Nicole Joy-Fraser shares songs from Turtle Island on the Backyard stage during this drum teaching.
Nicole will share her journey through hand drum songs while giving opportunity for participation and for repetition to learn. These are songs she has learned both from her experience in ceremony as well as from her professional performance career as an Indigenous Artist. Participants are encouraged to bring First Nation hand drums and shakers for this session (roughly an hour and 15 min). Smudge ceremony will open the circle and protocols will be earnestly followed.
Nicole Joy-Fraser (Bear Clan/ Dene Zaa, Métis, European) has had the opportunity to work across Turtle Island with many celebrated companies such as Mirvish Productions, Factory Theatre, Native Earth, Red Sky, Nightwood, YPT, Stratford Festival, Blyth Festival, Charlottetown Festival, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, TSO, National Ballet, Nathaniel Dett Chorale and most recently Carousel Players in Mary Jane Mosquito. She also enjoyed performing across the pond in the multi award-winning musical Jerry Springer-The Opera (West End) and in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (UK and Athens Tour). Nicole is grateful and honoured to be collaborating with these talented artists and loves storytelling with Spy and Catherine.
She still cherishes singing in their Dora-nominated, premiere production of Giiwediin which helped kickstart the reclamation of her Indigenous identity and healing journey. She currently lives in Niagara-On-The Lake with her partner and son.