Urban Ink's fifth-annual TRANSFORM Festival spotlights Indigenous artists, November 6 to 9
Cabaret-style festival co-curated by Corey Payette and Heather Redfern features an electrifying fusion of theatre, music, drag, circus, and more
SPONSORED POST BY Urban Ink
Corey Payette. Photo by Greggory Clark
Urban Ink’s TRANSFORM Festival, presented in collaboration with The Cultch, will return to the stage for its fifth-annual celebration from November 6 to 9 at the Vancouver Playhouse.
Co-curated by Urban Ink artistic director Corey Payette and The Cultch executive director Heather Redfern, and supported by protocol keeper Quelemia Sparrow, the four-day festival features an all-star lineup of Indigenous and non-Indigenous talents, including the first-ever Indigenous winner of Canada’s Drag Race Season 4’s VENUS; circus sensation Sido Adamson; and local dance and ballroom star Ralph Escamillan.
TRANSFORM will kick off with the epic Opening Night Bash on November 6 at 7:30 pm. Co-hosted by VENUS and Quelemia Sparrow, the evening features a captivating mixed program of dance with Canadian Filipinx artist Escamillan, traditional hoop dancer & TikTok star Notorious Cree, and Métis dancer-choreographer Jera Wolfe; music with Inuit throat-singing duo PIQSIQ; circus with Vancouver-based aerial and burlesque performer Adamson; and drag performance with VENUS.
VENUS. Photo by The Drag Series
Ralph Escamillan. Photo by Felix Yuen
The festival will continue on November 7 at 7:30 pm with the Circus Ball, a thrilling spectacle that blends acrobatics and dance with striking and eccentric performances. Escamillan returns to host the evening that will feature more performances from Adamson and Wolfe, as well as hooping sensation Lola Loops, circus artist Matt Bagshaw, drag star Batty Banks, and a fabulous performance from the Kiki House of Siriano.
On November 8 at 7:30 pm, TRANSFORM will present the world premiere of In Spirit, a concert hosted by Payette in honour of National Indigenous Veterans Day. Stirring performances by guest artists Chor Leoni and Vancouver Youth Choir will bring original compositions from Indigenous artists Payette, Russell Wallace, and Alexis Vollant to life, resulting in an evening of heartfelt tribute.
The festival will conclude on November 9 at 7:30 pm with the special workshop presentation of Payette’s musical-in-progress On Native Land. This sweeping, emotive love story intertwines the lives of three seemingly disparate characters—a lawyer, a Chief, and a rising singer-songwriter—whose paths converge in a powerful tale of identity and land disputes. This musical examines the profound impacts of forced displacement on Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island.
For tickets and more information, visit transformfestival.ca.
Complimentary tickets are available for Indigenous patrons thanks to the support of the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation.
Post sponsored by Urban Ink.
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