Katajjak
KATAJJAK is the name of the traditional throat singing from arctic Quebec. Six smiling women, two younger and the others older, move casually into the performing area. Closely surrounded by the audience, whose reactions will shape the course of the performance, they pair off, face to face and very close to each other. Each woman uses the mouth and throat of her partner as a resonator for one or more words that are repeated in precise intonations, modulated by the many varied rhythms of their respiration.
After their remarkable success in Paris in 1984, the women of Inukjuak invite us to go beyond folklore in an exploration of Inuit culture, to discover the unsuspected possibllities for expression of the human body. Throat singing, very demanding for the throat and lungs, has an irresistible attraction. The performance generally finishes in a round of laughter by spectators and performers alike. A unique experience in sound: the KATAJJAK of New Quebec’s Inuit women.
A performance by Inuit women from Inukjuak, New Quebec
