Photo: Chris Randle
Raven Mother
Raven Mother is the Dancers of Damelahamid’s newly choreographed dance work in honour of late Elder Margaret Harris (1931 – 2020). Raven Mother illustrates the vast impact Elder Harris had on the revitalization of Indigenous dance along the Northwest Coast, and the integral role of women in holding cultural knowledge. It celebrates our mothers who created the stronghold of these artforms and influenced the next generation of women. Raven Mother illuminates the profound leadership of our mothers, their essential contribution in this resurgence, and the force and transformation of this awakening.
Raven Mother is the Dancers of Damelahamid’s most ambitious production and will be the culmination of generations of artistic and cultural work. With Raven Mother, movement, song, regalia, sculpture, and design, are interwoven with the embodied narrative. The Raven crest, manifested in multiple forms, embodies transformation, the strengthening of culture, the unveiling of a new spirit, and breathing life into a promise made to the children of generations to come.
Raven Mother speaks to our current realities, drawing from a rich lineage of teachings and insights. Innovation is conditional upon revealing the truths of today to pursue cultural endurance and intergenerational sustenance. Raven Mother is a tangible remembrance of a woman’s spirit, marking the shift between generations that has sparked a new role for our daughters as the force to hold their grandmother’s vision.
Photo: Andrew Grenier
Project Created by: Dancers of Damelahamid
Key Artistic Collaborators:
Artistic Director and Choreographer - Margaret Grenier
Set Designer and Artwork - Andrew Grenier
Regalia Designer and Creator - Rebecca Baker-Grenier
Song Composer and Vocalist - Raven Grenier
Collaborating Composer - Ted Hamilton
Lighting Designer - Jeff Harrison
Projection Designer - Andy Moro
Collaborating Director - Charles Koroneho
Northwest Coast Artists - David A. Boxley, David R. Boxley, Jim Charlie, Raven Grenier, Kandi McGilton, Dylan Sanidad
Elders - Betsy Lomax, Lawrence Trottier
Performers - Margaret Grenier, Rebecca Baker-Grenier, Raven Grenier, Nigel Baker-Grenier, Renée Harris
Production/Stage Manager - Andy Grenier
Technical Director - Jeff Harrison
Collaborating Producer & Agent - Eponymous
Developed with support from the National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund. This work is a co-production of the CanDance Network Creation Fund, DanceWorks, Dance Victoria, National Arts Centre and Danse Danse. Dancers of Damelahamid gratefully acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, the Government of British Columbia, British Columbia Arts Council and Metro Vancouver.
Raven Mother was created with the support of:
The Anvil Theatre, The Cultch, The Venables Theatre, Ballet BC, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
Dancers of Damelahamid would like to thank:
The Hamber Foundation, Re:Naissance, Anndraya T. Luui
Performance type: This work is built for the theatre
How do you define this work: Indigenous Dance
Length of performance: 60 minutes
Audience type: General Audience
General Technical Requirements: Performance Area:
-11m wide x 8.5m deep measured from the main curtain (plaster line) to the back wall and between side
curtains.
Floor:
-The stage surface should be sprung. The company will not perform on concrete.
-Black dance floor Rosco Marley or equivalent, professionally laid and taped, without rosin or residue
Masking/Soft Goods:
-Masking: Black traveller or upstage curtain, borders and 5m wide of side masking. All masking should be hung cleanly and symmetrically, with final adjustments possible at the install.
-A black backdrop is required upstage, allowing for a crossover
-There should be at least one masked entrance from the stage to the dressing rooms.
Rigging:
-Rigging height of 5m
-The venue must be equipped with a full lighting grid with positions over the stage as well as in the FOH.
-A rigging position is required 1.5-2m Upstage of center for a 2mx0.6mx1.2m(LxWxH) Raven Sculpture.
-A stage width rigging pipe is required 0.2m-0.4m in front of the upstage curtain for a 11mx5m (WxH)
projection scrim.
-Four rigging pipes are required for roll downs as follows: 2m DSL, 2m DSR, 4mUSL, 4m USR (see LX plot)
-Two more rigging positions on the balcony rail or booth position for two projectors cage mounted in portrait orientation, focussed on moveable projection screens DSL and DSR .
Lighting System:
Dancers of Damelahamid will provide a lighting plot specific to the venue. Possibility to customize colour and patch. It must be possible to achieve a complete blackout in the performance hall.
PA System:
Dancers of Damelahamid require a professional quality stereo sound system in good working order,
proving clear, undistorted, evenly distributed sound proportionate to venue capacity.
Required amount of time for tech set up: 1 day
Number of Performers on tour (including choreographer): 5
Number of Support Staff on Tour: 3
Availabilities: 2025/26 Season, 2026/27 Season
Dancers of Damelahamid
Dancers of Damelahamid is an Indigenous dance company from the Northwest Coast of British Columbia. Their rich history of masked dance inspires a compelling performance, celebrating the diversity and time depth of the many beautiful Indigenous cultures across Canada. Through dramatic dance, captivating narrative, intricately carved masks and elaborate regalia, the Dancers of Damelahamid transform time and space, and bridge the ancient with a living tradition.
Performance History & Upcoming Performances
Premiere: The Cultch (Vancouver, BC) - October 9-12, 2024
Danse Danse (Montreal, QC) - November 12-16, 2024
National Arts Centre (Ottawa, ON) - November 20-22, 2024
Public Energy Performing Arts (Peterborough, ON) - November 26, 2024
DanceWorks (Toronto, ON) - November 29, 2024
Dance Victoria (Victoria, BC) - January 24, 2025
Project Details
Outreach Activities
Dancers of Damelahamid are available for a number of outreach and audience engagement activities such as lecture-demonstrations, workshops, masterclasses and artist talks. Activities include interactive dance movement as well as an overview of Indigenous history and dance practices.
The Dancers of Damelahamid facilitate a movement-based workshop series centred on the contemporary Coastal Indigenous dance form. Through basic dance instruction, exploratory work, partnered improvisation, as well as sourcing through song and narrative, participants will engage in the shared experience of dance. Workshops will be tailored to the level of experience of participants.