O. Dela Arts / Pepper’s Ghost Co-Production

Maamawi: Together through the Fire

Olivia C. Davies is a dance artist, choreographer, community-arts facilitator and emerging curator of Anishinaabe, French-Canadian, Finnish and Welsh heritage. Davies’ works often explore the emotional and political relationships between people and places. Her first full-length work “Crow’s Nest and Other Places She’s Gone” (2017) blends Contemporary dance, theatre, and street culture through an Indigenous lens. Pepper’s Ghost New Media & Performing Arts Collective was founded in 2014 by a group of artists, musicians, creative technologists, and academic researchers to explore the use of advanced digital media and visual effects technologies in the creation of original works performed in front of live audiences. The company’s past works have explored the relationship between real and digital worlds and the liminal spaces between them. Davies and Pepper’s Ghost have worked together previously on the piece, “Stealing Flowers” which introduced Davies to digital technologies and integrating a 360 degree approach into her theatrical practice.

Olivia Davies - 2.jpg — Maamawi: Together through the Fire

Maamawi: Together through the Fire is an original choreography by Olivia C. Davies with visual designs by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckly based on stories shared by Anishnaabe Elder, Gloria May Eshkibok of the 8 Fire Prophecies and utilizing the concept of the “Mino Bimaadiziwin” pillars of Anishnaabe culture (Anishinaabemowin; translated as The Good Life) as dramaturgy. The central theme of Maamawi is reconciliation and bridging cultural divides as expressed through the 8 Fires Anishinaabe prophecies and is a cross-cultural collaboration between Indigenous artists and non-Indigenous allies, providing important work to come to new understandings, using new technologies to tell old stories to a broad, cross-cultural audience. The medium of dance enables us to tell those stories in non-literal ways accentuated by visual and sonic designs. The piece features an original score by Canadian composer Michael Red. Red previously collaborated with Davies on Gateways and Crow’s Nest.
Photo credits: Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley - “8th Fire”

Performance History of Maamawi: Together through the Fire

We anticipate premiering the work at the 2022 Dancing on the Edge Festival in Vancouver

*Note* The video excerpt is from another project.

Project Details

Project created by: Olivia C. Davies - Co-Director / Choreographer and Athomas Goldberg - Co-Director / Digital Interaction Design

Key Collaborators: Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley - Visual Design, Michael Red - Music

Audience: General Audience

Length in minutes: 55 minutes - Full length work

Space required: The piece is best suited to spaces that have access to a high-bandwidth internet connection (suitable for livestreaming) and video projection capabilities.

Preparation required: The work requires a day of technical preparation in advance of the performance to ensure that enabling technologies (motion-capture, virtual reality headsets, video projection, video streaming services, etc.) are working properly in the space. Maximum 8 hours.

General technical requirements: The performance utilizes video projection, as well as motion-capture suits for the performers, and VR headsets for selected audience members.

Availabilities: Winter 2023 (Jan-March), Spring 2023 (April-June), Summer 2023 (July-Aug), Fall 2023 (Sept-Dec), Winter 2024 (Jan-March), Spring 2024 (April-June), Summer 2024 (July-Aug)

Number of performers on tour: 4

Number of support staff on tour: 3 - Tour manager, Costumes, Technical support