Rhythms of Resilience: Our Children, Our Future
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Event Description
Rhythms of Resilience is a community gathering that celebrates Indigenous strength, culture and resurgence through art, music, dance, performances and storytelling. Held each year in the lead-up to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, this event honours survivors and intergenerational survivors of the Indian residential school and Indian hospital systems.
This year, we centre Indigenous children and youth, celebrating the joy, culture, creativity and resilience they carry forward. While we honour the experiences of survivors and intergenerational survivors, we also create space to recognize the next generation, whose voices, stories and dreams are shaping the future of entire communities.
Guided by Indigenous community members connected to YWCA BC, Rhythms of Resilience brings together community in remembrance, reflection and celebration. Through performances, storytelling, art and opportunities for families to gather, the event celebrates the strength of Indigenous cultures and the importance of carrying knowledge, language and traditions forward for future generations.
This event will take place on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. We express our gratitude to the First Peoples who continue to steward these lands and waters.
Free child-minding will be available from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. for children ages 3 to 12. Please indicate your child-minding needs when registering.
Please direct questions to communications@ywcabc.org.
The Proud Little Warriors are a boys' drum group from the Squamish Nation made up of youth ages 10 to 12. They open meetings and conferences in a good way, welcome graduates into ceremony and proudly carry forward Squamish cultural traditions through song and drumming.
The group has performed at pre-game and halftime events for the Vancouver Canucks, BC Lions, Vancouver Whitecaps and Goldeneyes Women's Hockey, and welcomed both Rugby Canada Women's Sevens and New Zealand's Black Ferns Sevens teams through song.
Bridging the past and the present, the Proud Little Warriors honour their ancestors while ensuring the songs, teachings and traditions of the Squamish Nation continue to thrive
Photo credit: Image courtesy of Proud Little Warriors, provided by Jennifer Nahanee
Orene Askew, known professionally as DJ O Show, is an award-winning DJ, speaker and proud Afro-Indigenous member of the Squamish Nation. Blending hip hop, R&B and infectious energy, she has built a reputation for creating unforgettable experiences while remaining deeply connected to her culture and community.
DJ O Show has performed across North America, working with clients including the Vancouver Canucks, BC Lions, Vancouver Whitecaps, Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week and the Great Outdoors Comedy Festival, where she opened for Kevin Hart and Russell Peters. She is also an inspirational speaker who has travelled across Canada encouraging and empowering youth and communities, and previously served on Squamish Nation Council.
A recipient of the BC Indigenous Business Award, the Vancouver Pride Society Stand Out Award, the Capilano University Alumni of Excellence Award, a Black Business in BC Award, and an International Indigenous Hip Hop Award for DJ of the Year, DJ O Show brings passion, professionalism and authenticity to every performance.
Photo credit: Shots by Devan. Image courtesy of DJ O Show.
The Dancers of Damelahamid are an acclaimed Indigenous dance company from the Northwest Coast of British Columbia whose work is rooted in generations of song, dance and cultural revitalization. Through dramatic choreography, powerful storytelling and elaborate regalia, they create performances that bridge ancestral traditions with contemporary Indigenous expression.
Founded through more than five decades of dance revitalization following the lifting of the Potlatch Ban, the company has become a leading force in Indigenous performance while remaining committed to the integrity of its artistic legacy. Their work continues to honour traditional dance as a living and evolving art form.
In addition to touring nationally and internationally, the Dancers of Damelahamid produce the annual Coastal Dance Festival, celebrating Indigenous dance from the Northwest Coast and welcoming Indigenous artists from across Canada and around the world. Their acclaimed productions, including Raven Mother, continue to inspire audiences through movement, story and culture.
Photo credit: Image courtesy of Dancers of Damelahamid