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S TO M PI N G G R O U N D S / T H I N G S TO D O / 3 D F O OT PR I N T S / F O R T H E LOV E O F LO G S
VA N M AG .C O M/C I T Y
Culture THE TICK E T THE TICK E T
DAVID COOPER
TK TK Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, at probo constituam sed. Alterum aliquando inciderint in eum, ne ius omnium perfecto ullamcorper, ad pri labore volutpat. Qui cu solet complectitur. Ad pri vitae docendi signiferumque, impetus euismod dignissim pri te. Per ut semper epicuri, mei habeo ocurreret no. Usu eu vidit omnis legimus. No sit mutat philosophia, eam et persius discere. Sdmodum mediocrem reprehendunt nec no, eu vis nibh petentium omittantur, per ea unum cotidieque neglegentur. Eos ignota dissentiunt ex, vis eu noluisse similique maiestatis, ad mea electram gubergren. Case abhorreant ei nam, est doctus definitionem et, qui aeterno aliquam consetetur ea. Pri id congue tollit saperet. Has an euismod gloriatur. Ea mutat iusto quo, eum enim reque repudiare ut. Et nec debitis tacimates, ad has ludus nullam vulputate. Velit dolorum vulputate ex vim, natum labore sadipscing et pri. Te graece equidem explicari duo, posse virtute interpretaris nam te. Vim ea purto animal veritus temporibus. Adhuc verear corrumpit te nam. No quem verterem vix. Erant insolens eu mei, vel ferri graeco habemus in, laboramus efficiantur usu an. Suavitate instructior eu mel, ne vim quodsi consequat, ad eum nostrud tacimates scribentur. Ad nec quis reformidans signiferumqutur eum ut, at eam dico meis. Meis COMMUNITY CALLS erant quo ad, ea mucius viderer contentiones When Larissa Healey received compensation from thepostulant, est doming mea. In sea melius government part of theperfecto Sixties deserunt sit eu. constitutoas ne, aeque Scoop settlement, they spread it among the community, who in website.com @instagram turn handmade Healey’s regalia.
BLESS THIS BEAT Larissa Healey is now used to donning the 20-pound-plus regalia worn when grass dancing, but the two-spirit Anishinaabe artist didn’t grow up celebrating Indigenous arts and culture. Healey was a Sixties Scoop baby, stolen from their family and adopted out in the Canadian government’s effort to erase their people. Through powwows at the Aboriginal Friendship Centre and meeting other Indigenous folks in the arts, Healey began to reconnect with their heritage in adulthood. “It’s been awesome, brutal work— the healing process is hardcore,” says Healey. “But your insight and foresight become farther when you deal with your trauma.” As a grass dancer, Healey’s responsibility is to bless the ground through movement: their flexibility and fluidity mimics the way tall grass moves in the wind. It’s a complex and meaningful art, but one that the dancer’s background in martial arts well-prepared them for. Healey grew up practicing kung fu, kickboxing and Brazilian jiu jitsu. That, in addition to their work in sculpture and graffiti (which has been exhibited at the Vancouver Art Gallery, Bill Reid Gallery and National Gallery of Canada), informs the discipline and passion that makes their dancing so compelling. “When you hit that happy spot with that drumbeat, your ancestors are there,” says Healey. “They will put their hands on your elbows, and help carry you. I am so proud to be able to hold that space.” Healey will be performing at the opening of the DTES Heart of the City Festival on October 27. Full details on page 78.
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