A Burnaby resident will be among the performers for a special presentation honouring the First Nations presence in Greater Vancouver.
Storyweaving, a multidisciplinary presentation, is onstage at the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre in May.
It's being presented by Vancouver Moving Theatre and the Downtown Eastside Heart of the City Festival, in partnership with the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre.
The production weaves together stories, poems and personal memories with oral histories, cultural teachings, West Coast dances and the ancient bone game of Slahal.
Burnaby's Mike Dangeli, a performer and speaker on behalf of the Git Hayetsk Dancers, is one of the featured artists involved in the presentation.
He's the co-director, with Mique'l Dangeli, of the Git Hayetsk Dancers and the founder of the House of Culture: Art and Carving Studio located at the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre. He's also an accomplished singer and dancer.
He's part of a cast of aboriginal artists, dancers, elders and Downtown Eastside community members. In Storyweaving, they help an old man, the Old One, open up to his life's journey through the teachings of the medicine wheel. His journey home gives voice to the experiences of the urban aboriginal community - and, over the course of the journey, ancestral memories emerge of the history of the Coast Salish peoples.
"Storyweaving is about giving voice to those that have lived within and around the Canadian legislation of the Indian Act," explains director Renae Morriseau. "And so many of us moved to the city of Vancouver and found a home there. Our social justice and educational efforts from the 1950s through to today continue to reflect our passion for life, love and harmony. Storyweaving is about our hopes for a good future, guided by the principles of our cultural past."
Storyweaving takes place at the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre, 1607 East Hastings St., in the Chief Simon Baker Room.
It's on May 11 to 13 and May 18 to 20, with Friday and Saturday night performances at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.
Tickets are on a sliding scale from $0 to $20, and seating is first-come, first-served.
For information, call 604-628-5672 or see www.vancouvermovingtheatre.com, www.heartofthecityfestival.com or www.vafcs.org.
