• Co-Creator

Walter MacDonald White Bear

Walter MacDonald White Bear is a Cree singer-songwriter, educator, performer and motivational speaker originally from the First Nation of Moose Factory, Ontario. He has been performing acoustic and flute music for several years. Performance highlights include The Edmonton Folk Music Festival, The Chiefs Summit with Tom Jackson, The Dream Speakers Festival, The Mountain Song Native Theatre, and World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education. Walter has been featured as a keynote speaker at various conferences with topics including social services, justice, education, wellness and the environment.

• Co-Creator

Rebecca Dawn

Rebecca Dawn is a recording and performance artist and freestyle rapper with a Master of Science degree in Marine Ecosystems, and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Anthropology and Music. Debuting in Canada in 2014, she returned home from life as an international student with the release of her album M.aking C.onnections. To-date, Rebecca Dawn has released 3 full-length albums and multiple singles, EPs, and features.

Fluent in Spanish, she has been on Mexican television programs and sings and raps in both Spanish and English, such as her songs Repite que sí and Bonita. She has performed at landmark venues in her hometown of Mohkinstsis/Calgary, across Canada, and internationally.

Rebecca's love for the diverse cultures and landscapes of the world have been a major driving factor in her music and performing arts. She is passionate about involving youth in science-based Hip Hop, incorporating her years of experience as an academic and as an artist into a truly unique niche all her own.

Teekay Othello

Teekay Othello is an R&B artist and Spotify playlist curator based out of Mohkinstsis/Calgary. Inspired by R&B hits from the late '90s and early 2000s, he blends slick lyrical melodies with a pop cadence that covers the topics of love and nostalgia. He recently released “Luv Letters 2” while maintaining over 15,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. He strives to bring out the fullest potential in artists by teaching and supporting other artists in their promotional efforts.

Jose Lacera

Jose Lacera first caught the itch for filmmaking when he started taking on video projects as a freelancer in high school. Jose brings everything he has to give to all his projects, tweaking his process and resulting videos to be a bit better each time. He labours to deliver genre-defining videos to his clients and inspire others to follow their life's dreams while holding the content he creates to the highest standards. His work is littered with intention. Fretting over even the finest details, what he delivers is awe-inspiring media.

Wayword Da Tricksta

Born & raised in Siksika Nation, Wacey Little Light AKA Wayword Da Tricksta, is an artist In Mohkinstsis known for his work as a co-creator of The Sweety Treaty Show—an artist showcase/Hip Hop freestyle podcast. Along with the podcast to celebrate local creators, Wayword also works for multiple organizations to facilitate Hip Hop after school programming for Indigenous youth. As ‘Da Tricksta’, Wayword explores both the physical and spiritual realms to find inspiration for new stories to guide future generations.

ZHE the Free

ZHE the Free is a rapper, poet, filmmaker, and multidisciplinary artist. When she's not building community (like founding Calgary's Cypher club) you can find her engaging with others about healing, resiliency, and the interconnectedness of life. Since completing her Bachelor of Arts degree with honours as valedictorian of her class, she has been working on her master's degree in Anthropology and Film.

Shandie Ta

Shandie Ta is a Vietnamese-Canadian whose work is fueled and inspired by stories through words and movement. Studying communications at the University of Calgary, she is interested in how meaning is constructed and internalised on both individual and societal levels.

Her most recent projects have included producing and performing in a video series for Fluid Fest titled “Vogue Mapping”, as well as a concept video set for release for Sled Island. Aiming to create safe and inclusive spaces for exploration and play, Shandie is also an organiser for VogueYYC.

She has also worked with Calgary Pride, Pink Flamingo, and Springboard Performance. She trains in Vogue and Punking/Waacking to exhibit the fun and theatrical elements of expression in the same vein as empowerment, liberation, and honesty.

Audrey Lane Cockett

Audrey Lane Cockett is a spoken word poet, filmmaker, educator, ecologist and lover of jackets who settled in Treaty 7 land, Mohkinstsis/Calgary. They honed and elevated their craft at residencies such as the Banff Spoken Word Program, the Banff Adventure Filmmaking Workshop, and the Canadian Wilderness Artist Residency. Moreover, they have been celebrated and presented in festivals, shows, and publications both locally and internationally. Audrey Lane’s work embodies wild feminist rhetoric, political discontent, tender feelings in a body that overheard it was broken, deep time, river rhythm, and the wilderness. They explore poetry, performance, and artistic fusion while blending it with community, learning, healing, and transformation.

Polo Sho

Based out of Mohkinstsis/Calgary, Polo Sho is an entrepreneur, audio engineer, and a rapper who fell in love with music at 9 years of age after discovering Eminem. His musical approach is a blend of lyrical rhymes and passionate flow. He strives to impart a message of “yes you can” to lift the spirits of his listeners. You can also find him involved in organisations like Solace Studios, YYC HipHop Daily, and LiftedOne Records.

Mukisa

Mukisa is a 19 year old musician from Uganda currently residing in Berlin to attend Music School. He is a multi-instrumentalist, dancer, rapper, singer-songwriter and producer. Growing up, Mukisa learned to express himself through music from within the comfort of his bedroom walls, to stages with audiences growing in numbers. Having lived in a few countries in East Africa, he was exposed to several cultures, bettering his understanding of different musical genres and how music translates across borders. From Jazz to Hip Hop, Afrobeats to Indie Rock, and R&B to Funk Pop.

Mukisa continues to explore his versatile nature by enfolding themself in the wonderfully welcoming music community here in Calgary. Because of his keen interest in the use of music in learning spaces, and its use in developing non-verbal communication, he will go on to study music and sound production at BIMM Institute Berlin. From there, not only will he gain more insight into his own sound, but also gain a better understanding on how he can use his music to bring about the change he hopes to see

This project is made possible thanks to the generous financial support of the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) through the Immunization Partnership Fund.