Iglulik-based Artcirq was in Iqaluit to put on a show at the Aqsarniit Hotel and Conference Centre on Sept. 13 as part of its concert series.
Although the Inuit performance collective performs at Alianait and was in Nunavut's capital in July, the performance series was cancelled during the Covid-19 pandemic.
This is the first of three planned shows outside of Alianait in Nunavut during the year, making this the "comeback" tour.
The ballroom in the Aqsarniit was packed with parents and children as Iqalummiut were eager to see the performance, titled Nattiup Pisinga. It opened with a haunting chorus from cast members as the "selkie" lit the qulliq, but it was actually Scottish folk music that was the soundtrack to much of the feats of athleticism and costume wearing onstage.
This particular production is new, produced and written by the younger generation of performers. It is set north of Iglulik in Naujaruluk, and tells the story of a selkie — or seal woman — who loses her seal and becomes disconnected from her identity.
Maya Cook, the show's director and co-coordinator, said “this connection to seals and the ocean both in her Scottish heritage and living in Iglulik has been welcoming and grounding. Incorporating elements of the casts’ shared Scottish history that coexist along with their own traditions, this is a show about seals, the spirit world, transformation and our connection to the land and to each other. It is a journey of slipping our skins back on and reconnecting with who we are.”
