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Getting set for Alianait!

Laura Power
Northern News Services
Published Monday, January 21, 2008

IQALUIT - There may be plenty of time before Alianait! Arts Festival takes place, but the planning is ongoing. This month, organizers of the event revealed the theme of this year's festival, which will be Strings.

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Laila Hansen (foreground) and Laakkuluk Williamson rile up the crowd at the Alianait! Aboriginal Day concert in Iqaluit on June 21. - NNSL file photo

"It came about because I'm a string player, and I put thousands of hours into this festival," said Heather Daley, festival director.

She said they try and pick a theme "that first of all can cross the different media ... musically we try and pick an instrument which is common amongst our culture."

The obvious musical association to the theme of Strings would be the fiddle, as it is very common in communities around Nunavut, but Daley said the theme will also include many other stringed instruments including the banjo and the mandolin.

And it's not just about music, either. The string theme will incorporate other traditions.

"String games is a very ancient Inuit tradition, so we thought that's a perfect theme for an Alianait! festival," said Daley.

She said other media can participate in other possible activities such as marionette shows, screenings of films about string games and more.

Now the theme is in place, time is already running out for artists who want to take part in the festival. Though the deadline is Jan. 31 for applications, Daley said they will make a special effort to include many Northern artists.

"We're telling Nunavut artists that if they need a little bit more time, that they should send me an e-mail," she said.

Organizers will also make an effort to ensure that the festival features a variety of artists from the rest of the circumpolar world.

Though selection of the artists has not yet taken place, Daley said there will definitely be a performance by ArtCirq along with tons of musical entertainment.

"I would say that you're going to see musicians from around the world and around Nunavut and across Canada," she said.

Applications have already been received from artists around the world, she said. The lineup is expected to be released in March.

As usual, the festival will begin on June 21, the summer solstice, and finish on July 1, Canada Day.