{"id":15432,"date":"2026-03-18T10:00:05","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T17:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mpmgarts.com\/media\/?page_id=15432"},"modified":"2026-03-31T09:11:35","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T16:11:35","slug":"ballet-kelowna-controlled-burn","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mpmgarts.com\/media\/campaigns\/ballet-kelowna-controlled-burn\/","title":{"rendered":"Ballet Kelowna: Cikilax\u02b7m: Controlled Burn"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PRESS RELEASE<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Ballet Kelowna Explores Indigenous Land Stewardship and Climate Change in Full-Length Ballet World Premiere of:
\n\u2013 Cikilax\u02b7m: Controlled Burn \u2013<\/em>
\n<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

First Nations dancemaker Cameron sink\u02b7\u0259 Fraser-Monroe returns to Ballet Kelowna to choreograph Canada\u2019s first Indigenous-led, two-act narrative contemporary ballet<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Kelowna, BC \u2013 <\/b>Ballet Kelowna <\/b>presents the world premiere of the company\u2019s second commissioned, full-length work, <\/span>Cikilax\u02b7m [tseekiLAHkwum]: Controlled Burn<\/i><\/b>, co-produced by the National Arts Centre\u2019s National Creation Fund.<\/span> The evocative contemporary ballet will be on stage at the <\/span>Kelowna Community Theatre<\/b> on <\/span>May 1 + 2, 2026<\/b> and features choreography from Ballet Kelowna Associate Artist <\/span>Cameron <\/b>sink\u02b7\u0259 Fraser-Monroe<\/b>, an original score by award-winning Cree composer and cellist<\/span> Cris Derksen<\/b>, immersive digital projections from Euro\/Omushkego Cree artist <\/span>Andy Moro<\/b>, and costumes by Navajo\/Cherokee designer <\/span>Asa Benally<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are thrilled to share this world premiere with Kelowna audiences, which represents the culmination of many years of working closely alongside visionary choreographer <\/span>Cameron <\/span>sink\u02b7\u0259 Fraser-Monroe,\u201d says <\/span>Simone Orlando<\/b>, Artistic Director and CEO of Ballet Kelowna. \u201cBallet Kelowna was proud to offer him his first professional commission, and his distinctive worldview as a classically trained First Nations dancer has since taken him to major ballet companies across Canada. We look forward to welcoming him back to the Okanagan this spring to continue our creative collaboration to present his first two-act narrative contemporary ballet, <\/span>Cikilax\u02b7m: Controlled Burn<\/span><\/i>. I know <\/span>audiences will be inspired by the work\u2019s artistic integrity and athleticism, underscored by a powerful and urgent message about the perils of climate change and wildfire mismanagement.\u201d<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Set in a dystopian future where wildfire season has no end, the piece follows the journey of a young Indigenous firefighter, whose beliefs are challenged when he meets Mothk\u02b7, a fierce protector of ancestral knowledge who carries out cultural burns\u2013a traditional Indigenous practice that nourishes the land by proactively burning debris, and thereby protecting trees, wildlife, and communities from the ravages of wildfire. The word <\/span>cikilax\u02b7m means \u201cprescribed fire\u201d in nsyilx<\/span>\u0259n<\/span><\/a>, the language belonging to the syilx (Okanagan) people.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Fraser-Monroe was inspired by many sources in the creation of <\/span>Cikilax\u02b7m: Controlled Burn<\/span><\/i>, including Derksen\u2019s original 13-minute composition, <\/span>Controlled Burn<\/span><\/i>, which simulates the signature crackle and pop sounds of a controlled fire\u2013a practice used by Indigenous peoples for thousands of years. This seminal piece will be featured in the final culminating scene of Fraser-Monroe\u2019s work, along with more than an hour of original composition by Derksen to accompany the 75-minute performance.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Fraser-Monroe\u2019s contemporary ballet is also informed by the research and work of Dr. Amy Cardinal Christianson, a senior fire advisor who works with Indigenous Nations across Canada on fire stewardship practices; Indigenous playwright Yvette Nolan\u2019s <\/span>The Unplugging<\/span><\/i>, where two women are forced to revitalize the knowledge of their ancestors as they try to survive in a post-apocalyptic world; and B.C.\u2019s own Forest Act of 1912, which represented a devastating shift in forest management, centralizing fire control, and criminalizing the act of burning leading to the ban of Indigenous practices that had been used for millennia.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Adds Fraser-Monroe, \u201cIndigenous Peoples don\u2019t need to turn to a dystopian future to understand the government confiscating and banning cultural property and practices\u2013we\u2019ve lived it.\u201d<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Both of the work\u2019s Indigenous roles will be embodied by Indigenous dancers who work full-time for Ballet Kelowna. McKeely Borger will dance the role of the Knowledge Keeper, Mothk\u02b7, and MacKye White will dance the role of Nathan, a rookie Firefighter who rediscovers the traditional practices of his ancestors. Additional roles will be performed by the full company of Ballet Kelowna dancers.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

This project represents a model of Indigenous-led production within a ballet infrastructure, with an artistic collaboration rooted in Indigenous values of knowledge-sharing, trust, and reciprocal exchange. Fraser-Monroe partnered with several Cultural Advisors in the creation of <\/span>Cikilax\u02b7m: Controlled Burn<\/span><\/i>, including two elders from his own Tla\u2019amin Nation\u2013Betty Wilson and Dr. Elsie Paul, the oldest living Tla\u2019amin Elder\u2013and two syilx Knowledge Keepers\u2013Tara Montgomery and Elliot Tonasket, whose support focused on the cultural significance, protocols, and practices of cultural burning in syilx traditions.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

A member of the Tla\u2019amin First Nation, Fraser-Monroe was Ballet Kelowna\u2019s first Artist in Residence (2022\/23) and a Choreographer in Residence with Canada\u2019s Royal Winnipeg Ballet (2023\/24), where he created <\/span>T\u2019\u0259l: The Wild Man of the Woods<\/span><\/i>. In his role as Associate Artist with Ballet Kelowna, Fraser-Monroe has created five works for the company: <\/span>taq\u0259s\u030c, <\/span><\/i>\u0294\u025bmaxwiyg\u0259, <\/span><\/i>pay\u025b\u010dot y\u025b\u03c7\u0259t, The Cowboy Act Suite <\/span><\/i>and <\/span>Cikilax\u02b7m: Controlled Burn<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

In addition to support from the National Arts Centre\u2019s National Creation Fund, the development of <\/span>Cikilax\u02b7m: Controlled Burn<\/span><\/i> has been made possible through the following partners: BC Arts Council\u2019s Arts Impact program, UBCO\u2019s Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, Deux Mille Foundation, The Hamber Foundation, Troy Life & Fire Safety LTD., and Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Ballet Kelowna\u2019s 2025\/26 season is presented by the Thomas Alan Budd Foundation.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Thanks to the generous support of Odlum Brown, Ballet Kelowna will offer 150 accessible \u201cPay-What-You-Wish\u201d seats at each performance of <\/span>Cikilax\u02b7m: Controlled Burn<\/span><\/i>. To access these tickets, visit <\/span>balletkelowna.ca<\/span><\/a> or call 250-469-8940.<\/span><\/p>\n

For tickets and information, visit <\/span>balletkelowna.ca<\/span><\/a> <\/b><\/p>\n

About Ballet Kelowna (<\/b>balletkelowna.ca<\/b><\/a>)
\n<\/b><\/span>Founded in 2002, Ballet Kelowna is the sole professional dance company in B.C.\u2019s Interior. The organization is committed to its role as a leader in the region through encouraging, promoting, and developing Canadian dancers and choreographers. The company performs annually for more than 12,000 audience members in Kelowna and on tour, and provides unique dance training opportunities and outreach programs. Its Artistic Director and CEO, Simone Orlando, is an award-winning choreographer and former dancer with Ballet BC and The National Ballet of Canada. Under Orlando\u2019s direction, Ballet Kelowna was named the 2024 Artistic Company of the Year by the BC Live Performance Network (formerly the British Columbia Touring Council) and was an organizational recipient of the Lieutenant Governor\u2019s Arts and Music Award in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
LISTING INFORMATION<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\nBallet Kelowna presents Cikilax\u02b7m: Controlled Burn<\/em><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dates & Times:<\/td>\nMay 1 at 7:30pm + May 2 at 1:30pm + 7:30pm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tickets:<\/td>\nKelowna Community Theatre
\n<\/span>Phone: 250-469-8940
\n<\/span>Online: <\/span>theatre.kelowna.ca<\/span><\/a>
\nIn Person: 1375 Water Street, Kelowna, BC<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ticket Prices:<\/span><\/td>\n$62.73 (Adult), $54.40 (Senior), $32.78 (Student\/Child)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Performance Venue:<\/td>\nKelowna Community Theatre
\n1375 Water Street, Kelowna, BC<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Website:<\/td>\nballetkelowna.ca<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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