Opening Night Spectacle co-host Wab Kinew. Image courtesy of Harbourfront Centre.

Planet IndigenUS – the largest multidisciplinary, contemporary, international Indigenous arts festival in the world – kicks off tonight at 9pm with an Opening Night Spectacle at Harbourfront Centre. Hip Hop artist/journalist Wab Kinew and actress Sarah Podemski will co-host ‘Celebrating The Crossroads,’ an evening of celebration and performances from Plex, Pacific Curls and George Leach. In a message on the festival website, organizers say that, “In this Crossroads of talent, we celebrate not only the coming together of peoples and cultures, but artistic innovators of Indigenous communities from the four corners of the globe.”

Other highlights from the week long fest include Derek Miller‘s Robbie Robertson Tribute, New Zealand reggae-dub-funk-and-more act Rhombus, Australian dance-theatre group Polytoxic‘s multi-media, audience-participatory outdoor performance, and a performance by the legendary singer Susan Aglukark at Woodland Cultural Centre.

Planet IndigenUS runs Aug 10 – 19 at Harbourfront Centre and Woodland Cultural Centre in Brantford. For more events and schedules click here.

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