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Roy Henry Vickers’ Peace Dancer comes alive again during One Wave Gathering

Sept. 14 performance by Theatre Inconnu Youth Program part of Pacific Peoples Partnership festival
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Theatre Inconnu Youth Program is remounting a performance of Roy Henry Vickers’ Peace Dancer , featuring banners and puppets and the narration of Vickers himself. It will be part of the One Wave Gathering event this Saturday (Sept. 14) in Centennial Square. Photo by Tim Gosley

A Roy Henry Vickers story will come to life again, in a special encore performance of Peace Dancer this Saturday (Sept. 14, 2 p.m.) in Centennial Square as part of the Pacific People’s Partnership’s annual One Wave Gathering .

A project of the Theatre Inconnu Youth Program, the show features the legendary artist narrating his cautionary Tsimshian flood tale, accompanied by an all-ages cast of more than 20 community performers, including Indigenous youth from various First Nations and puppeteer/show producer Tim Gosley.

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The Peace Dancer live show sees the performers illustrate the story using giant banners and puppets taken from the designs in Vickers’ book, co-authored by Lucky Budd. It was originally performed at Government House in 2017 as part of Theatre Inconnu’s Puppets for Peace Celebration.

Along with the storytelling of Vickers, Indigenous drummer Avery Nelson as lead drummer and Metis actor Colin Mah, in the role of Crow, are also part of the cast. Directors Krystal Cook and Barbara Poggemiller bring a rich background in movement theatre, and Story Theatre members, under the direction of David McPherson, have provided performance mentoring and stage management.

Other performers at the Sept. 14 event include the Lekwungen Dancers, Esquimalt Nation Dance Group, Pearls of the South Pacific, the Tradewinds Band and more. The One Wave Gathering includes a variety of cultural and arts events and runs from Sept. 12-25. You can find more information at pacificpeoplespartnership.org/one-wave-2019 or on Facebook.



editor@mondaymag.com

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