Conversations: Hidden Stories

A collaboration between Vanguardia Dance Projects and Aanmitaagzi,
Conversations was inspired by the investigation of “body and territory” by the Colombian-Canadian choreographer Olga Barrios. This work springs forth from the women of many colors that she experiences in herself and the many other voices in the world that seek connection with ideas of traces erased from history. In 2023, under the direction of Olga, the artists of Vanguardia and Aanmitaagzi came together with the desire to share, investigate and explore the land, people, culture and stories we are connected to. Looking at stories of displacement and erasure, Conversations is a journey through what has separated us from ourselves and each other. Through soil, fabric, land and water, the work Conversations reaffirms a sovereign right to ancestral memory, connection and future. “Conversations: Hidden Stories” performance rooted in dance.

Creators: Norma Araiza, Penny Couchie, Animikiikwe Couchie, Lilia León, Olga Barrios
Dancers: Norma Araiza, Lilia León, Olga Barrios
Guest Dancers: Lucia Llano, Maria Riaño
Director & Choreographer: Olga Barrios
Composer and Sound Designer: Edgardo Moreno
Projection Designs: Alejandra Higuera and Olga Barrios
Visual Artist: Sherry Guppy, Alejandra Higuera
Costumes: Jennifer Kelly
Lighting Design: Trevor Schwellnus
Stage Manager: Kelsey Rulh

February 5-8, 2026
Aki Studio


This interdisciplinary work that departs from dance, also contains questions related to form and content such as body gesture, storytelling, the protocols of the performative space, the image (camera dialogues, two-dimensional body on screen and three-dimensional body on stage), the soundscape in dialogue with territories of image, body and technology, and the voice of diverse women in society and in history.