Luminato And Lua Shayenne Dance Company Present KIRA, THE PATH

KIRA celebrates humanity as one village, and its sacred bond to Mother Nature in this evocative work of dance, live percussion and chants by renowned Guinean artist Fara Tolno. Produced and commissioned by Lua Shayenne (Shayenne Productions) and co-presented with Lua Shayenne Dance Company, with choreography and musical composition by Fara Tolno, this premiere production will be presented from June 6 - 9, 2019 at Fleck Dance Theatre, as part of Luminato.

KIRA, THE PATH | LA VOIE celebrates humanity as one village and its sacred bond to nature. This dance production features a dynamic cast of dancers and percussionists whose evocative chants and powerful drum beats invoke Mother Earth's wisdom and echo her auspicious warning: the invisible cord that links us to her is wasting away. The interpreters are guided by the voice of our ancestors - the guardians of our moral code and spiritual guides.

"There is a term in the Ewe language (from Ghana, West Africa) - seselelame - that describes one wholesome feeling of the spiritual, physical and intuitive embodiment. When you have seselelame, you "know what is happening inside you, around you, through you". When I dance my goal is to experience seselelame. This is what we want the audience to come experience. A connection of senses, imagination, mind, spirit and more." - Lua Shayenne (Shayenne Productions)

Choreographer and composer Fara Tolno is one of the most influential African artists of this generation, actively increasing the professional recognition of African Dance in North America. He brings an innovative perspective to African dance and music, steeped in his knowledge of Guinean culture. Fara spent nine years as the lead drummer for Les Merveilles de Guinea (The Wonders of Guinea) under the tutelage of West Africa's most influential director and choreographer, Kemoko Sano. Fara has performed with many of the world's premier musicians including Mamady Keita, Burning Spear, Neil Young, Sekouba Bambino, Otis Taylor, Joe Cocker, Youssou N'Dour, Salif Keita Habibe Koite, B.B. King, Oumou Sangare, and many more.

Producer and Commissioner Lua Shayenne is a dancer, choreographer, storyteller, dance instructor and producer of Shayenne Productions. A K.M. Hunter Dance and 2013 TELUS Newcomer artist award nominee, Lua was recently in Brendan Fernandes' (Us/Canada) In Touch, Lars Jan's (NYC/LA) Holoscenes (Toronto/ Florida/ Miami/ New York/ London,UK/ Abu Dhabi/ Australia tours), Jenn Goodwin's Should I Stumble (Canada), Lemi Ponifasio's (New Zealand) Apocalypsis - Luminato Festival and Karen Kaeja's Flock Landing (Canada).

LUA SHAYENNE DANCE COMPANY (LSDC) presents dance works that explore current subject matters with the aim to be a source of social good and spiritual progress. Choreographer and founder, Lua Shayenne, draws on the aesthetics and values of West African dance and culture and creates dance pieces that seek to upset and challenge multiple conventions and stereotypes. Lua Shayenne Dance Company promotes community development as well as cross-cultural exchange and collaboration with national and International Artists.

TICKETS: Performances are at FLECK DANCE THEATRE, as part of Luminato. To purchase tickets please visit https://luminatofestival.com/2019/Events/kira-the-path Performances run from June 6 - 8, 2019 at 8pm, and Sunday, June 9 at 3pm. Tickets range from $35 - $50.