Indigenous journey through dance kicks off Iqaluit's Alianait concert series

Iqaluit residents are getting the chance to take a journey through dance this weekend, as the Alianait Dance and Concert series kicks off with NeoIndigenA, a performance by award-winning performer Santee Smith.

Smith, from the Mohawk Nation and based in Ontario, choreographed and performs the piece, which she describes as a ritual journey about rejuvenation connecting it to the sky, earth, and land.

NeoIndigenA was performed Friday night at Iqaluit's Joamie School. A second performance is scheduled for Saturday.

"It's not dance, it's not ballet, it's not just traditional," she said, attempting to characterize her performance style. "It's my own style that I have developed.

"Embodied storytelling is another way to be describing it."

This is Smith's first trip to Iqaluit. While in Nunavut, she'll give a workshop for local performers, as do all the other performers in Alianait's2017 Dance and Concert Series.

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However, that doesn't mean her trip will be limited to work. Smith was able to spend some timeon the land after arriving in the community Thursday, an experience she says she was grateful to have.

"It was beautiful," she said. "I've never been this far North. I love Inuit art and I have a lot of Inuit friends and collaborators. So just to be out on the land and experience the outside is really amazing."

Smith is also relying on local artists to open her performances in Iqaluit. The Inuksuk Drum Dancers, an all-girls group that performs traditional Inuit song and dance, will perform before Smith takes the stage.

Tickets for NeoIndigenA are $26 for adults, and can be purchased on Alianait's website. Saturday's show begins at 7:30 p.m.