Stéphanie Cyr, Sophie Dow, Olivia Shaffer; photo sharai mustatia
Jeanette
Kotowich
Cree-Métis
Kwê is derived from iskwêw (femme Spirit) and iskotêw (fire). It provides a fluid container to intentionally define and amplify iskwêwak sovereignty and dismantle dominant colonial and patriarchal narratives with vulnerability, courage and heart.
We are bodies seeking sovereignty, imperfectly tethered to homelands near and far… Containers of complex histories, tears, and joy... We journey through liminal territories of vulnerability and strength. We embrace multiplicity and settle into the untamed knowing of our courageous hearts. Harnessing bravery, we weave our presence into vast futures.
credits
lead artist Jeanette Kotowich
collaborators, dance artists, improvisers Stéphanie Cyr, Olivia Shaffer, Tamar Zehava Tabori
collaborator, sound designer Edgardo Moreno
collaborator, lighting designer Hina Nishioka
kiyokêwin (visiting amongst kin) Moe Clark
sound contributions Moe Clark, Riit, Silla & Rise
special thanks to Matriarchs Uprising, Sophie Dow, Starr Muranko, Michelle Olson
project supported by Raven Spirit Dance, National Arts Centre, The Dance Centre, Canada Council for the Arts
Jeanette Kotowich is a multi-disciplinary iskwêw, independent dance artist, creator, choreographer and professional Auntie of Nêhiyaw Métis and mixed settler ancestry. Originally from Treaty 4 territory Saskatchewan, she creates work that reflects Nêhiyaw/Métis cosmology within the context of contemporary dance, Indigenous performance, and Indigenous futurism. Fusing interdisciplinary collaboration, de-colonial practices and embodied research methodologies; Jeanette’s work references protocol, ritual, relationship to the natural/spirit world and Ancestral knowledge. Her practice is intergenerational and vocational; it’s a living and lived experience. Jeanette resides as a guest on the Ancestral and unceded Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) əl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ/ (Tsleil-Waututh) and Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) territories, colonially known as Vancouver.