Iqaluit is in the middle of Alianait - an annual arts festival. It features music and performing arts from within the territory, and beyond. It all takes place in a large, cheerful purple and yellow tent that's been set up in the parking lot of the elementary school. Each night has a general theme, like Hip Hop & Rock night which took place on Friday. Yesterday was circus day, and I went to the evening show - it was so much fun! There is a circus troupe, Artcirq, that is based out of Igloolik, one of the small communities in Nunavut. When I first heard about the arctic circus, I thought it was a pretty random concept, but since I learned about how and why it was created I find it pretty inspiring. You can check out their website for more details: http://www.artcirq.org/, but the short version is that it was created as a way to try to give youth a sense of pride and direction in a community where substance abuse, violence, and suicide claim the lives of so many young people.
The show last night was a collaboration between Artcirq and an African/Francophone group called Productions Kalabante. It was an amazing show that included traditional Inuit activities, like throat singing, with acrobatics, juggling and live music. It was incredibly eclectic - at one point there were Inuk and African performers wearing Hawaiian shirts and grass skirts doing stunts on a large hammock, beside a sign that said "Nunavut in 50 years" - a nod to the global warming that is already having effects on the area. All in all a great show!!
