The Chinook Song Catchers are an Aboriginal dance group that descends from the Squamish and Nisga’a nations. This dynamic dance group has been representing their heritage at major venues in Vancouver for over fourteen years. Performing at multi-cultural festivals and art celebrations; and conducting welcoming ceremonies for international guests to Vancouver. The Chinook Song Catchers have traveled to international events as ambassadors of our respected nations, traveling to Japan, Taiwan, Switzerland, Italy, and Turkey.

The Dakhká Khwáan Dancers are a National Award winning Inland Tlingit dance group based out of Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. They focus on reclaiming their languages and traditional values through their inherent art form of singing, drumming, dancing, and storytelling. The Dakhká Khwaán Dancers strive to present their performance with the outmost respect to cultural protocol and with the highest form of artistic integrity. Since forming in the community of Carcross in 2007, they have grown from 6 to 30 members and with the addition of a children’s group, the Dakhká Khwaán Jrs. Together, They have danced across Canada, the US, New Zealand, Taiwan, the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and the Pam Am Games in 2015. The group received the 2014 National Aboriginal Cultural-Tourism Award.

The Dancers of Damelahamid is an Indigenous dance company from the Northwest Coast of British Columbia. Their rich history of masked dance inspires a compelling performance, celebrating the diversity and time depth of their identities. Through dramatic dance, captivating narrative, intricately carved masks, and elaborate regalia the Dancers of Damelahamid transform time and space, and bridge the ancient with a living tradition

Born and raised on the Annette Island Indian Reserve, Sm Łoodm ’Nüüsm (Dr. Mique’l Dangeli) is of the Tsimshian Nation of Metlakatla, Alaska. She is a dancer, choreographer, curator, educator, and activist. Her work focuses on cultural resurgence, protocol, politics, sovereignty, language revitalization, and decolonization. Dr. Dangeli is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Northern British Columbia and a K-12 Sm’algya̱x (Tsimshian language) teacher at the ‘Na Aksa Gila̱k’yoo School. For the past 14 years, she and her husband Mike Dangeli have shared the leadership of Git Hayetsk, an internationally renowned dance group specializing in ancient and newly created songs and mask dances.

Git Hoan (People of the Salmon) was founded in 1996 by David Boxley, internationally recognized Alaskan Tsimshian Artist and Culture bearer, and his sons David R. and Zach. The group is comprised of family and close friends from the Tsimshian, Tlingit, and Haida nations. The songs and dances are presented with an energetic and proud style that, while different than most contemporary dance groups, is based on ancient traditions that belongs to all coastal tribes. The Git Hoan Dancers showcase the magnificence of Tsimshian art, resurrect the practice of the culture, and educate the world that Native culture is diverse and a “living” art and culture. The Git Hoan performance is through song and dance sharing legends of the ancestors.

Spakwus Slulem (Eagle Song) are members of the Squamish Nation. The group has presented Squamish culture, songs, and dances for the last 20 years. Spakwus Slulem is pleased and honoured to present songs and dances of yesterday, as well as today, and feel very honoured to represent their people in a good way as their Ancestors had intended. Spakwus Slulem has performed across the world, including Taiwan, Japan, Hawaii, and Europe at various cultural festivals, events, and cultural exchanges. They performed for the opening Olympics twice in Japan and at the Vancouver Winter Olympics 2020, 3 Hawai’I pow-wows, the 2016 Indspire Awards, B.C Lions half-time show, and more. Spakwus Slulem is active in welcoming protocols within the local territory and participate in canoe journeys each year. They have also been actively teaching their cultural disciplines at schools and introducing their language and history to various grades at 17 schools in West Vancouver.

The ‘Yisya̱’winux̱w Dancers are a professional, adult and youth dance group whose members represent many of the 18 tribes of the Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw.
Many members live and work in Alert Bay, BC. They come together to ‘share’ traditional knowledge by invitation or special arrangement for private events. Although, ‘Yisya̱’winuxw is the most recent formed dance group of the Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw, many of their members have ‘shared’ professionally for over 20 years.
Each of the ‘Yisya̱’winuxw dancers are initiated in their Potlatch ceremonies. The dances and songs they use in their performances are owned by the members, and families within their group. G̱ilakasda’x̱w’la

The Rez Kids I Guess are a duo of Musqueam youth artists, Casey James and Demetrius Kenoras-Paul. They have been singing and dancing together since they were young boys. They both dance extensively within the pow-wow circle and their longhouse culture. Casey and Demetrius recently released their first CD, titled Shxwelten Shxweli, which translates to “the spirit of our elders songs live.”

Matoska, age 10, and Nahpeyo, age 8, are Nlaka’pamux, Squamish and Kwakiutl brothers with strong family ties to the Cree community. They have been dancing since they could walk and have become champion junior dancers in the pow-wow circle. They have travelled across Canada and as far as California attending numerous pow-wows with their parents and grand-parents. They also dance with the Dancers of Damelahamid.