FTA Respirations 2023

For the fourth consecutive year, Festival TransAmériques is delighted to reaffirm its commitment to research and emerging artistic work through the FTA Respirations program. Launched in 2020, this initiative is designed to encourage experimentation and support artists in developing their practices. The Festival will invest $20,000 this fall in seven artistic projects and residencies.

Three Indigenous artists whose work stands out for its singularity and artistic language have captured our attention. The Nêhiyaw Metis multidisciplinary artist Jeanette Kotowich, based in Vancouver, and Alexia Vinci, a performer and author from the Mi'kmaq Nation of Gespeg, will each receive a grant.

Following the advice of Léuli Eshrāghi, recently named Curator of Indigenous Arts at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, FTA decided to offer a Respiration to Inuk artist Keenan Simik Komaksiutiksak.

FTA will also contribute to the development of Vague chair, a show by director Wanderson Santos that originated during his studies at the National Theatre School. His staging of this play by Brazilian author Grace Passô will be presented at Théâtre Prospero in April 2024.

Finally, a Respiration will support Ja James “Jigsaw” Britton Johnson, a street dance artist recommended by Alexandra “Spicey” Landé, and another one Jacinte Armstrong, an important voice in Halifax’s dance community.

One of this year’s Respirations will enable us to continue collaborating with the residency project CONTACTS through a residency at the Petite Place des Arts in Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc. Thanks to Respirations investments from 2022, two artist residencies will take place this year in Haute-Gaspésie, Mauricie, and the Laurentians.

For the second year in a row, the team at Salon 58 will host an artist in the heart of Marsoui’s inspiring natural environment, and Théâtre Gilles-Vigneault in Saint-Jérôme will make its spaces available for use by a creative team. All residing artists will be selected in collaboration with the partners who host them.

Each year, Respirations enables FTA to expand its family of collaborators and to be closely involved in artists’ creative processes. The following statements from artists who received support last year testify to the importance of maintaining this program in the years to come.

“The artistic support allowed me to develop a framework for my project, define research methods, and expand my choreographic language. This experience has been a crucial step in my artistic career and has contributed to my growth as an artist.” — Frédérique “Pax” Dumas

“I was able to go further with the research for my documentary theatre piece, Giant Mine. I travelled to Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories, then to Edmonton and Fort McMurray in Alberta, to meet with stakeholders and explore places that were relevant to my research.” — Marie-Eve Fontaine

FTA Respirations is made possible by the generous support of Power Corporation of Canada.

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