Video

Spirit of Slahal

The Children of Takaya merge traditional movements with modern technology

F-O-R-M Commissioned Film 2016: Children of Takaya

Creative Director Kattie Coolidge with additional film work by Nancy Bleck and Sebnem Ozpeta

Creative director Kattie Coolidge presents this short film centred around the Coast Salish peoples. Merging traditional movements with modern technology, the film features eleven members of the Children of Takaya group performing the work Spirit of Slahal.

Spirit of Slahal begins with a male voice explaining the rules involved in the ancient game of “Slahal”, a method of gambling that in some traditions was offered as an alternative to warfare. The film shows dancers and drummers in traditional clothing silhouetted against projected images of natural landscapes. The filmed rocks and trees drift across the performers’ faces, distorting them into what looks like digital noise. Dancers are seen hopping and spinning across the floor, leather moccasins gliding on smooth concrete, as they interpret moves meant to taunt and distract while drums beat and wooden beads jangle.

The film sees the Children of Takaya existing in a space between the artificial, the captured and reimagined natural world, and the reality that is their live bodies expressing movements steeped in history and ritual. Founded by Chief Dan George in the 1950s, the Children of Takaya includes generations of family members who share rich traditions of song and dance. Created through the Festival of Recorded Movement’s Commissioning Fund, Coolidge’s film of Children of Takaya exists in partnership with Cineworks and Company 605.

Posted November 11, 2016

Down the TikTok Rabbit Hole

As a platform, TikTok is home to viral dances that are available to all users. The accessibility and sense of accomplishment from mastering the moves have people flocking to the app. But while there’s joy to be found, especially during COVID-19, there are also problems lurking beneath the surface.

Video

Git Hayetsk: The Lives Behind the Dance

For members of Git Hayetsk, dance is so much more than rehearsal and performance. The film Git Hayetsk: The Lives Behind the Dance looks at the strong dance family ties that have been formed through shared passion and history.

Listing