TRANSFORM Festival Spotlights Local and National Indigenous Artists in Fifth Year

 Urban Ink’s TRANSFORM Festival, presented in collaboration with The Cultch, will return to the stage for its fifth-year celebration from November 6-9, 2024, at the Vancouver Playhouse. Co-curated by Urban Ink Artistic Director Corey Payette and The Cultch Executive Director Heather Redfern, and supported by Protocol Keeper Quelemia Sparrow, the four-day festival features an all-star lineup of Indigenous and non-Indigenous talents, including the first-ever Indigenous winner of Canada’s Drag Race Season 4, VENUS; circus sensation Sido Adamson; and Vancouver dance and ballroom star Ralph Escamillan.

The milestone festival also features the world premiere of In Spirit, in honour of National Indigenous Veterans Day, performed by Chor Leoni and the Vancouver Youth Choir, featuring music by Indigenous composers Corey Payette, Russell Wallace, and Alexis Vollant; as well as a workshop presentation of Payette’s latest musical, On Native Land.

“Following the last several years of digital and hybrid offerings, we are absolutely delighted to be back on stage for our fifth anniversary festival, at the Vancouver Playhouse for the first time,” says TRANSFORM Festival Director and Co-Founder Payette. “This year’s festival continues to break new ground in forging connections between Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists, sparking social change through provocative and poignant storytelling, and celebrating creativity through dazzling performances.”

Adds Redfern, TRANSFORM Co-Founder: “This festival is a blend of spectacular performance and cultural exploration. From extravagant drag and gravity-defying circus to moving choral music and the powerful examination of identity, there is truly something for everyone. We are thrilled to welcome new and returning audiences to this transformative celebration of collaborative artistry.”

TRANSFORM will kick off with the epic Opening Night Bash on November 6, 2024 at 7:30pm, co-hosted by iconic drag queen VENUS and Festival Protocol Keeper Quelemia Sparrow and featuring a captivating mixed program of dance with traditional hoop dancer Notorious Cree, Métis dancer and choreographer Jera Wolfe, and Canadian-Filipinx performance artist Ralph Escamillan; music with Inuit throat singing duo PIQSIQ; circus with Vancouver-based aerial and burlesque performer Sido Adamson; and drag performance with Venus.

The festival will continue on November 7, 2024 at 7:30pm, with an unforgettable night at the Circus Ball, a thrilling spectacle that blends acrobatics and dance with striking and eccentric performances. Featured artists include the return of Adamson and Escamillan, who will host the evening with Kiki Ball Host Salish Siriano, along with the introduction of hooping sensation Lala Loops and drag star Batty Banks. DJ Kookum will DJ the evening’s festivities.

On November 8, 2024 at 7:30pm, TRANSFORM will present the world premiere of In Spirit, a concert hosted by Payette in honour of National Indigenous Veterans Day. Stirring performances by guest artists Chor Leoni and Vancouver Youth Choir will bring original compositions from Indigenous artists Payette, Russell Wallace, and Alexis Vollant to life, resulting in an evening of heartfelt tribute.

The festival will conclude on November 9 at 7:30pm with the special workshop presentation of Payette’s musical-in-progress On Native Land. This sweeping, emotive love story intertwines the lives of three seemingly disparate characters–a lawyer, a Chief, and a rising singer-songwriter–whose paths converge in a powerful tale of identity and land disputes. This musical examines the profound impacts of forced displacement on Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island, and features performers Jesse Alvarez, Zac Bellward, Sarah Cantuba, Dillan Chiblow, Winona Myles, Jordan Stanley, čačumḥi - Aaron M. Wells, Cathy Wilmot, Jera Wolfe, Taninli Wright, and Kaitlyn Yott.

For tickets and information, please visit: transformfestival.ca

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