Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

NNSL (Feb 22/99) - Sitting amidst a roomful of Zinour Fathoullin's paintings is like sitting in a room full of living, breathing Cape Dorset elders.

The vivid colours and vibrant expressions on the faces in his paintings makes it seem as if they are truly taking part in the conversation.

News/North caught up with Fathoullin in Iqaluit last week and over apple pie and strong black coffee, he talked about his art show in Cape Dorset and spoke about his preparations for a series of dance numbers aimed at the Nunavut celebrations on April 1.

News/North:

Tell me about your dance history.

Zinour Fathoullin:

When we first moved North, we went to Rankin Inlet for about six months. I tried to do something and involve people in all kinds of dance, but our time was very short in Rankin Inlet.

We moved here two and a half years ago and I was working for Arctic College three and a half hours a week doing art and dance. For Christmas, we did a very primitive drumdance with my Nunavut Teacher's Education Program (NTEP) students. People were really excited about it because they don't see anything in Cape Dorset.

The next year they didn't have the program. I guess it wasn't very important for Arctic College.

I tried to involve kids in Cape Dorset, high school kids mostly. I tried to keep going, but lots of kids quit and new kids came and I had just a few that came week after week. It was hard work and for them, this kind of discipline was unusual. I'm from Russia, I'm a tough teacher and if you're here, you have to work.

And then Elisapee Davidee and Mary Wilman called me from Iqaluit and somehow found out that a Russian choreographer was living in Cape Dorset. They called me and I was very excited because they had dancers but no choreography.

We did a big show last March and April and I worked with the schools. Iqaluit people were really appreciative and parents were crying watching their kids on the stage for the first time.

News/North:

Was that what made you want to put something on for April 1?

Zinour Fathoullin:

In May, Elisapee made a proposal and I was back in Cape Dorset. She asked me for some ideas and we sent the proposal to Ottawa. I talked to my wife Gayle and said if I get this grant, I will have to go to Iqaluit for four months. That's too long for me and you to be apart and from my kids. I said let's move to Iqaluit. What do we have to lose and we moved here in August.

I'm working three nights a week with this dance group and after next week, it will be four. It's very hard work. I'm selling myself for nothing, but it's worth it because I'm creating art. We have a couple of dances we have to clean up and I want to start to choreograph another, a big composition about Inuit people, about their lives. I have lots of ideas, but what's bothering me is I have no salary because I haven't heard about the proposal.

After the Christmas concert at Joamie last year, they asked me to continue on with this legend about a woman who turns into a narwhal. We are working on that for April 1.

April 1 is very important for us to show ourselves, mostly for the local government. We are already scheduled for three performances for sure on April 1, but the gala performance, we're not sure because they don't want to involve too much youth. At 10 p.m., there will be a youth show and we will dance there.

News/North:

What happened at this art show in Cape Dorset?

Zinour Fathoullin:

I applied for a grant from the NWT Arts Council to paint the elders of Cape Dorset. For this art council, I have to show my paintings so I have to go to Cape Dorset this weekend. I want to finish them for April 1 to show them here.

News/North:

Have you been a dancer and an artist for a long time?

Zinour Fathoullin:

I've danced since 1958. When I was seven, I started dancing for a half-professional, half-amateur (company). In 1968, I was invited to be a ballet dancer. I danced in Siberia all my life.

News/North:

Is that where you're from?

Zinour Fathoullin:

Yes, from Siberia.

News/North:

When did you come to Canada?

Zinour Fathoullin:

Eight years ago.

News/North:

Did you come as a dancer?

Zinour Fathoullin:

No, it happened by accident. I danced for 12 years in this ballet theatre, but I had a son in Russia from my first wife. My sister was living in the Russian Arctic. I was finishing up art college and my sister said come here and you'll make good money. We needed money for the doctors for my son. I asked her what I would do and she said just come for the summer and you'll make good money. For three months, I was a graphic artist for the government. I made big bucks. The Siberian government spent lots of money on propaganda and I did a few posters for them.

I said to my wife, let's move there. She said no, she didn't want to leave her family. My wife started to talk about a divorce. Finally after a couple of years, I came home and I said okay, if you want a divorce, I'm ready. My son died later.

News/North:

Are you Inuk?

Zinour Fathoullin:

No, I'm a Native of Siberia, but people always think I'm an Inuk.

I danced with Russian Inuit for 10 years so I know their dances.

By chance, I was in the restaurant and they were celebrating, people were dancing, drinking, eating. They saw me dancing around and they asked me if I was dancer. I said yes and they said they were looking for a male dancer. They said they travelled all around and so I danced with them for 10 years.

Then in 1990, one of my friends who is a journalist from a newspaper called the Red North, wanted me to go to this exhibition on a boat on the river from the South Arctic. I said why not.

Gayle came from Canada with a Canadian group of biologists and we met. We went to Moscow and Gayle started talking about taking me to Canada. I said I can't, but she said just for a visit. She made arrangements for six months and bought me a ticket and sent it to Moscow.

When I came to Moscow, the Canadian embassy started to ask questions, the interpreters. All interpreters in Russia are KGB guys. They said they couldn't let me go and I called Gayle. Gayle called the Canadian attache in Russia and that woman said she wanted to discuss it one more time. Then they said they couldn't stop me because the attache talked to them and they cut my visit to three months.

After two and a half months, Gayle talked to me and said she would miss me, let's get married. I said let's try, why not?