Eka shakuelem

A Week of Immersion in Contemporary Performing Arts

The call for applications for this seminar closed on February 1, 2024.

Menuentakuan Productions and Festival TransAmériques are working together to offer young Indigenous talent a week of contemporary performing arts-related workshops during the Festival. The next immersion will take place during the 18^th edition of FTA, to be held in Montreal / Tio’tia:ke next spring.

By providing ten First Nations youth from across the province with the chance to be part of the thrilling Festival experience, this project aims to stimulate their interest in the performing arts world and careers associated with it. In fact, their stay is designed so that they can meet professionals who are active in this field: performers, creators, technical directors, administrators, and more.

Eka shakuelem means “don’t be shy” in the Innu language. The name was chosen by the first cohort of participants in the immersion week.

This immersion week is possible thanks to the support of

A Cultural Experience for Youth Aged 18 to 30

This opportunity is intended for youth aged 18 to 30 who are pursuing their studies, seeking employment, or thinking about their career path and already have a strong interest in art. The world of performing arts is vast and needs the talents of highly diverse people with a wide range of skills. Not only those who are interested in taking the stage (music, theatre, dance, other performing arts) but also those who are interested in design professions (scenography, visual and sound design, costumes, etc.), who draw and write, who do beadwork, who take part in cultural events such as powwows, who prefer to be spectators, or who want to go into management or administration can all find a place in this exciting and rewarding field.

2024 Edition—Practical Info

+ The visit will take place from May 24 to 30, 2024 (arrival in Montreal on May 23; departure on May 31).

+ All the activities will be conducted in French.

+ The immersion week is completely free.

Thanks to the support of LOJIQ, FTA is able to provide participants with show tickets, complementary activities, accommodation, support from mediators, an OPUS card for transportation in Montreal, compensation for travel costs to and from Montreal, and a daily allowance.

download the informational pdf (in french)

Activities

The visit schedule and programming will be developed based on FTA activities and participants’ preferences. You will have priority access to the Festival’s shows, artists, talks, and discussions. In order to better prepare you for your stay, talking circles will be organized with all participants and mediators. These circles, held remotely once a month online from February to May, will be a time to share your expectations and what you would like to learn during your experience. The 2024 cohort will collectively decide on the style and format of the immersion program during those circles.

+ Attending shows in the FTA program

+ Meeting national and international artists taking part in the FTA program

+ Visiting cultural sites in Montreal: museums, galleries, theatres, art centres, etc.

+ Meeting key figures from the Montreal and Quebec Indigenous arts scene

+ Participating in practical performing arts workshops

+ Taking part in discussions about aesthetics and contemporary issues

+ Attending talks on artistic and social issues

Mediators

Charles Bender

After his Gémeaux nomination for hosting the youth television program C’est parti mon tipi, Charles has become an increasingly noticed presence on the First Nations television network APTN. Recently, he was noticed as a presenter in 8^e Feu, a shock documentary series produced by Radio-Canada (CBC), which tackles the contemporary Native question. When he’s not on stage or on a set, you can find him on the road to pow wows across Quebec, in which he often performs as master of ceremony.

Kuniss Drouin

Kuniss is a young Innu from Mashteuiatsh who is currently studying at Université Laval. In 2021, she was part of the first Eka shakuelem cohort, then joined the FTA team as an intern the following year. Kind-hearted and funny, Kuniss loves to paint. She discovered her passion for this field in her final year of high school, when she visited New York on a trip organized to learn more about art.

Menuentakuan Productions

By means of theatre and performing arts practices, Menuentakuan Productions offers itself as a meeting place between Canada’s First Nations culture and the other cultures that make up Canada and Quebec’s rich identity. Always with the goal of creating and supporting personal, meaningful interactions between these different cultural realities, the company approaches creation in a way that highlights Indigenous peoples’ views on contemporary themes of universal interest.

Festival TransAmériques

The biggest performing arts festival in North America, Festival TransAmériques is a driving force for the promotion of contemporary theatre and dance. In its quest for bold and singular creative voices, FTA explores the limits of artistic disciplines. Through the national and international shows that it presents, FTA reflects major political and social movements along with unique and essential artistic developments.