Fort Simpson on September 19, Hay River on September 21, and Fort Smith on September 22.
Shaun Smyth brings Playing With Fire, a one-man show about Métis NHL player Theo Fleury, to Yellowknife on September 30 and October 1.
Performed entirely on hockey skates and featuring an on-stage rink, Smyth depicts the hardships Fleury experienced throughout his life and career.
The Arctic Comedy Festival opens at NACC with stand-up shows Got Land? on October 3 and Comedy Night in Yellowknife on October 4.
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The October 3 performance features Indigenous comedians like Howie Miller, Brian Majore and Inuvik’s Dez Loreen.
The October 4 show features the likes of John Wing, a semi-finalist on America’s Got Talent, alongside Lisa Baker and Brittany Lyseng.
Marie Coderre, NACC’s executive and artistic director, said that while these are the only shows currently listed for the fall, more will appear soon.
“People are craving live performances,” she said.
“It’s been a long time, but this year we have a blend of locals and non-locals coming to perform, and we think it’s going to be a great season.”
Information about upcoming shows and tickets can be found on the NACC website.