Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Peace Dancer is inspired by the First Nations text of the same name by Roy Henry Vickers of the Squamish Nation. In the words of the author: “The story Peace Dancer is about a song and dance that is thousands of years old originating from the time of the flood. Songs have been composed for different Chiefs up and down the Pacific northwest coast. The Chief who is chosen to do this sacred dance is recognized as a healer in each community and the songs and dances are a reminder of the great flood and how the people lost their way and their love for all things in creation. During the dance there is a time when the dancer shakes eagle down from their headdress to remind people of the flood.”
Whilst this text afforded many music-making opportunities, the composer chose to focus on a particular line of text: “We have really lost our way, we have not taught our children love and respect”.
This work is divided into the following moments: meditation, awakening, realization, and humility. It takes the audience on an introspective journey through the process of realizing you are in the wrong, and questioning whether you have been unkind or acted in a way that is unbecoming of oneself. Once you realize the consequence of your actions, you feel remorse, and understand that you need to move forward with humility and grace.
Peace Dancer is inspired by the First Nations text of the same name by Roy Henry Vickers of the Squamish Nation. In the words of the author: “The story Peace Dancer is about a song and dance that is thousands of years old originating from the time of the flood. Songs have been composed for different Chiefs up and down the Pacific northwest coast. The Chief who is chosen to do this sacred dance is recognized as a healer in each community and the songs and dances are a reminder of the great flood and how the people lost their way and their love for all things in creation. During the dance there is a time when the dancer shakes eagle down from their headdress to remind people of the flood.”
Whilst this text afforded many music-making opportunities, the composer chose to focus on a particular line of text: “We have really lost our way, we have not taught our children love and respect”.
This work is divided into the following moments: meditation, awakening, realization, and humility. It takes the audience on an introspective journey through the process of realizing you are in the wrong, and questioning whether you have been unkind or acted in a way that is unbecoming of oneself. Once you realize the consequence of your actions, you feel remorse, and understand that you need to move forward with humility and grace.
