The 快盈v3 sky鈥檚 the limit for the 快盈v3 Arts and Cultural Centre (NACC) this season, as it launches into its fifth decade of hosting world-class artistic performances. 

Marie Coderre, executive and artistic director of NACC, said with the celebration of the 40th anniversary comes new artistic horizons that will see their partnership with Atti! Indigenous Artists Collective continue to develop. This will be the first year the collective will begin to launch programming to provide Indigenous arts for the NWT. 

鈥淭his is a big year for Atti!... we, in partnership are hiring the first employee full time,鈥� Coderre said. 鈥淭hey got funding to start a mentorship and training program for Indigenous performing arts, so that is huge this year.

鈥淪o I knew 2024-25 with the 40th anniversary would be a big year, and it will be, because we're working with a company in Montreal to dive into the philanthropic and foundation world and we're hoping to raise money with that." 

Coderre said this new direction begins a new chapter for NACC because it's now entering a development phase. 

Spotlight on NWT talent

Tanya Snow, the new program coordinator for the Atti! Indigenous Arts Collective, said now that her role has been established, she will be doing community outreach and examining ways to co-create or Indigenize arts programming for future performances. 

鈥淚t's a brand-new project. We have a board of directors that are from across the territory that want to support Indigenous arts outside of government institutional systems 鈥� so being a grassroots level of organization,鈥� Snow said. 

By dedicating the time to engage with Indigenous communities, Snow said part of her new role will be 鈥渂ranching the network of how people perceive Indigenous arts in the 21st century.鈥�

鈥淚t's complex 鈥� like we're all very different 鈥� and so it's unique compared to the Yukon, where they have established nations, and it's unique to Nunavut, who have their own established regional land claims. 

鈥淭he NWT is complex because there's so many different nations,鈥� Snow said. 鈥淚 think we are waking up to the beauty of multiculturalism.鈥�

Diverse and dimensional 

NACC recently announced its lineup for this season and Coderre said it promises to be 鈥渉igh energy.鈥� The focuses will be on traditional, sacred ritual and on contemporary, with numerous multidisciplinary performances.

鈥淪o this year, I wanted a year that is really intense and really passionate, high intensity,鈥� she said.

The 40th anniversary season will be ushered in by New York Metropolitan opera singer Kofi Hayford, who will be touring the NWT with an ensemble throughout the month of September. 

Hayford previously performed across the NWT in 2019, and this year's show will be specifically designed for 快盈v3 audiences, Coderre said. 

A popular event brought back to the stage this year will be the sing-along movie series featuring the Rocky Horror Picture Show and Mamma Mia!, she added.

And Nova Scotian musician Old Man Luedecke will start off the New Year with a  tour of the territory.

Another highlight of the season will be a special 40th year anniversary show curated by Reneltta Arluk and Leela Gilday. It will feature fiddler and composer Wesley Hardisty, mezzo-soprano Michelle Lafferty and an array of other 快盈v3 talent.

The Children of God, a musical production from Vancouver, will take the stage next spring and tell the story of the 鈥渞esilience and power of the Indigenous cultural spirit鈥� that countered the effects the residential school system had on countless children. 

Building bridges and understanding

Coderre said the 40th anniversary is very important in the new chapter NACC is creating. 

鈥淣ACC has been working for the last 13 years into reconciliation and building bridges with Indigenous artists.

鈥淪o NACC is really a representation of Indigenous and non-Indigenous working hand in hand 鈥� and the 40th anniversary is a symbol of where NACC is and where NACC is going,鈥� Coderre said.

This season, she said it was important to highlight the past, present and future of NACC, as well as to highlight the people in the program. 

鈥淚t's a commentary about the human, humanity, in all its complexity, and its relationship to nature. So I feel like after the pandemic, people need to reconnect and need to understand a bit where they are as humans, and also their connection to the environment, with everything that is going on in the world.鈥�