MAINSTAGE 2025-2026
They Carry Us
Wild Mint Arts
They Carry Us
"They Carry Us” is a dance theater piece intended for family and young audiences. The show is rooted in Blackfoot cosmologies, ways of knowing, stories of the animal nation, and the strength of two spirit people. This show carries the essence of forgotten and unknown stories. They are creating out of contemporary dance, powwow dance styles, and an exploration into technology. They work closely with Blackfoot elders who hold the knowledge of these stories. This piece has its base in a research residency completed in Smithers BC in April of 2024. After a hiatus, Wild Mint Arts is now looking for a development partner for 2025/2026 and a premiere partner for late 2026/early 2027.
Wild Mint Arts
Wild Mint Arts delivers workshops, performances, and classes with Indigenous performing artists locally and from around the world.
We value and support the diversity of Indigenous performing arts, recognizing its inherent inter-disciplinary elements.
Empowering Indigenous people of all ages, abilities, and genders, we strive to offer inclusive programming, respectful of everyone.
Offering an opportunity for reconciliation, we serve the Indigenous community and our non-Indigenous community year-round.
We strive to empower Indigenous students within systems of education by offering Indigenous-only workshops from pre-school to Grade 9.
Performances and workshops serve professional, emerging and recreational artists. Performances and workshops serve businesses, schools, and communities. Offering engaging artistic programming for all members of a community regardless of identity builds stronger relationships.
Performance History & Upcoming Performances
We have 7 schools shows in September 2025 of either Powwow Mash-UP or Hoop Dance Stories. We have two in-school on-going residencies for 2025-2026 (1 event per month) in Calgary
Nimihitowin! will be at Vancouver Children's Festival 2026 with 6 shows.
We have toured Nimihitowin! since 2018 to various Children's Festivals and schools. We have toured iyikihkaosit in BC and SK.
We are looking for a premiere partner for "They Carry Us"
Project Created by: J. Virginia Sparvier-Wells and Elijah Wells
Key Artistic Collaborators: Even Gilchrist (Set design, costume) We are approaching Sonny Ray Day Rider for music and our cultural advisors are Dr Shawn Singer, Rod Scout and Cindy Daniels. Starr Muranko, Lana Skauge, and Jonathon Adams are on our Circle of Advisors.
Performance type: THIS WORK IS BUILT FOR THEATRE
How do you define this work: First Nations dance theatre
Length of performance: 60-75 mins
Audience type: General Audience, Children/Family
General Technical Requirements: Projector will be required with scrim. We have a props and require a grid to hang hoops from as props.
Required amount of time for tech set up: 4 hrs
Alternative Venues: No outdoors. Additional outdoor and educational programming in-schools can be offered.
Number of Performers on tour (including choreographer): 4
Number of Support Staff on Tour: 1
Availabilities: 2026/27 Season
Project Details
Community Engagement
We often work with local Indigenous schools/groups to create a peice over the course of a week. The local group will then be the opening performance for our dance piece.
Outreach Activities
We can do in-school powwow demonstrations. We can also teach Indigenous contemporary dance workshops. We often teach local indigenous-only workshops as requested by the local community.