Matriarchs Uprising — Indigenous Women Dancing Stories of Transformation

Description

Inner Fish Performance presents Matriarchs Uprising – Indigenous Women Dancing Stories of Transformation, a mixed bill of contemporary Indigenous dance works from Vancouver’s O.Dela Arts, and featuring solos by Olivia C. Davies, Sophie Dow, and Samantha Sutherland, on June 15–16, 2026, at the Mary Irwin Theatre in Kelowna. This event is supported by the BC Arts Council. Trailer: https://vimeo.com/1190224630?fl=ip&fe=ec June 15, 2026 at 7:00 PM – Program (Double Bill): Performance 1: journals of adoption by Sophie Dow Description: journals of adoption is a sifting and movement through 2 journals of origin: one text from Sophie’s birth mother's pregnancy & process of offering her up; the other text from her own reflections, queries and ruminations as an adopted child. Performance 2: ʔa·kinq̓uku by Samantha Sutherland Description: Fire ignites, grows, burns, and devours. Once it decays, what destruction does it leave behind? How does the earth regrow out of the ashes? - ʔa·kinq̓uku, the word for fire in the Ktunaxa Language, is a solo that follows the life cycle of a wildfire, and the regrowth that occurs after. This piece was created in reaction to the wildfire that burned through the Samantha’s home community of ʔaq̓am in the summer of 2023. June 16, 2026 at 7:00 PM – Program (Double Bill): Performance 1: slip away by Samantha Sutherland Description: slip away, a solo created and performed by Samantha Sutherland, explores themes of loss and hope relating to the endangered state of the Ktunaxa Language. What happens when individuals are motivated by fear? What work needs to happen to develop a sense of hope for our future? This solo shares accounts of the current efforts toward preservation of the endangered language, and showcases dreams of how it may continue to be enlivened in the future. Performance 2: Rematriate by Olivia C. Davies Description: To rematriate is to return to the source. In response to the systems that hold society hostage to continual technological advancement and an ever-growing disconnection to reality, this solo seeks to articulate potential pathways to peace and presence that are grounded in Contemporary Indigenous feminism. In Rematriate, stars shimmer across a great expanse of darkness marking the first glimmer of life stirring. The universal form moves through her body, shaping the spaces in between, and settling in her softness. She welcomes the Earth to crawl up into her form as the waters rise around her. Gathering strength to carry on. Shape-shifting from this world to the next with each breath. The Matriarchs Uprising Kelowna program includes a Talking Truths Circle Conversation with Indigenous artists, Syilx Nation Knowledge Keepers, and local arts leaders, as well as two community dance workshops led by the artists. No previous experience is required to participate in the workshops or the Talking Truths Circle Conversation; everyone is welcome. All activities will take place at the Rotary Centre for the Arts.