Kaha:wi Dance Theater Presents "The Honoring"

We are privileged to live in a time and place without war. Unless you make a conscious decision to enlist, we can live a lifetime without ever hearing a gunshot intended to take a life, a cannon or bomb intended to demolish its target, or to be ambushed in the dark. Think for moment what it would be like if you lived in the 1800's. War was all around. The Haudenosaunee Nations, the communities, the families, all were touched by war. Every man, woman and child was affected by the drama and ravages of war.

Commissioned by the city of Toronto, Museum Services to commemorate the War of 1812 the Kaha:wi Dance Theater, one of Canada's leading contemporary dance companies, performed at the Anowarako:wa Arena on Saturday, June 7, 2014. The Kaha:wi Dance Theater is under the artistic direction, choreography and concept of Santee Smith who channels her passion for dance and the beauty of her own Mohawk culture to tackle the enormous, and sometimes overwhelming, task of creating a piece of historical artwork on the War of 1812. "The Honoring" centers around two major battles during this war, one triumphant; the Battle of Beaver Dam and the other not so for the Mohawk warriors; the Battle of the Chippewa. Rather than celebrating the war she examines the emotional and intimately dramatic relationships during the war while at the same time establishing how the Haudenosaunee were sovereign allies of Britain and not subjects of the Crown. Dramatic, exciting, bold and earthy are just a few words used to describe Saturday's performance at the Anowarako:wa Arena.

Smith, inspired by her family, the name of her dance theater; "Kaha:wi" was the name of her grandmother and when she passed away the name was passed onto Smith's daughter. Interpreted, Kaha:wi means "to carry" and Smith wants the dance theater to carry the "beauty of our culture and to express through dance how we survived and all the changes we had to endure." Smith has found a way to incorporate and promote our language, culture and history. Faced with the sometimes daunting task of researching the War of 1812, she enlisted the help of Rick Hill, Paula Whitlow and Mike Mitchell.

Smith is passionate about her work and her life as an artist and just as passionate about who she is and her cultural identity, "You have to follow your passion, you have to just keep going, moving forward and do the work you need to do to go where you want to go."

"The Honoring" has performances at Chiefswoods Park on June 13 and 14, Fort York on June 20 and 22, Old Fort Niagara on June 28 and 29. "The Honoring" ends in Charlottetown, PEI on July 9 and then she starts to prepare for the "Kaha:wi Dance Theater 6th Annual Summer Intensive Program" in Toronto. Students can enroll in "Foundations of Contemporary Indigenous Dance" with Alejandro Ronceria, "Powwow Styles" with Derek Martin or "KDT Style" with Kaha:wi's very own artistic director/founder Santee Smith. Other renowned international instructors from Spain, Mexico, and New Zealand will add to this illustrious faculty list. This program takes place from July 7, 2014 to August 1, 2014 at Dancemakers located in the historic Distillery District. For more information you can contact Kaha:wi Dance Theater at training@kahawidance.org or call their office at 416 923 7373.