IQALUIT - Iqaluit's 4th annual Alianait! arts festival will be showcasing something new this year: its first ever youth-focused area.

"It's called 'the spOt.' It's for the youth to chill," said Christine Lamothe, also known as Lil' Bear, a break-dance instructor in Iqaluit.

Shown here is Christine Lamothe, Lil' Bear, doing "baby freeze" in Iqaluit. - photo courtesy of Kaiva

Break dancing for the past 10 years, Lamothe leads the dance crew Kaiva, which will be performing a mix of traditional dance and modern hip hop at Alianait!'s opening ceremony.

The purpose of "the spOt" is to create an area for artistic expression for youth for the duration of Alianait!.

"The festival is in its fourth year, so we're still really, really young, but the population of Nunavut is really young," said Emily Woods, co-ordinator of the Alianait! festival, adding organizers are looking to tailor the event towards youth.

According to Woods, when the festival's selection committee was determining the performance line-up, they decided performers for youth were also necessary.

As a result, Ishdafish, a performer from B.C., will be putting on musical shows and a balloon-sculpting workshop for younger children.

"We thought, why not extend it further and have an area for youth to hang out," said Woods.

Under "the spOt" proposal, there are three components: hip-hop workshops, a mural project and DJ training. The dance workshop has been confirmed, and the other two initiatives will go forward pending funding.

"I know that a lot of kids are into hip hop, rapping and DJing," Lamothe said, noting this would provide an opportunity for them to participate in all of those activities.

"We'll have a dance floor. Me and my students will be training beginners," she said of the Kaiva crew.

Hip hop tunes and break dancing will run from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily, with training for kids during the first half and for teenagers during the second.

"I'm trying to get an Alaskan Yupik DJ to come to train (youth) Monday to Friday, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. during the week," she said, referring to Julien Jacobs, who spins under the name DJ HeTook.

Weather permitting, equipment will be set up outside, and Jacobs will teach hour-and-a-half-long sessions for five youth at a time. According to Lamothe, Jacobs will be teaching them mixing techniques, blending one song into another. Youth will then have a chance to experiment for themselves on Kaiva's equipment.

The visual arts component to "the spOt" is being run by Celina Kalluk and Becky Kilabuk; both are visual and performing artists. Kilabuk is also a photographer and youth advocate, while Kalluk is the president of Atii-Go Media.

For the past few years, youth have added to the mural on the side of the City of Iqaluit building during the festival.

"This year, we're hoping to do cut outs," said Woods.

If the proposal is accepted, youth will be creating works of art, painting from photographs. These culturally-themed paintings will then be put up throughout the city.

Lamothe is still working on incorporating a song-writing rap table into the youth area. This would consist of several tables set up with stimulating words and phrases to give kids the inspiration to create their own lyrics.

"It's just for kids to have experience with song, rap, rhyme-writing," she said.

"I'm really into getting out there and doing stuff with the youth."

Alianait! begins June 21 and runs until July 1.