2-Spirt Cabaret, 4th Edition

in partnership with Buddies in Bad Times Theatre

Saturday November 16, 2019
8:00 PM

Native Earth and Buddies partner once again to present the 2-Spirit Cabaret as part of Weesageechak Begins to Dance 32. A celebration of the strength, beauty, and talent of queer and 2-Spirit Indigenous people, the Cabaret features music, dance, drag, performance art, spoken word, poetry and comedy, curated by award-winning 2-Spirit theatre artist Michaela Washburn.

Sold-out for three years in a row, the fourth edition of the Cabaret features Jennifer Alicia, Dakota Camacho, G.R. Gritt, Kat MacLean, Andre Morriseau, Ansley Simpson, Brian Solomon, Michaela Washburn, Tygr Willy, Red Rhythm & Blues, and Mx.Wolverine.

The 2-Spirit Cabaret will be ASL-interpreted. d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing patrons can access $5 tickets in advance using the code “ASL5” at checkout.

Michaela Washburn (Curator, Co-Host)

A proud Métis of English, Irish, French and Cree descent, Michaela is a multi-nominated, award-winning actor, who has performed internationally at festivals and theatres in Wales, Aruba, and across Turtle Island. Her practice spans across theatre, film, spoken word and numerous other art forms. Michaela returns to the 2-Spirit Cabaret as the curator.

Andre Morriseau (Co-Host)

Andre (Fort William First Nation) is an enthusiastic advocate and ambassador for Indigenous arts, culture and public affairs. Andre has worked for Indspire, Chiefs of Ontario , and Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business. He is currently Chair of the Anishinawbe Health Foundation and Communications Manager for the Ontario Native Women’s Association.

Jennifer Alicia

A queer, mixed (Mi’kmaw/Settler) storyteller from Ktaqamkuk (Newfoundland), residing in Tkaronto. Jennifer is a two-time national poetry slam champion with the Toronto Poetry Slam and a member of the Seeds & Stardust, an Indigenous women’s poetry collective. She is currently working on a collection of stories centered around home, which was birthed out of her Banff Centre residency.

Dakota Alcantara-Camacho

• | • Matao, CHamoru, Ilokano, European • | • Dakota dedicates yo’-ña creative practice to the re-k/newal of ancestral knowing and the expression of Matao creativity. Their current work MALI’E is a performance research project re-k/newing the traditional Matao practice of embodied, improvisatory, collective singing where oral history and prophecy converge.

G.R. Gritt

Juno award-winning artist, Greyson was born on the Canadian Shield, raised on a dirt road, and lives as a trans, queer, non-binary folk-blues musician in Sudbury, ON. With a mouthful of soul and a truckload of blues, this Anishinaabe-Métis songster and producer was nominated for Best Blues Album at the Indigenous Music Awards in 2017, and is part of the creative force of Quantum Tangle.

Kat MacLean

Kat is a 2-Spirit, Indigenous-Settler artist from Saskatchewan. She attended the National Theatre School of Canada, and since graduating, her priority has been to be a part of Indigenous work. Kat’s deep love of storytelling (and telling other people’s jokes) is what propelled her to pursue a career in acting. This will be Kat’s first stumble into stand-up comedy.

Ansley Simpson

Ansley is an Anishinaabe singer-songwriter, known for her poetic lyrics, deeply moving performances and dream-like arrangements. Winner of Best New Artist at the 2018 Indigenous Music Awards and nominated for Best Folk Album with her debut “Breakwall”, she holds audiences spellbound. This is music to guide you back to the shore, when you’ve been lost too long in the waves.

Brian Solomon

Multi-award nominated, winner and loser, creator, Brian is of Anishinaabe and Irish heritage, born in Shebahonaning-Killarney. He has presented his multi-disciplinary works across Turtle Island, Europe and South America. He is passionate about helping people relearn about their ancient bodies, and take back the space those bodies occupy. electricmoose.ca

Tygr Willy

Tygr Willy is Toronto’s Them Fatale having performed at venues such as, Revival, Cherry Colas, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre and Glad Day. In the festival circuit, they performed at FIERCE! Burlesque Festival in 2018 and most recently at Pride Toronto and Fierte Montreal stages. They are a producer of two events, Passion Fruit with Halal Bae, and Color Me Now! A QTBIPOC Drag and Gender Performance show.

Mx.Wolverine

Also known as Midnight Wolverine, Mx.Wolverine is Tkaronto’s midnight tease, trickster and shapeshifter. They are an Indigiqueer burlesque and drag performer using their 2-Spirit identity to politicize and sexify stages everywhere. Crispier than fresh frybread, they’re the native hottie with a little edge and a lot of sexy!

Red Rhythm & Blues

Founded and created by two-spirit Anishinaabe singer, songwriter, composer, artist and activist Aqua Nibii Waawaaskone, with the addition of talented queer artist, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Valentina Morelli. Together they craft beautiful medicine music to heal the soul and free the spirit. Rooted in Indigenous storytelling and expressed through the time old overcoming of the blues. These two are a creative collaboration of magic.

Drip by Yolanda Bonnell

“The body
It sacrifices parts of itself
Literal parts of itself to stay alive in its core
To keep its heart beating…”

Yolanda Bonnell is a Queer Ojibwe/South Asian performer and creator originally from Fort William First Nation in Thunder Bay, Ontario, but is now based in Tkarón:to.