Anchored in this world and orbiting a universe beyond, a lone performer unfolds memories on stage through rhythmic scores. For Gorgeous Tongue, Lara Kramer invites Nêhiyaw/Métis dance artist Jeanette Kotowich to embody stories, dreams, and songs that stem from Lara’s Anishinaabe lineage. Entering Kramer’s artistic constellation, Kotowich performs multiple movement sequences to embrace the past and usher in a new world. Gorgeous Tongue is a celebration of Indigenous transmission, transformation, and futurity.
Born out of two artists’ chemistry and kinship, this solo oscillates between the need for regulation and the discovery of a new appetite. Following Windigo (2018, FTA) and Them Voices (2021 and 2022, FTA), Lara Kramer explores the need and drive for pleasure and the strength of instinctual connections.
”And we are asked, “Do you still want to go?” This is them stories of our journey from the stars. Of how we came to be. Somewhere amongst all these strands, we are weaving our imagination. Dreaming for hard loving and future journeys. Transporting in soft gorgeous tongue.” – Lara Kramer
Conceived in 2019, Matriarchs Uprising is an annual performance festival that celebrates contemporary female Indigenous dance. Held on unceded Coast Salish Territory, the festival offers a program of live performances, educational workshops, and circle conversations led by local and international Indigenous artists.
