Hosted by Jessica Brown

Jessica Brown is an award-winning Inuit producer, director, and screenwriter based in St. John’s, NL. Her short documentary “Framed Spirit Song” (2022) had its world premiere at the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival. Jessica’s focused on telling Indigenous narratives and improving the representation of Indigenous people in the Canadian entertainment industry. As a filmmaker, Jessica tells authentic stories that will inspire future generations. Her goal is to entertain audiences with engaging narratives while exploring different themes, forms and techniques.

Spakwus Slolem

Spakwus Slolem, (translated,”Eagle Song Dancers), are members of the Squamish Nation. Our cultural history is steeped in tradition, spirituality, canoes, family history, legends and stories of our Ancestors. Spakwus Slolem is pleased and honoured to present songs and dances of yesterday, as well as today, and feel very honoured to represent our People in a good way, as our Ancestors had intended.

Wesley Hardisty

Wesley Hardisty is a vibrant emerging fiddler, composer and collaborator from the Northwest Territories. From Fort Simpson, Wesley is a member of the Dene First Nation. He has performed nationally and internationally from Seattle to Iqaluit. He has played on folk festivals, fiddle festivals, Indigenous-focused performances, including multiple tours of the NWT as a feature performer and supporting artist, Canada Scene and Northern Scene in Ottawa, 2010 Vancouver Olympics. He has two original albums and multiple commissions. He attended the Gulf Island School of Performing Arts and is currently in the NACC Mentorship program being mentored by acclaimed violinist/producer/ composer Jesse Zubot. Wesley is sought-after as a collaborator with fiddlers, singer-songwriters, and classical ensembles. Notably he is an Artistic Ambassador for the Downie- Wenjack Fund.

LOV

LOV is a force of resilience, rhythm, and reinvention. Hailing from Treaty 6 Territory, this rising artist transforms personal trials into soulful affirmations of strength and independence. With a sound rooted in UK-inspired soul and guided by a deep sense of purpose, LOV’s music is both healing and unapologetically empowering.

LOV’s rich, smoky vocals found a powerful match in renowned Montréal-based producer Connor Seidel (Charlotte Cardin, Half Moon Run, Katie Tupper), whose refined production elevated her sound into a crisp, elegant, and emotionally layered body of work. Together, they crafted a collection that showcases LOV’s maturity, versatility, and effortless cool.

Her debut singles — Mama, Matriarch, and Relate — have already earned her over 300,000 streams across platforms and more than 2 million views on TikTok, signaling a fast-growing fanbase drawn to her authenticity and style. Matriarch soared into the Top 10 on the Indigenous Music Countdown, affirming her rising profile in the Indigenous music community. She’s also been featured on major Spotify Editorial playlists, including Mood Ring, EQUAL, and Fresh Finds Canada, as well as Apple Music’s Indigenous Now—testament to her wide-reaching, cross-platform appeal.

LOV is not just making music—she’s making a statement. And this is only the beginning.

Raven Spirit Dance

Raven Spirit creates contemporary dance that is rooted in Indigenous perspectives and practices. We share our work on local, national and international stages.

Frost Exploding Trees Moon is a solo piece following the journey of a woman travelling her trap line. She finds a place to set up camp, builds her temporary home, and settles into the centre of her world of breath and perception.

The piece tracks a physical human journey as well as a spiritual one. It asks: How does one house one’s spirit? What keeps us close to earth and what makes us long for stars?

Jeanette Kotowich

Originally from Treaty 4 territory Saskatchewan, Jeanette Kotowich creates work that reflects Nêhiyaw/Métis cosmology within the context of contemporary dance, Indigenous performance, and Indigenous futurism. Fusing interdisciplinary collaboration, de-colonial practices and embodied research methodologies; Jeanette’s work references protocol, ritual, relationship to the natural/spirit world and Ancestral knowledge. Their practice is intergenerational and vocational; it’s a living and lived experience. Jeanette has self-presented and been programmed at theatres and festivals across Turtle Island and internationally. She resides as a guest on the Ancestral and unceded Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ/, and Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm territories, colonially known as Vancouver. 

Steppin’ is an energetic contemporary Métis jig solo, created and conceived by Jeanette Kotowich in 2015, with sound design by Wayne Lavallee, featuring guest Métis fiddler JJ Lavallee. Performed more than 50 times all over Turtle Island – Steppin’ is driven by the fiddle’s undeniable force, the impulse for movement is sparked like a flint that ignites fire. Fancy steps rebound off the earth, propelled in the direction of Spirit, like a horse running in the wild. This act is a celebration of the joy of movement, healing in dance, significance of heritage and love of Métis culture.

Created, conceived, produced + performed by Jeanette Kotowich, sound design by Wayne Lavallee, featuring fiddle by JJ Lavallee

Sophie Dow

Treaty 1-born Sophie Dow is a multidisciplinary creator, inspired by dance, music, film, collaboration and Michif/Assiniboine + French/Ukrainian roots. An avid adventurer, Sophie exudes passions for busking and traveling on top of holding a degree in Dance Performance and Choreography from York University.  Sophie presently fulfills roles as: artistic associate of O.Dela Arts, The Chimera Project & V’ni Dansi/Louis Riel Métis Dancers, residency coordinator at Dance West Network, creative director of PEC’s Flight Festival, a licensed practitioner of Traditional Thai Massage, a trained facilitator & student of BreathWave, a freelance dancer/choreographer/sound designer and a puddle jumping trickster.

Ivan Flett Memorial Dancers

The Ivan Flett Memorial Dancers are three siblings from Winnipeg, Manitoba who share a passion for dance, not just any dance it’s all about the Red River Jig!

Mikey, Jacob and Cieanna began dancing at the young age of five years old. Through their powerful gift of dance they have had great opportunities to travel the world and showcase their style of the Métis Cultural Dance. They perform traditional dances of the Red River Jig mixed with modern dancing known as the Hip Hop Jig.

Their main focus is to attract youth through the rhythm and style of the hip hop jig. They hope to motivate and inspire people of all ages, and bring awareness that their culture is going strong and continues to be ambitious with this dance and music.

Formally known as the Slick and Lil J Show, back in 2012 they lost one of their biggest fans and proud supporter. When Grandpa Ivan Flett passed away, it was with great sadness but an honour to rename themselves the Ivan Flett Memorial Dancers. Every dance they do is in honour of him.

Their show wouldn’t be complete without the outfits and they give a huge thank you to their Grandma Dawn Harris-Flett who designs and custom makes all their attire. Thanks to Designs by Dawn!

IFMD would also like to thank all of their fans and family for their continued love and support.

Holy Crow Arts

Holy Crow Arts Society was created out of a desire to address the dearth of contemporary & honest Indigenous characters on stage, with the aim to present unique, artistically-challenging, and genre-defying work. Inspired by an affinity for this clever, and at times haunting bird, Holy Crow undertakes projects that support the research, creation, development, and production of original theatrical works and collaborative artistic projects, including educational workshops, and community-engaged projects led by founder Justin Neal and/or curated performance partners and artists, in and around the unceded territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) peoples.
 

Savage Society

Founded in 2004, Savage Society was created for Indigenous theatre and film artists to tell their own stories, drawing from both traditional and contemporary Indigenous perspectives. Led by Artistic Director Kevin Loring, a member of the Nlaka’pamux Nation from Lytton First Nation in British Columbia, the company develops work that reflects Indigenous worldviews, cosmologies, and lived realities.

Savage Society embraces the word “savage” to mean humanity in its natural state: connected to the land and to each other. Through its work, the company challenges ignorance and preconceived notions, celebrating our shared humanity and the strength of Indigenous stories.

ash EETLemsh a demEEwh (Songs of the Land)

From tlKumcheen (where the rivers meet) we work alongside the N’lakapamux community to bring ancient Spetakwl (creation stories) to life through theatre, song, and language. Elders, knowledge keepers, youth, and professional Indigenous artists come together, from toddlers to great-grandparents, to create something powerful, joyful, and rooted in place. This project is the heart of our N’lakapamux-led organization.

The Council of Spider, Ant & Fly based on the N’lakapamux spetakwl, explores the coming of death, and the cycles of transformation that shape our world.

“There was no death in the world, and people did not know exactly what it was…”

Spider, Ant, and Fly gather in council to decide the fate of life and death, echoing the enduring questions of creation and change. Told partially in the N’lakapamux’stn language, it is both a celebration and an act of cultural revitalization. The Council of Spider, Ant & Fly is created with and for the community, led by Indigenous artists and engaging intergenerational participation from local families.