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Submitted by Dolson Rhona on
English
Headshot of Dave Horrocks

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Dave Horrocks is a mastering engineer, drummer and percussionist from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Associated with Infinite Wave Mastering studio and Sundae Sound recording studio. Formerly the co-owner of Sundae Sound recording studio. 

Dolson Rhona
Feature Image
Image of Performance, Erin Propp (vocal), Kate Kurdyak(vocal), Lauren Kurdyak(vocal), Christine Choi (violin, Ryan Davis (viola), Photo by Rita Taylor
Page Summary
Move to the rhythm at BEATS, an electrifying concert across genres with Banff Musicians in Residence participants.

Submitted by Dolson Rhona on
English
Headshot of Valerie St.Pierre Smith

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Aanii, ndinaawamagaanadog! Maygabow Ogidajew Kwe, nindizhinikaaz. Gaa- Aanii, ndinaawamagaanadog! Maygabow Ogidajew Kwe, nindizhinikaaz. Gaa-waabaabiganikaag + Um’oha, ndoonjibaa, Migizi ndoodem. This traditional Anishnaabemowin greeting roughly translates to: "Hello, all of my relatives! My name is Woman Standing on the Mountaintop. My family is from White Earth, and I currently reside on the unceded lands of the Umoⁿhoⁿ people, commonly known as Omaha, NE, USA. I am Eagle clan."

Valerie St. Pierre Smith is a two-spirit multi-disciplinary artisan, writer, educator, and healer known for her use of color, texture, technology, and upcycling. Her creative practice is rooted in the cultural legacy and aesthetic traditions of her Anishnaabe ancestors, while employing contemporary technologies to explore expressions of identity, sustainability, and the role of technology in modern design. A bridge between cultures and times, Valerie’s work reflects her experience as a mixed blood Anishnaabe-kwe, and has been shared across Turtle Island, including at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Calgary Fashion Week, the National Museum of the American Indian, the Kennedy Center, McCarter Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and with Pilobolus Dance Theatre. A bit of a unicorn, she is also actively engaged with her research, teaching, and writing practice, focusing on indigenizing and decolonizing western Euro-centric design practices. Both her creative and scholarly practices reflect her knowing that fashion, art, and adornment are a dialogue between self, community, cultures, time, and place. Her work celebrates her heritage while also serving as a medium for healing, social justice, and the expression of identity. Valerie holds a B.F.A. from Stephens College and an M.F.A. from San Diego State University. 

Dolson Rhona
Description
In celebration of National Canadian Film Day join us for a special free screening of The Track, winner of the Best Film: Mountain Culture at the 2025 Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival. 

The Track
(Bosnia and Herzegovina/Canada, 2025, 95 min)
Director: Ryan Sidhoo
Producer: Spirit of 84 films, Ryan Sidhoo

The Track is a coming-of-age journey of three teenagers chasing their improbable Olympic dreams in post-war Bosnia. Training on their bullet-riddled luge track left over from the 1984 Winter Games in Sarajevo, the heart of the journey is relatable, sometimes humorous and exciting portrayal of friends striving for a better life despite rekindled nationalism, political corruption, and a murky economic future.

"At a time where there is so much turmoil in the world, this film leaves you feeling optimistic and hopeful about the future for young people living in a post war world. Shelled during the Bosnian war, Sarajevo’s 1984 Winter Games dilapidated luge track is brought back to life by a devoted volunteer coach and three teenage boys as they train and chase improbable Olympic dreams. Unfolding over five years, it's also a story of resilience and you want the boys to succeed as they strive for a better future in this coming-of-age story."

- Ava Karvonen, jury member

This ticketed event is FREE. Reserve your spot now. 
Tickets will also be available at the door, based on first come basis.

From the film The Track
Page Summary
Join us for a FREE screening The Track winner of Best Mountain Culture Film at the 2025 Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival.
Exhibition
No
Free
Yes
Banff Centre Artist/Practicum/Staff Only
Off
Licensed
Off
Performance Date
Date
Audience View Micro Site URL
https://tickets.banffcentre.ca/Online/seatSelect.asp?BOset::WSmap::seatmap::performance_ids=E5020296-53CA-4390-9B5C-2845BF6DFFF8
Computed Sort Date
1776301200
Description
Join us for a special screening of Iron Winter, winner of the Grand Prize at the 2025 Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival. 

Iron Winter
(Australia, 2025, 101 min) - PG 
Director: Kasimir Burgess
Producer: Repeater Productions, Chris Kamen, Ben Golotta, Morgan Wright, Enebish Sengemugaa

In Mongolia’s frigid Tsakhir Valley, where horses symbolise survival, the ancient tradition of winter herding faces its greatest challenge. Young Batbold, 18, is thrust into the spotlight as he and his friend Tsaaganna are entrusted with safeguarding a herd of 3,000 horses during the deadliest winter on record. With the future of their community at stake, Batbold must confront his fears and insecurities while grappling with the weight of tradition.

"Two young men confront the harshest of winters with 3,000 horses—their task: to safeguard both their herd and their ancestral traditions. As modern life encroaches upon age-old ways, this film draws us into the intimate world of two Mongolian herders braving relentless cold and prowling wolves in a stark, unforgiving landscape. Crafted with gentle precision and stunning imagery, the story grips viewers, urging reflection on climate change, migration, and the resilience of culture at civilization's edge. For this outstanding cinematic achievement, the grand prize is awarded to Iron Winter ."

- Subina Shrestha, 2025 Jury Member

From the film Iron Winter
Page Summary
Join us for a screening Iron Winter, winner of the Grand Prize at the 2025 Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival.
Exhibition
No
Banff Centre Artist/Practicum/Staff Only
Off
Licensed
Off
Performance Date
Date
On Sale Date
Audience View Micro Site URL
https://tickets.banffcentre.ca/Online/seatSelect.asp?BOset::WSmap::seatmap::performance_ids=639188E9-B3DA-4697-A20E-4277CA01F660
Computed Sort Date
1774054800
Description
Join us for a special screening of Mongolia, Valley of the Bears the winner of the 2024 Best Film - Mountain Culture at the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival. 

Mongolia, Valley of the Bears
(France, 2023, 88 min)
Director: Hamid Sardar
Producer: Lato Sensu Productions, Muriel Barra
Classification: General (G)

In Mongolia, Taiga forests and pure waters have kept an entire population nomadic for thousands of years. In the last 30 years, the rich natural resources have fallen prey to illegal hunters and miners, who are often locals. Appointed ranger Jal Tumursukh, a former hunter, now enforces the law of environmental  protection, attempting to put an end to poaching, but in the process also threatens cultural tradition. 

"Mountain culture is a world of passionate extremes. It can be a playing field or a war zone. A meeting ground where nature is loved or feared, conquered or revered—a wilderness where people fight over the right to consume nature, or protect it. Our winning film explores these conflicting agendas without presenting simple solutions, but by framing an extraordinary story in an exquisite setting that looks like nowhere else on Earth. It’s a movie of many genres. A cinematic spectacle that distills poetry from landscape. An eco-documentary too complex to be doctrinaire. A character drama with a trickster protagonist. A western about an enforcer who fights an outlaw band of poachers by recruiting warriors from their ranks. This year’s Mountain Culture Award goes to a film that takes this ever-expanding niche of cinema to new heights."

- Brian Johnson, 2024 Festival jury member

A grizzly bear walks up a steep slope of grass and rock in the Mongolian Taiga
Page Summary
Join us for a screening of the winner of the 2024 Best Film - Mountain Culture at the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival!
Exhibition
No
Banff Centre Artist/Practicum/Staff Only
Off
Licensed
Off
Performance Date
Date
On Sale Date
Audience View Micro Site URL
https://tickets.banffcentre.ca/Online/seatSelect.asp?BOset::WSmap::seatmap::performance_ids=4DDC4353-65DA-4DE4-924E-A09B5B0D2715
Computed Sort Date
1740105000

Submitted by Kate King Wale… on
English
Headshot of Reese Wilson

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Reese Wilson is a performer, choreographer and educator based in Mohkinstsis (Calgary). Since graduating from the University of Calgary, with a B.Ed (2023) and BFA in Dance (2020), Reese has trained fervently both locally and abroad, most recently in the b12 Research and Dance workshop festival in Berlin, with Stefan Crainic, Lisard Tranis and Josephine Haas. As a performer for both stage and screen, Reese has had the opportunity to participate in choreographic processes as well as perform original and repertoire works by Meghann Michalsky of Project InTandem, W&M Physical Theatre, Kloetzel&Co, Corps Bara Dance
Theatre, Marie France Forcier, Nicole Charlton-Goodbrand, and Karissa Barry. Her self-choreographed, directed and performed film, A Practical Guide to Serenity, was presented at the Ignite Festival for Emerging Artists and WildDogs International Screendance Festival in 2021. Reese is a dedicated advocate of Dance Education for all populations and finds unmeasurable joy in regularly teaching both the youth as well as within the local professional dance community.

Dancer

Submitted by Kate King Wale… on
English
Portrait of Helene Simoneau

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Hélène Simoneau (she/her) is a choreographer exploring themes of intimacy, agency, identity, sexuality, and power. In the last few years, she has received a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Choreography Fellowship at New York City Center, and most recently, she was awarded a Pillow Lab residency at Jacob’s Pillow in Becket, MA. She was also a resident artist at Baryshnikov Arts Center, NYU/Tisch, NCCAkron, and a fellow of The NYU Center for Ballet and the Arts, Ailey’s New Directions Choreography Lab, the Bogliasco Foundation, and the Swiss International Coaching Project for Choreographers (SiWiC) in Zurich. Simoneau was awarded first place for Choreography at the 13th Internationales Solo-Tanz-Theater Festival in Stuttgart, Germany, for her solo “the gentleness was in her hands.” Her choreography has been commissioned by Oregon Ballet Theatre, The Juilliard School, Charlotte Ballet, PARA.MAR Dance Theatre, Vitacca Ballet, Amy Seiwert’s Imagery, BalletX, the Ailey School, Dimensions Dance Theatre, and the American Dance Festival. Originally from Eastern Québec, Simoneau now divides her time between Montréal and NYC.

Photo Credit: Whitney Browne

Choreographer

Submitted by Kate King Wale… on
English
Headshot of Kaitlyn Seibold

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Kaitlyn Seibold, based in Mohkinstsis (Calgary) AB, is a movement researcher, performer, choreographer, and educator. She holds a BFA in Dance Performance from Toronto Metropolitan University and an MFA from York University, where she was awarded the Lipson Family Endowment Award for her choreographic promise. Kaitlyn has worked with renowned choreographers such as Vicki St Denys, Louis Laberge-Cote, Robert Glumbek, Ryan Lee, Hanna Keil, Matjash Mrozewski, Colleen Snell, and Apolonia Velasquez, immersing herself in a diverse range of styles and approaches. Currently teaching at Alberta Ballet and performing with Project InTandem and Ballet Bodies YYC, her research investigates the fluid boundaries between physicalized theatre and contemporary movement. With over 30 original works to her name, Kaitlyn’s choreography invites audiences to experience the emotional and physical depths of the body on both stage and screen. 

Dancer

Submitted by Kate King Wale… on
English
Portrait of Alisia Pobega

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Alisia Pobega (she/her) completed her dance training in Montréal at L'École Supérieure de ballet du Québec. 

In 2000, Alisia joined Les Grands Ballets Canadiens where she danced for over 12 years, performing in works by numerous international choreographers and rising to the rank of soloist. 

She is currently an independent artist in Montréal dancing for choreographers Jane Mappin, Andrew Skeels, Hélène Simoneau and Kvarcakova-Galdeano and is a member of The Legacy Project, directed by Margie Gillis. 

Along with Louis-Martin Charest, they have developed and teach a series of workshops: Presence and Interpretation Method For Dancers. They have also collaborated on several short dance films. 

Alisia teaches classical ballet and contemporary dance for established institutions such as Danse à la Carte, Studios GB, l’École Supérieure de ballet du Québec, L’École de danse contemporaine de Montréal, Springboard Danse Montréal and Compagnie Marie Chouinard. She also spends time in the studio as rehearsal-director, rehearsing pieces for Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Cas Public, Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal (BJM), Véronique Giasson and Anne Plamondon Productions. 

Since June 2023, she has been the Artistic and General Director of Danse à la Carte.

Photo Credit: Michael Slobodian

Dancer
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