Held in Vancouver BC on unceded Coast Salish Territory, Matriarchs Uprising is a performance festival that celebrates contemporary Indigenous dance, offering a program of performances, events, and circle conversations led by local and international Indigenous female artists. The festival is a platform for artists and audiences to come together and celebrate connections from across different nations and Indigenous worldviews through dance. Matriarchs Uprising brings together Indigenous women who are both nurturing and advancing the art of contemporary dance.

This year’s theme is Noojimo’idizo – she cures herself. We dance to strengthen our being, to uplift our spirit and celebrate this life. Our world is awakening to the power within us to transform pain and suffering and find our way forward to harmony. In this edition of Matriarchs Uprising, you are invited to witness Noojimo’idizo—she cures herself—of disconnection, dispossession and dis-ease through dance.

Photo credit: Louise Potiki Bryant