Photo: Chris Randle, Performers: Daisy Thompson and Sophie Dow
Maamawi (ᒫᒪᐏ): Together Through The Fire
You’re invited into our vision of the future. The world has been transformed through fire, revived through water, and humankind has been gifted the ability to experience Life through the Lessons of the Heart.
Maamawi (ᒫᒪᐏ): Together Through The Fire braids the dreams of past, present, and future into a post-apocalyptic landscape. An expression of the Anishinaabe Seven Fire Prophecies, as shared by Anishinaabe Elder, Gloria May Eshkibok, Maamawi (ᒫᒪᐏ) imbues us with heart-light, stewarded by the Original Ones. We are held in trust with Love and Respect for all that is, all that was, and all that will be as we move steadily toward our destiny.
Maamawi: Together Through the Fire (ᒫᒪᐏ) is a full-length Contemporary Indigenous dance performance and immersive experience for live audiences to enter into a fictional, futuristic world following the revelation of the Anishinaabe Seven Fire Prophecies. Using motion-capture techniques, the movements of the dancers are captured in real-time and used to drive animated avatars and visual imagery conceived of and designed by Anishinaabe artist, Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley. These images are projection-mapped onto the stage, while simultaneously filling the 3D space of an online immersive multiplayer virtual reality environment that up to a dozen audience members can remotely connect to and enter from across the country.
O.Dela Arts & Pepper’s Ghost New Media Collective
Photo: Chris Randle, Performers: Daisy Thompson and Sophie Dow
Project Created by: Original choreography and concept by Anishinaabe choreographer Olivia C. Davies, based on stories shared by Anishnaabe Elder, Gloria May Eshkibok and utilizing the concept of the “Mino Bimaadiziwin” pillars of Anishnaabe culture (Anishinaabemowin; translated as The Good Life) as dramaturgy. Co-creative director and creative technologist, Athomas Goldberg, brings several years of experience in the creation of hybrid live/virtual performances through his work as a co-founder of Pepper’s Ghost New Media & Performing Arts Collective, as the Executive Director of Shocap Entertainment, and as a consultant to the interactive entertainment and virtual reality industries through his company, Lifelike & Believable Animation Design.
Key Artistic Collaborators:
Producers: O.Dela Arts & Pepper’s Ghost New Media Collective
Co-creator, Choreographer, Director: Olivia C. Davies
Co-creator, MoCap, VR, AR experience: Athomas Goldberg
Co-creator, Visual Design: Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley
Co-creator, Composer: Michael Red
Cultural Consultant: Gloria May Eshkibok
Dance Artists: Sophie Dow, Daisy Thompson
Storyteller: Olivia C. Davies
Lighting design, Projection & Audiovisual Playback System Support Team: Chimerik 似不像
Lighting Designer, Technical Director: Jonathan Kim
Assistant Lighting Designer: Vanka Salim
Audiovisual Playback System Support: Shang-Han Chien, Sammy Chien & Caroline MacCaull
Costume Designer: Raven John
Rehearsal Director: Kelly McInnes
Producer: Brian Postalian
Performance type: This work is built for a theatre, Full length work. This work is a Hybrid Presentation (online & live).
How do you define this work: Indigenous, multimedia dance performance, virtual reality, optional remote viewing through VR
Length of performance: 50 minutes +10 minute pre-show welcome to territory from local First Nations Elder
Audience type: General Audience
General Technical Requirements: A sprung stage surface that is at least 30'-0" deep x 35'-0" wide, with black marley dance floor.
PA System with 2 onstage monitors.
Lighting System (ETC Family: Ion/Eos/Element/Gio), DMX-controlled, with minimum 80 lighting instruments/circuits or a house hang.
2 projectors: 1 on cyc, 1 on floor (top down projection)
HDMI/SDI cables from projectors to show computers
An overhead grid with positions for hanging lights and the 2 projectors.
A white cyc at the back of the stage that extends the width of the stage.
1 Hazer.
1 wired microphone and stand
1 music stand
Very strong and fast wired internet connection.
Sufficient power for all of our computer equipment.
1 Dressing room for 3 performers.
1-2 tables for gear/VR headset stations
The Company will provide:
1 computer for MoCap Suits, set up on stage near performers - NEEDS wired internet
1 monitor
1 keyboard
1 computer for projection, set up in booth - NEEDS wired internet
1 monitor
1 keyboard
1 laptop computer running sound and projection, set up in booth - NEEDS wired internet
And 1-2 additional Desktop PCs and VR headsets for the VR experience station.
Before starting, we like to circle up with the entire staff and company for proper greetings and do a smudging of the space.
Does the work require tech residency: The show requires 8 hours of Pre-hang, 8 hours of Setup, and 4 hours of Rehearsal with 3-5 crew before the first performance minimum. Any additional time is requested and appreciated up to 2-3 days prior to performance.
We are also seeking a week-long technical residency in advance of touring Summer 2024.
Number of Performers on tour (including choreographer): 3
Number of Support Staff on Tour: 3
Availabilities: 2024/25 season, & 2025/26 season
O.Dela Arts is a non-profit arts organization currently based in Vancouver, BC on unceded Coast Salish Territory. Created in 2017 and incorporated in 2018, O.Dela Arts supports the research, creation, production, and touring of Olivia C. Davies’ creative activities, choreography, and installations including platforms for educational and community-engaged projects offered by Indigenous artist, Olivia Davies.
The mandate of O.Dela Arts Society is to support the creation and production of contemporary Indigenous choreography by women through community-engaged projects, creative collaboration across discipline and generation, new project commissions, and the annual Matriarchs Uprising Festival.
Our core values are inclusion, generosity, and engagement.
Since its inception, O.Dela Arts seeks to develop audiences for Contemporary Indigenous dance and multidisciplinary arts. Under the leadership of professional dance artist, Olivia C. Davies, the organization has built a solid foundation of peer exchange, professional development opportunities and performance series. Highlights include the creation of multiple Contemporary Indigenous dance works including residencies and presentations in Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, Toronto, Prince Rupert, and Nanaimo, BC. Our Talking Truths series of circle conversations hosted by Olivia and featuring Indigenous choreographers from across Turtle Island, Aotearoa, and Australia have provided new ways to educate audiences to the nuances of Contemporary Indigenous dance practice and have been supported by partner organizations including DanceHouse Vancouver, Talking Stick Festival, Downtown Eastside Heart of the CIty Festival, Dance West Network. We have hosted Vancouver’s annual Matriarchs Uprising Festival for the past five years, showcasing works by Indigenous choreographers from across Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the US.
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.
Performance History & Upcoming Performances
Workshop Showing: August 2022, World Stage Design Conference: Scenofest 2022, University of Calgary, Calgary AB
Workshop Showing: July 2022, Dancing on the Edge Festival, Firehall Arts Centre, Vancouver BC
VR Presentation: November 2022, PerformancePXR, Online/VR
World Premiere: February 2023, Matriarchs Uprising Festival, Scotiabank Dance Centre, Vancouver BC
We are currently in conversation with a presenter on Vancouver Island for performance in July 2024 and are looking for other BC-based interested presenters for this time period (June-July 2024).
Project Details
Community Engagement
We regularly offer master classes in Contemporary Indigenous dance and choreography, community-level dance and story-telling workshops, and moderated circle conversations with our artists as part of programming our work. Each activity is offered as a 90 minute session, and we are open to discussion for different lengths to suit the needs of the community.
Master classes typically require some proficiency with movement and ability to dive into the practice in a meaningful way.
Community-level workshops are open to all from young to old and no experience at all is necessary with movement.
Circle conversations are hosted by Olivia with Athomas, Sophie and Daisy and are meant to be programmed in advance of performances to provide audiences with context to the work.
We are also open to engaging in post-show artist talkbacks.
All bodies, ethnicities, genders, and cultures are welcome to our programming.
We request the host presenter connect our company with the local First Nations knowledge keeper or Elder who will be opening the presentation for a private conversation in advance of the presentation. This action will allow our company to offer our personal gratitude to the representative of the host nation for welcoming us to territory.
Contact information
Brian Postalian, gm@oliviacdavies.ca
Company Website: https://www.oliviacdavies.ca/odela/
Facebook: odelaarts
Instagram: @odela_arts
Project website: https://maamawi.dance/