Vástádus Eana (The Answer is Land)

Tickets are sold on a sliding PWYC scale from $10 to $50.

Purchase tickets online now! – TICKETS ARE SOLD OUT – we apologize for the disappointment!

*Sliding scale pricing is offered to make our tickets accessible and affordable for everyone. All tickets are general admission*

You can also reserve tickets by email or phone (no credit card required). Please email your request to admin@publicenergy.ca or call 705-745-1788.

About the show:

Seven black-clad women, fists raised, brandish megaphones above their heads, in front of the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre. They start dancing to ask the land for permission to gather on it. Then, walking with heads held high, they lead the audience into the theatre for Vástádus eana (The Answer is Land): a galvanizing choreographed concert that amplifies the long-repressed voices of the Sami people.

Through their polyphonic chants and movements, the performers draw us into an a cappella story of resistance and healing. Their voices are rooted in joik, the captivating Sami music sung while travelling across the land. Embodying memory, they celebrate the alliances between all living creatures and the land, between nature and the community. Inspired by socio-ecological movements and Sami spirituality, this hymn pays tribute to all those who fight injustice.

Our interpersonal relationships and our connection to nature are the main themes of Vástádus Eana (The Answer is Land). The piece is performed by seven female dancers with very different histories, who give the work a whole different colour through their life experiences, their bodies and their voices. In order to do justice to her creation, Elle Sofe Sara, an Indigenous Sámi choreographer from Norway, took a deep dive into the intentions behind the movements, the glances and the artists’ stage presence. The choreography is inspired by demonstrations, Sami spiritual practices, and group dance (dance formations).

Supporting the work throughout, the polyphonic joik (a traditional style of Sami singing) that accompanies the choreography was written especially for the show by composer and joik instructor Frode Fjellheim, best known as the composer of the 2002 song “Eatnemen Vuelie”, which was later adapted to become the opening musical number of Frozen.

“Powerful in a quiet yet magnificent way”– Karen Frøsland Nystøyl, NRK

“Both the music of Frode Fjellheim and the skillful staging of Elle Sofe Sara, the ingenious use of all aspects of the main stage of the Salle Ludger Duvernay by these seven women with contagious energy make Vástádus eana a show to discover.” – Mario Cloutier https://revuejeu.org

Elle Sofe Sara Video Portrait​:

Elle Sofe Sara- Short artist portrait- Dáiddadállu stories from Elle Sofe Sara on Vimeo.

Touch Tour Available, March 3rd at 12:15pm-1:15pm

The touch tour provides context about the performance and allows blind and visually impaired members of the audience to familiarize themselves with the design of the space, the costumes and the performers ahead of the show itself. The touch tour could also be beneficial for audience members with other disabilities or disorders. The touch tour’s guests are given the opportunity for physical contact with the set design, and some of the performance’s staff and cast will be present to answer any questions and share descriptions or interpretations of the space. The touch tour is free to attend. Sighted guides and companions for attendees with disabilities will be also given free access to the performance. Reservations to the touch tour and show reservations for sighted guides and companions can be made by emailing admin@publicenergy.ca

Learn about the Sami tradition of yoik from the show’s composer Frode Fjellheim​: