Artist Spotlight: Santee Smith

Santee Smith joins us on November 7th for our new Miijidaa Life Stories series. In Conversation with Santee Smith delves into the life and work of internationally renowned dancer, producer and choreographer with host Cameron Smillie.

Santee answered a few of our questions to give you a little taste of what might unfold on November 7th. Expect the unexpected:

1. If you weren’t in your current profession, what do you think you would be doing?

That’s a good question. I often imagine trying on a different life and lifestyle: working at a small town coffee shop, being a travel host in a hot destination. But when it comes down to it…I don’t think I could escape the arts or working in the entertainment industry. I would probably be working in design…scenic design or props. To create and produce from nothing but a concept is always interesting to me. My visual and creative nature would come into play.

2. If time and money were no object, what is one thing you dream to do?

I would love to travel to sacred water sites around the world and conduct water ceremony and acknowledgments. It would be amazing to film the process like a travel doc and connect with the water and the surrounding lands. So much of my spiritual understanding lies in acknowledging the natural world, to be able to spend time bringing awareness to the beauty and the importance of living in balance with nature and issues of ecological preservation would be amazing.

3. What are you currently listening to?

When I’m cruising around the rez, I listen to Jukasa Radio, one of Six Nations based radio stations. I spend time researching music for inspiration, my go to is film scoring and composers like the late Jóhann Jóhannsson. I do enjoy the epicness of film scores as well as electronic sounds of The Haxan Cloak.

4. What was your first concert or performance and what do you remember about the experience?

My first performance that I remember that had a major impact on me was the first time I saw the National Ballet of Canada’s Swan Lake. I was about 10 years old and my parents took me to Toronto and we sat front row centre. I sat at the edge of my seat. The very next year I was on the same stage performing in Nutcracker as a National Ballet School student.

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