Logo credit: Quw’utsun artist, Charlene Johnny
Reconciliation through Movement Languages: A Movement Workshop
Workshop Leaders: Elder Daniel Elliot (Stz’uminus), Elder Robert George (Quw’utsun’), Dr. Seónagh Kummer
This workshop offers a rare glimpse into an interdisciplinary artistic process. Participants are invited into the creative process through a guided movement exercise, or may participate by observing.
The workshop brings together various artists involved in “Dances with Addictions,” an art film in development conceived by Elder Daniel Elliot (Stz’uminus). The film concept brings together Wing Chun martial arts, T’sinqwa First Nations dance, and a parallel world of classical dance technique and somatic movement. At the centre of the film is a man who confronts his Spirit of Addiction, embodied as a physical presence. His struggle unfolds in a duet, which is expressed through martial arts. The film shows fragmented environments–street reality, trauma memory, and lived experiences–that merge through green screen compositing, placing the viewer inside the internal world of addiction. As the film progresses, the Spirit of Addiction is no longer an enemy, but is realized as part of the self.
From the moment of transforming the Spirit of Addiction onward, the film expands into community. Elders and T’sinqwa dancers ground this process in culture and ceremony. Running alongside the visible conflict of addiction within the film is a parallel movement world offered by contemporary dancers under the direction of Dr. Seónagh Kummer who choreographs the classical dance movement and street scenes within the film. The classical dance movement both parallels and develops the film’s themes, carrying within it the internal truth of transformation as it becomes shared and collective.
During the workshop, the various artists share about their creative roles before inviting participants into the circle. Elder Daniel Elliot offers his artistic vision for the film. The T’sinqwa dancers led by Elder Robert George (Quw’utsun’) share and discuss the role of dance in community and ceremony, which is central to grounding the film in culture. Daniel and Seónagh describe their patient artistic collaboration—an act of deep listening, friendship building, and slow development as they trusted the creative process to evolve Daniel’s vision. Daniel’s themes of caregiving guided the movement motifs that Seónagh used to focus the movement creation. Working closely with dancer-collaborator Robbyn Scott to develop a duet, this movement expression then deepened a dialogue with Daniel to support the film’s development.
Now, mirroring the Virginia Satir Change Model that shapes Daniel’s film concept, we invite new movement elements. New dancers, recently introduced into the process, offer us new communication styles, shapes and patterns. Participants in this workshop may also help expand the movement creation process. Through a guided movement exercise, a new chaos emerges to inform the direction of the work.
