The Jigging Queen // YVR Creative

I hear the North in her accent. She laughs like my cousins do – head tossed back, clapping her hands and slapping people on the shoulder. And when she smiles at you, you see Northern Lights shining in her eyes. And her feet – they dance across constellations, guiding the beats of the Red River Jig with hair flying and mukluks tapping. She is magic.

Maddie was a new friend, someone who offered up a couch to crash on while I was moving through Vancouver. And we just clicked – chilling with her is like hanging out with someone who has known you for years. As a thank you for letting me, a basic stranger at the time, crash at her place, I had offered up a creative session. Maddie knew Elisha, a talented makeup artist working in Vancouver and area, and the session just happened.

There was so much power and laughter and conversation happening while we were getting ready, and Elisha knew exactly what we were going for.

Indigenous Art.

Indigenous Power.

Indigenous Beauty.

Maddie is an amazing dancer is multiple styles, so I wanted to play with the ideas of what makes a dance ‘Indigenous,” and push boundaries, and I wanted to claim space in urban environments, as we exist here too – we thrive here.

I am so grateful to have met them both, for we made magic together.