For the 2022 Toronto Biennial, Ange and Jumblies Theatre & Arts, in collaboration with a team of artists, including choreographers, dancers and composers, have created DISH DANCES, which further expands on ideas about the governance and sustainability of the land. Like Ange’s previous work with Talking Treaties (2015-ongoing), this, too, is performed by an all-Indigenous cast, including familiar faces from prior creations working alongside students from the Centre for Indigenous Theatre. Filmed at Camp Naivelt on the Credit River, the project is presented as a video installation at Fort York.
DISH DANCES reanimates the Credit River, a place of council watching over the Dish with One Spoon agreement. This time-honoured concept is central to the relationship between Indigenous Nations in the Great Lakes region: Take only what’s required, and ensure that all living things can sustain their lives. The inevitability of greed and conflict signal a call to conversation about responsibility to land and its preservation for future generations. For the Biennial, the project will have a companion installation at Jumblies Theatre & Arts featuring historic texts providing information about the Dish with One Spoon concept, as well as props from DISH DANCES.
DISH DANCES (2022) is commissioned by the Toronto Biennial of Art in partnership with Fort York National Historic Site, Toronto History Museums and made possible with the support of ArtworxTO, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Women Leading Initiative.
Audio Didactic:
Bios
Ange Loft (Kahnawà:ke Kanien’kehá:ka, born in Kahnawake, Canada; lives in Toronto, Canada) is associate artistic director of Jumblies Theatre & Arts and an interdisciplinary performing artist and initiator practicing in Toronto. She is also a vocalist with the experimental music and performance art collective Yamantaka//Sonic Titan. Her collaborations use arts-based research, wearable sculpture and theatrical story-weaving to facilitate workshops and theatrical spectacle. Ange created the “Toronto Indigenous Context Brief” for the Toronto Biennial of Art’s Advisory Council.
Participated in the “Rabbit Hole: Pod Theory” Residency, 2020.
Jumblies Theatre & Arts (founded in 2001 by Ruth Howard and based in Toronto, Canada) makes art with, for and about people and places. Jumblies collaborates with diverse artists and community members, uncovering and expressing their buried and urgent stories, saying “everyone is welcome,” and creating transient utopias with lasting ripples.
- Accessibility
Fort York National Historic Site, Toronto History Museums
Fort York is committed to providing access for visitors to as many areas of the site as possible. All walkways within the seven-acre walled site are asphalt surfaced and are accessible for visitors who use mobility aids. Some exhibits require walking up or down stairs. The Stone Magazine and the Brick Magazine are not wheelchair accessible. The pathway in the Strachan Ave. cemetery is a packed gravel surface with limited accessibility for people using mobility aids. Restored fortification features such as walls, ditches, and dry moats may not be accessible for visitors using mobility aids.
Portable ramps will be provided for any edges that need to be negotiated through doorways and assist visitors with ramp placement. In cases where a visitor cannot access a space, an interpretive overview will be provided upon request (person to person).
Service animals are welcome. Seating can be found in a number of exhibits, outside many of the structures, and in the picnic table area. All washrooms are accessible. Public access washrooms are located in the Visitor Centre, South Soldiers’ Barracks, on the lower floor of the Blue Barracks. The Blue Barracks washroom is accessible via elevator. Water fountains are located outside and only available seasonally.
Please call 416-392-6907 or email Fort York at fortyork@toronto.ca for specific accessibility questions.
- Getting There
Fort York National Historic Site, Toronto History Museums
Fort York is mainly an outdoor site with walking required between locations. Some structures and exhibits require walking up or down stairs. There are also picnic tables on site. Guests should allow at least two hours for their visit to Fort York. Strollers are welcome at Fort York and are easy to navigate throughout most of the site.
By Car
From Gardiner Expressway eastbound: Take the Jameson exit off the Gardiner Expressway to Lake Shore Boulevard. Continue eastbound on Lake Shore Boulevard, past Exhibition Place, turning left on Fort York Boulevard. North on Fort York Boulevard past Fleet Street. The parking lot is in front of our Visitor Centre, under the Gardiner Expressway, located at 250 Fort York Boulevard. Metered parking; $1.00 per half hour.From Gardiner Expressway westbound: Take the Spadina exit off the Gardiner Expressway and continue westbound on Lake Shore Boulevard. Turn right at Fort York Boulevard and continue north past Fleet Street. The parking lot is in front of our Visitor Centre, under the Gardiner Expressway, located at 250 Fort York Boulevard. Metered parking; $1.00 per half hour.
Additional Green P parking is available at the corner of Fleet Street and Strachan Avenue. Access this Green P lot via the westbound lane of Fleet Street and turn right onto Garrison Road (Garrison Road is marked by the ‘Old Fort York’ archway). This parking lot can also be accessed from Strachan Avenue. Once parked, visitors can walk along Fleet Street to Fort York Boulevard to the Visitor Centre entrance.
Carpark 266 – 250 Fort York Blvd – surface parking – 49 spaces
Carpark 271 – 800 Fleet St – surface parking – 132 spaces
TTC
From Bathurst Station: On Line 2, take the Bathurst 511 “Exhibition” bus southbound. Exit at Fleet Street and Bastion Street stop. Walk north along Bastion Street to Fort York Boulevard. Cross the Fort York Boulevard and walk west along Fort York Boulevard to the Visitor Centre.From Union Station: Take the 509 Harbourfront streetcar westbound towards the CNE Exhibition grounds on Fleet Street. Exit streetcar at Fleet Street and Fort York Boulevard stop. Walk north to the Visitor Centre.
OR
At street level, from the north-east corner of Front St. W. and Bay St.: take the 121 Fort York-Esplanade bus westbound towards the CNE Exhibition grounds, exit at Fort York Boulevard and Fleet street and walk north to the Visitor CentreFrom Eglinton West Station: Board the 63 Ossington Bus Southbound. Proceed southbound to Strachan Avenue, south of King Street. Exit the bus at Strachan Avenue and East Liberty Street and walk south towards the Strachan stairs at the west end of Fort York.
For specific TTC route and schedule information call 416-393-4636 (INFO) or visit the TTC website.
Other Transit
From Exhibition GO Station: Take the 509 Harbourfront OR 511 Bathurst streetcar and exit streetcar at Fleet Street and Fort York Boulevard stop. Walk north on the west side of Fort York Blvd to the Fort York Visitor Centre. For specific GO train schedule information visit the GO Transit website.By Bicycle
Bike parking, as well as a Bike Share Toronto station, are located outside the Visitor Centre.From King and Bathurst, ride south on Bathurst Street towards Lake Ontario. Cross the Bathurst (Sir Isaac Brock) Bridge and turn right onto Fort York Boulevard. Follow the Fort York Boulevard bike lane to the Visitor Centre.
From King and Strachan from King Street ride south on Strachan Avenue towards the lake. Turn left at Fleet Street and follow to Fort York Boulevard. Turn left on Fort York Boulevard and ride north to the Visitor Centre.
From the Martin Goodman Trail at Lake Shore Boulevard and Strachan Avenue exit the trail and ride north on Strachan to Fleet Street. Turn left at Fleet Street and follow to Fort York Boulevard. Turn right on Fort York Boulevard and ride north to the Visitor Centre.
Bicycle Parking at Special Events: Many large-scale events (concerts, festivals) will have additional bike parking. Please check with the event for more information on special event bike parking.
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