Waawaate Fobister Brings 'Omaagomaan' to Market Hall

Experience the artistry of Dora-award winning contemporary dance artist Waawaate Fobister with Omaagomaan at the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre on Feb. 2 at 7:30 p.m.

photo courtesy of Public Energy.

Omaagomaan, created and performed by Waawaate Fobister, is described as a multi-genre exploration of ways to stitch a fractured landscape back together through the effects of mercury poisoning and clearcutting. The show is presented by Public Energy Performing Arts, and is set to take audiences on a journey of dance, storytelling, spectacle, surprise and a unique blend of original soundscapes and musical composition supported by a seasoned group of artists and designers.

Fobister embodies Omaagomaan, a two-spirit being, and a manifestation of the earth and man-made poisons that have seeped into the earth’s crust. A shape-shifter inspired by Anishinaabe cosmology, Omaagomaan forces audiences to reckon with the ways the maanaadizi (ugly) and the onizhishi (beautiful) collide.

First performed in 2019, Omaagomaan has now been remounted following the pandemic shutdown, beginning with performances in Munich, Germany, in Nov. and coming to Peterborough in Feb.

photo courtesy of Public Energy.

Waawaate Fobister is a proud Anishnaaben artist from Grassy Narrows First Nation. Waawaate trained and studied Theatre Arts Performance at Humber College, Indigenous Dance at Banff Centre for the Arts, Summer School Intensives at Toronto Dance Theatre, Intensives at Centre for Indigenous Theatre and Kahawi Dance Theatre.

The dancer currently resides in Shoal Lake, and most recently organized the establishment of Canada’s first ever 2SLGBTQ+ Council for an Indigenous governing body at Grand Council Treaty #3.

Tickets for Waawaate’s performance of Omaagomaan are pay-what-you-can between $5 and $30. For more information visit the Public Energy Performing Arts website.

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