Matriarchs Uprising Festival – Tickets on Sale
Be transformed by storytelling and movement through the many workshops, conversations, and performances at Matriarchs Uprising, an Indigenous women-led festival February 16-21, 2026.
Matriarchs Uprising
O.Dela Arts, in partnership with The Dance Centre, presents the eighth annual Matriarchs Uprising Festival, a celebration of contemporary dance by Indigenous women from Canada and Australia. The festival offers six unique programs of live performance along with artist-led conversations, dance masterclasses, community workshops, and the IndigiDance on Screen film series.
- Dates: February 16-21, 2026
- Location: Scotiabank Dance Centre (677 Davie St, Vancouver); and Morrow (910 Richards St, Vancouver)
- Tickets: Available online now. Enjoy four evening shows for $80 with the Matriarchs Uprising 2026 Show Pass! Each show regularly priced on a sliding scale of $20–$40.
Curated by Olivia C. Davies, the 2026 festival program opens on Wednesday, February 18, with the long-awaited Western Canada premiere of Wahsipekuk: Au-delà des montagnes by Wolastoq and Quebecois artist Ivanie Aubin-Malo. Ktunaxa choreographer, Samantha Sutherland, shares her latest work, ʔa·kinq̓uku in a double bill with carriers and keepers of the ancestral portals from Sophie Dow and Beany John. Sandra Lamouche brings Out of Wounds followed by Ngambaa by Australian Indigenous choreographer, Amelia O’Leary. On Saturday, February 21, we share a studio preview of Michelle Olson’s newest work in development, where did you go, and close the festival performance program with Matriarchs from Australian Indigenous choreographer, Olivia Adams.
The signature Talking Truths Circle Conversations invite audiences to witness festival artists speaking their truth, while the Gathering Hope performance sharing at Morrow offers an invitation to witness Vancouver-based Indigenous story-keepers and dance artists in an improvised score for dance and story-weaving. We celebrate the week with a closing night reception featuring musical guests Tsimka and Michael Red.
IndigiDance on Screen returns with five short dance films by Indigenous women, available on-demand all week on the festival website. View the full program by day.
About O.Dela Arts
The mandate of O.Dela Arts Society is to support Canadian Indigenous choroeographer, Olivia C. Davies, in the creation and production of choreography, community-engaged projects, creative collaboration projects and commissions. Since its inception in 2018, O.Dela Arts programming seeks to develop audiences for Contemporary Indigenous dance and multidisciplinary arts.
Follow Matriarchs Uprising on Facebook for updates.
