A Story Before Time – June 15 and 16 at 7:30 p.m. – June 17 at 2 p.m.
Margaret Greenham Theatre, The Banff Centre
Adult $15, Student/Senior $12, Child $8 – Arts Lover Passholders free
Banff Centre Box Office: 1-800-413-8368 or 762-6301
Presented as part of the 2007 Banff Summer Arts Festival
Gemini Award-winning actress Tantoo Cardinal will narrate the premiere performance of choreographer Santee Smith’s A Story Before Time at The Banff Centre June 15 to 17. A version of the Iroquoian creation story, Smith’s musical adaptation has been specially designed for young audiences. Characters including otter, deer, chipmunk, and the West Wind will all be brought to life in the production, which has been selected as a Canada Council 50 Years Showcase Performance.
A Story Before Time tells an age-old creation story familiar in Iroquoian communities. It speaks metaphorically about the Sky World and the Earth World as a spectacular dance work for families and children. During the show, animal characters will swim across stage, trees will grow from silk, and the world will disappear.
Cardinal, narrator for the production, has had roles in dozens of films including Dances with Wolves, Legends of the Fall, Black Robe, and The Education of Little Tree, and has been honoured with an Outstanding Achievement Award by Toronto Women in Film and Television for her appearance on “North of 60”. She began her acting career in the CBC TV dramatization “Father Lacombe,” and she’s had roles on television series including “Dr. Quinn,” “Medicine Woman,” and “Street Legal.”
A member of the Mohawk Nation, from Six Nations, Ontario, Santee Smith is a dancer, actor, singer, and acclaimed choreographer. She attended the National Ballet School, and holds a masters degree in dance from York University. For the past decade, Smith has created new dance works, most recently as artistic director and choreographer of her own company, Kaha:wi Dance Theatre. In October, the Canada Council for the Arts chose Smith as the recipient of a 2006 Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award. This year, her Banff Centre presentation of A Story Before Time has been chosen as a highlight performance of the Council’s 50th anniversary celebration.
Tickets for all Banff Centre events are available through The Banff Centre Box Office: 1-800-413-8368 or 403-762-6301.
