Meet the 2022 Official Showcase Artists
Live Showcasing is Back: Announcing the 2022 Official Showcase Lineup
Ablaye Cissoko & Cyrille Brotto; Charly Lowry; Elexa Dawson; Huu Bac Quintet; Invoke; Julia Keefe; Koresh Dance Company; The Spirit of Harriet Tubman by Leslie McCurdy; Madeline Sayet; Telegraph Quartet; The McDades; Twin Flames; Olivia Tailfeathers; and Versa-Style Dance Company
We’re delighted to announce this year’s Official Showcase lineup:
Ablaye Cissoko & Cyrille Brotto; Charly Lowry; Elexa Dawson; Huu Bac Quintet; Invoke; Julia Keefe; Koresh Dance Company; The Spirit of Harriet Tubman by Leslie McCurdy; Madeline Sayet; Telegraph Quartet; The McDades; Twin Flames; Olivia Tailfeathers; and Versa-Style Dance Company
The showcasing artists/ensembles — selected by committees of US, Canadian, and Indigenous arts practitioners — will take to the stage as part of our 2022 Official Showcase program which is being held at Arts Commons’ Martha Cohen Theatre in Calgary on August 30 and 31 – the second and third days of the WAA Annual Conference.
The lineup includes a range of disciplines and aesthetics, offering something for every interest and budget.
We are thrilled to get back to live showcasing — and we hope to see you there!
Learn more about the WAA Annual Conference.
Updated August 2022
ARTIST BIOS
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A spiritual and intimate journey, a warm and graceful dialog between two singular artists, music to clear the mind and inspire the senses.
Ablaye Cissoko and Cyrille Brotto take us on a musical journey, a human adventure that explores the spleen of the uprooted, and explains why the world is not going right.
They bring their gifts of poetic imagination and musical intelligence to offer us a generous piece of art, delicate music rippling like a waterfall — at times so harmonious that it seems as if touched by grace.
But between Ablaye Cissoko, 13 albums released and fans worldwide, and Cyrille Brotto, well-known figure of French traditional & folk music, this is more than just music: it's a story of friendship and of deep respect for each other, the encounter between two singular artists with constantly renewed universes!
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Charly Lowry, a musical powerhouse from Pembroke, NC, is proud to be an Indigenous woman belonging to the Lumbee/Tuscarora Tribes. She is passionate about raising awareness around issues that plague underdeveloped, underserved, and marginalized communities.
While she may be familiar to some from her success as a semi-finalist on American Idol, she has maintained close ties to her Native American roots, culture, and music.
Currently, Charly is writing her first solo album.
Image credit: Tony Murnahan
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Sultry soul meets rural roots. Elexa Dawson (Potawatomi) invites you into the lodge to hear songs that your heart already knows how to sing. Accessible yet transcendent, Elexa's captivating red-dirt-honey vocals lay on the listener like a blanket of good feelings, giving the gift of healing through sound.
Music is Medicine names Elexa's original debut album, and describes the motivation behind sharing story and song. At home in natural environments, and brilliant in theaters, attentive rooms, educational spaces, and cultural venues.
Image credit: Lifeleak Visuals
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Of Vietnamese origins, Huu Bac Quach masters a wide array of musical instruments, including the dan bau (single chord Vietnamese instrument), the erhu (Chinese fiddle), the quena (Peruvian flute) and the guitar.
In concert, he presents compositions which skillfully combine his Vietnamese and Chinese heritages to North-American jazz music.
In 2013, he founded the Huu Bac Quintet, which has since toured in Canada, the USA, China, and Korea and has garnered various awards: RIDEAU/ROSEQ Award, 2014; Entrèes en Scëne Loto-Quèbec, 2015-16; Stingray Rising Stars Award, 2015; Public Choice Award, 2016 at Vitrine des Musiques Locales Mètissèes; and a nomination for the TD Jazz Award at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, 2017.
Image credit: Joanna Katarina
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Described as “...not classical but not not classical – Invoke is beautiful, adventurous, American and immediately engaging” (David Srebnik, SiriusXM Classical Producer), Invoke strives to successfully dodge even the most valiant attempts at genre classification. The multi-instrumental quartet’s other not-nots encompass traditions from across America, including bluegrass, Appalachian fiddle tunes, jazz, and minimalism. Fueled by their passion forstorytelling, Invoke weaves all of these styles together to form a unique contemporaryrepertoire, featuring original works composed by and for the group. This passion also inspiredInvoke’s ongoing commissioning initiative “American Postcards,” in which they draw oncomposers from all backgrounds to help tell the stories of America, piece by piece.
Image credit: Diaspora Arts Connection
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Julia Keefe (Nez Perce) is a nationally acclaimed Native American jazz vocalist, bandleader, actor, and educator currently based in New York City. Her professional career has spanned over 18 years and she has headlined marquee events at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC, NMAI-NY, as well as opened for the likes of twenty-time GRAMMY Award winner, Tony Bennett, and four-time GRAMMY Award winner, Esperanza Spalding.
Her life’s work is the revival and honoring of legendary Coeur d’Alene jazz musician Mildred Bailey and she is leading the campaign for Bailey’s induction into the Jazz Hall of Fame at Lincoln Center. She is currently directing the Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band, a new project highlighting the history and future of Indigenous people in jazz, and the Mildred Bailey Project will be heading into the recording studio fall 2022.
Image credit: Chris Wooley
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Koresh Dance Company was founded in 1991 by Israeli-born choreographer and artistic director Ronen (Roni) Koresh.
Known for its engaging performance and technically superb dancers, the company performs critically acclaimed works at its biannual Philadelphia seasons, as well as in touring performances around the country, Koresh has been hailed internationally, touring to destinations including Spain, Turkey, Israel, South Korea, Mexico, and Guatemala.
Over the years, Roni has developed a vast repertoire of work that ranges from explosive and passionate to intimate and restrained. The company also presents work by guest choreographers including Ohad Naharin, Robert Battle, Donald Byrd, Itzik Galili, and Paul Selwyn Norton.
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For 25 years, Leslie McCurdy has thrilled international audiences with her one woman play. The Spirit of Harriet Tubman is an exercise in minimalist theatre with Leslie, a trunk of costumes and some space the main ingredients; her portrayal of Harriet Tubman from the age of six through ninety-three, the cake. The icing? Age-appropriate post show Q&A discussions where Leslie answers questions with "wit and wisdom" — her experience as a Canadian-born descendent of the Underground Railroad, growing up in a border city between two cultures, giving her a unique perspective.
The work has been called "awesome", “inspirational” and "something everyone should see".
There is a study guide for educational engagements.
Image credit: Tony Johnson
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Madeline Sayet is a citizen of the Mohegan Tribe, Executive Director of the Yale Indigenous Performing Arts Program, and an Assistant Professor at ASU with the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. For her work as a writer, director, and performer, she has been honored as a Forbes 30 Under 30, TED Fellow, Native American 40 under 40, and recipient of the White House Champion of Change Award from President Obama.
Her play Where We Belong, first shown in London at Shakespeare's Globe, is currently on tour produced by Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, in association with The Folger Shakespeare Library. Current tour stops include: The Goodman Theatre (Chicago), The Public Theater (New York), Seattle Rep, Hudson Valley Shakespeare, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and Portland Center Stage. Where We Belong is now also published by Bloomsbury/Methuen Drama.
Image credit: Liz Lauren
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The Telegraph Quartet (Eric Chin and Joseph Maile, violins; Pei-Ling Lin, viola; Jeremiah Shaw, cello) formed in 2013 with an equal passion for the standard chamber music repertoire and contemporary, non- standard works alike.
Described by the San Francisco Chronicle as “...an incredibly valuable addition to the cultural landscape” and “powerfully adept... with a combination of brilliance and subtlety,” the Telegraph Quartet was awarded the prestigious 2016 Walter W. Naumburg Chamber Music Award and the Grand Prize at the 2014 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition.
The Quartet has performed in concert halls, music festivals, and academic institutions across the United States and abroad, including New York City’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Chamber Masters Series, and at festivals including the Chautauqua Institute, Interlochen Arts Festival, Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, and the Emilia Romagna Festival.
The Quartet is currently on the chamber music faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music as the Quartet-in-Residence.
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Punching through the walls of tradition, The McDades’ Celtic-rooted music fuses the spontaneity of jazz improvisation and infectious global rhythms. The Juno Award winners’ cutting-edge sound is the perfect complement to their fiery performances.
With vocal harmonies that can only come from a family, and an obvious love for each other and their music, The McDades’ sound is immersed in the spirit of improvisation. Combining original tunes and unique interpretations of traditional songs, their performances feature both energetic instrumentals and moving vocals performed in English and French. This compelling and dynamic group “finds their groove somewhere between a down-home kitchen party, a jazzy after-hours club, and a folk festival.” (London Free Press)
The McDades are winners of the Juno Award for Best Roots Album (group) and two Canadian Folk Music Awards (World Group of the year and Instrumental album of the year). Their new album The Empress continues to highlight the group’s one-of-a- kind sound and irresistible groove. “This Kicks!” (fRoots)
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Olivia Tailfeathers is a songstress from the Blood Tribe in Southern Alberta. Olivia has sung in many genres of music and created her own unique style of song through her musical experiences. She is a Blackfeet woman who grew up speaking the language and living the Plains Native culture. During her first years of teaching in federal schools, she realized the absence of Indigenous song in the music curriculum. Her heartbeat created the Native songs she carries with her today.
Olivia helped to start filling the gap of traditional/contemporary Native song for student music in the classroom, communities, and eventually world music. She is proud of her heritage and continues sharing her stories and songs. Olivia founded a youth singing grouping in 1994, the Kainai Grassland Singers; the movement of the tall grasses by the summer breeze gave her inspiration for the group.
Olivia has performed with many First Nations singers and she gives credit to the Banff Center for the Arts in connecting her with Indigenous singers from North America. Olivia is a recording artist and was a singer in, Hearts of the Nations Compilation and Ninniskssin. She has credits in documentary film and is featured in ‘Singing Our Stories, First Ladies of Indigenous Music’ NFB, and the ‘Intertribal Music Series’ CBC. Olivia is a recognized award winning artist nationally and internationally.
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Indie rock, synth rock, and folk-pop are just a few of the ways critics have tried to label the music of Twin Flames. It isn’t an easy task, and really, labels only serve the needs of those who choose to employ them. From the beginning, husband and wife duo Chelsey June, Mètis (Algonquin Cree heritage) from Ottawa, and Jaaji, Inuk and Mohawk from Nunavik and Kahnawake, have decided to let their music speak for itself. When considered alongside the two Canadian Folk Music Awards and three Native American Music Awards wins and over 30 various music awards and nominations, they have accumulated over the past six years as Twin Flames, it is obvious they have something special going on.
Their cultural backgrounds span Canada’s geography and their songs, delivered through a mix of English, French and Inuktitut, are truthful and compelling. Their storytelling, playful humor, and impeccable musicianship make for great entertainment on stage. Twin Flames’ realness resonates with audiences, they create a genuine human connection everywhere they go.
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Versa-Style Dance Company is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and leading hip hop dance ensemble that consists of committed and conscientious artists representing the diversity and beautiful complexity of Los Angeles.
Jackie Lopez aka Miss Funk & Leigh Foaad aka Breeze-lee are the co-founders & co-artistic directors of Versa-Style Dance Company. Together they share a common passion for dance and performance, and this connection resulted in the creation of Versa-Style Dance Company in 2005. As LA natives, they embrace the culture and honor the history/legacy of hip hop dance by passing it on to future generations.
Versa-Style brings their unique mix of vibrant, high energy, improvisational movement and authentic, evocative choreography front and center through choreographic works that inspire, motivate, and challenge the status quo. VSDC uses street dance forms such as hip hop, popping, locking, breaking and house to tell stories of inner-city struggle, societal dynamics of race and culture, and the HOPE that unites us all. Over the last 15 years, Versa-Style has served as US Cultural Ambassadors traveling, teaching, and spreading their love for hip hop culture in places such as Israel, India, France, Italy, and Colombia, to name a few.
Versa-Style Dance Company promotes the empowerment, artistry, and value of hip hop dance culture through full-length street dance theater productions, educational performances, and deeply rooted community engagement.
