Art Holm no. 9

WHEN

Friday, Nov 22 @7:30 PM
Saturday, Nov 23 @7:30 PM
Sunday, Nov 24 @2:30 PM

WHERE

The Forks
Room 201
1 Forks Market Road

All performances include ASL interpretation and will be Pay What You Can

WHO

NATASHA “COURAGE” BACCUS (SHE/HER)

Natasha “Courage” Bacchus (she/her) is an accomplished multidisciplinary artist and former Deaf Olympian, winning three gold medals as a sprinter. Her theatre/TV and Film performances include Shaw Host Talk (2014), ‘The Black Drum’ with Soulpepper Theatre (2019) in Toronto and France, ‘The Two Natasha’s’ (2020) comedy show performed in art festivals, ‘21 Black Futures’ produced by Obsidian Theatre and CBC Arts (2021) and mini-TV series ‘The Coroner’ season four on Netflix (2022). She has participated in cabaret events including the 2019/2024 ASL Deaf Drag Performance, Rainbow Senior Showcase, and Criptonite at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in Toronto, Ontario.

Her areas of expertise include interdisciplinary visual arts and art accessibility consulting for Deaf LGBTQ+, racialized and marginalized communities, including Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour. She also specializes in Sign Language translation for theatre, interpretation and promotional vlogs, and has contributed as a panelist, workshop presenter, and emerging art curator. As an activist, she is dedicated to increasing the representation of Indigenous and Black Deaf artists in the arts community.

Courage has participated as an art collaborator with numerous theatre and film productions focusing on breaking down barriers for Indigenous and Black Deaf artists in Canada.

She has participated in Leelee Oluwatoyosi Eko Davis and Donna Michelle Bernard's method of social justice community. Natasha was one of the winners of Canada’s Top 100 Black Women to watch by the Canada International Black Women Excellence (CIBWE) in 2019.

She continues her journey of self-discovery in her art.

PERFORMANCE DESCRIPTION

Natasha will perform her work ‘Mangoes’. This powerful signed music piece, with her own rhythm work, is about her mother's heritage from Guyana; mangoes being a metaphor for both bitter and sweet, relating to African slaves by the Dutch and celebrating Guyana independence.  Her foundation as a Deaf Olympian Sprinter, and three time gold medallist, infuses her prolific artistic career with a fiery focus and determination.

LOUIE SANCHEZ (THEY/THEM)

Louie Sanchez (they/them) is the solo project of Eirene Cloma, a Toronto-based musician originally from North Vancouver, BC. They are a member of nationally acclaimed kulintang ensemble Pantayo whose debut album was shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize in 2020. Eirene has sessioned for artists such as Kimmortal and Austra.

Louie Sanchez is Eirene's return to their roots as a singer-songwriter trained in classical and jazz guitar. Their sound is influenced by their love for country, folk, and R&B, and narrates stories of labor, loss, and longing through their experiences as a working-class Filipino-Canadian. Their debut, self-titled EP Louie Sanchez comes out November 8th on Next Door Records. They are looking forward to celebrating their release with the Art Holm community and will be accompanied by local musicians Ana Gold (violin), Gabi Ocejo (guitar), and Lindsay Woolgar (bass). 

Eirene is the Executive Director of Kapisanan Philippine Centre for Arts & Culture, a multiple award-winning, youth-led, charitable community organization based in Toronto. They have an extensive career in post-secondary education and are completing their MEd in Higher Education at the University of Toronto. Eirene is also a military veteran who served eight years in the army and four in the navy.

MUSICIANS PERFORMING WITH LOUIE SANCHEZ

Ana Gold (she/her) is a local Winnipeg multi-instrumentalist and teacher, known as a part of the manouche swing group Juvel, and her original project Little Myth. Her primary instruments are violin and vocals, and her musicianship is eclectic, borrowing inspiration from jazz, folk, and alt rock.

Gabriela Ocejo (she/her) is an Argentine-born, Treaty 1-based guitarist and songwriter. Her range in style, gift in songwriting and tasteful arrangements quickly made Gabi a mainstay of Winnipeg music scene, effortlessly collaborating with some of the city’s best musicians across a range of styles including all-female Jazz Manouche band, Juvel; 7-piece traditional swing band, Sunny Roseland; folk-roots songwriter and Crooked Brother, Matt Foster; and Polaris Prize-nominated 8-piece live hip-hop ensemble, Super Duty Tough Work.

Originally from Edmonton, Lindsay Woolgar (she/her) is a bassist and vocalist who now lives in Winnipeg. Her extensive musical training and experience allows her to play both double bass and electric bass in a variety of genres - although jazz remains her first love and main musical influence in all of its many forms. Lindsay is a member of Winnipeg-based bands Juvel, French Class, and the Grey Jays and has recorded and toured with other artists such as Ben Sures, Selci, Matt Foster, Billie Zizi, Bobby Dove and Jess Rae. During the school year, Lindsay teaches strings at Sistema Winnipeg, an intensive daily after-school music program that focuses on children with the fewest resources and greatest need. In the summer, she serves at MusiCamp Alberta as the Assistant Camp Director / Bass Faculty.

PERFORMANCE DESCRIPTION

Louie Sanchez is a Toronto musician best known for being a member of the Polaris Music Prize-shortlisted Kulintang ensemble Pantayo. Their new EP drops two weeks before opening night. Winnipeg will be the first to take in these tracks live, joined by phenomenally talented local musicians Ana Gold (violin), Gabi Ocejo (guitar), and Lindsay Woolgar (bass).

ARIA EVENS (THEY/SHE/HE)

Aria Evans is an award winning, queer, interdisciplinary artist working in dance, theatre and film. Aria is a certified Intimacy Coordinator and draws on their experiences of being multiracial to capture meaningful social and cultural themes through their interactive art. Collaboration is the departure point for the work that Aria creates with their company Political Movement. Aria is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Winnipeg teaching movement and intimacy in the Theatre and Film department. Aria is a 2024 Dance Collection Dance Hall of Fame inductee under the Sandra Faire Next Generation Award.

Aria was the Metcalf Artistic Director Intern at Soulpepper Theatre from September 2021 - September 2022 and was co-Artistic Director of hub14 from 2013-2018. The Toronto, Ontario and Canada Council for the Arts have supported Aria’s endeavours as well as Soulpepper Theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille, the National Arts Centre, Buddies In Bad Times Theatre, CAHOOTS, Why Not Theatre, Volcano Theatre, Nightswimming Theatre, Jumblies Theatre, Native Earth Performing Arts, Nova Dance, b current and many more.

Aria has presented their choreographic work with Dust and Soul Dance [Dead Ends 2023], Soulpepper Theatre and the City of Toronto [For Sale 2022], Dusk Dances [RElaps 2021], Public Energy [Bridge Over Troubled Water 2020], Citadel + Compagnie [In The Abyss 2019], The National Arts Centre [Finding Wolastoq Voice 2019], DanceWorks [link 2018], The Toronto Concert Orchestra [The Trickster Re-imagined 2017], Ontario Culture Days [Two Row 2017], the Toronto Fringe Festival [RATED R 2016], SummerWorks [Desiccated 2015], Long Winter [box box box 2014] and many more. Aria's works have been presented in both North America and Europe. Aria has toured with Theatre New Brunswick and Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, created work commissioned by the Museum of Contemporary Art, JOBEL Arts for Earth, Michele Pearson Clarke, the Canadian Opera Company, Urban Vessel, Toronto Concert Orchestra, Ontario Culture Days and the IPAA. They have participated and performed in works by The Stratford Festival, Lara Kramer, Tapestry Opera - Michelle Olson, Sylvain Émard, Kaeja d'Dance, Jenn Goodwin, Michael Greyeyes and Yvette Nolan, Penny Chouchie, Julia Sasso, Peggy Baker, The Banff Centre, The Halluci Nation, Constance Cooke, Expect Theatre and many more.

Aria has sat on Canada Council for the Arts, Manitoba Arts Council, Metcalf Foundation and Dora Award juries, been an Invited Guest Contributor to the 20th anniversary Canadian Arts Summit, talked on interdisciplinary panels for CPAMO, the Toronto Dance Community Love-In, CAHOOTS, CADA, TAPA’s INDEX, DarkNights and On The Move. Aria has also acted as a facilitator and guest curator on behalf of many other organizations. Aria’s work in dance film has led them to collaborate with many of the country's leading dance artists and organizations.

DANCERS PERFORMING WITH ARIA EVANS

Zorya Arrow (she/they) is an artist of European ancestry, working and living as a dancer, choreographer, educator, actor, director, filmmaker, auntie, advocate, clown, and storyteller on Treaty 1 Territory, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Zorya is passionate about working in collaborative, experimental, and trans-disciplinary contexts, and holds an honours degree in Dance from the University of Winnipeg in affiliation with The School of Contemporary Dancers Senior Professional Program. She has created over fifteen original dance works, collaborated on countless projects, including choreographing a mixed ability cast in ”Antigone” directed by Arne MacPherson, and received “Best Performance” at the Gimli International Film Festival for the lead role of "Billie" in director Erin Buelow’s feature film, “Arutinae”. Zorya co-created and performed in “Symphony of Sympathy”, a new interdisciplinary work in collaboration with sound artists meanspath and domo11 at Cluster: New Music + Integrated Arts Festival, and is currently working on a co-creation dance project with artist Emma Beech. Together Emma and Zorya completed project research through Manitoba Arts Council’s Deep Bay Artist Residency program, in September 2024.

Emma Beech (she/her) is a dance artist from Treaty 1 / Winnipeg, Manitoba. She is part of various ongoing creative projects and new works including a co-created duet with Zorya Arrow, her own choreography for stage and film, and collaborative work with EGAD (Gislina Patterson, Arne MacPherson, and Dasha Plett). Performance credits include works by Aria Evans, Ali Robson and Natasha Torres-Garner for Weather Parade Dance Theatre, Zorya Arrow, Sam Penner, Alex Elliot, Sharon Alward, Carol-Anne Bohrn, and Alexandra Garrido. Emma has a BA Honours in dance from The School of Contemporary Dancers/University of Winnipeg (2016), and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Manitoba (2022).

PERFORMANCE DESCRIPTION

Aria will perform their solo ‘Dead Ends’; when you have given everything of yourself, what is left? Tethered to this, their new duet ‘Forget Me Not’, created with and performed by local movement artists Zorya Arrow and Emma Beech, brings relationships to the forefront and weaves the myriad ways we try to stay connected.