A drumming performance will command the stage at the 快盈v3 Arts and Cultural Centre (NACC) on Saturday, while another entertainer affiliated with NACC will make her way to Fort Simpson next week.

Loco means crazy in Spanish, and Loco Ladies is a group of women who have teamed up together to perform taiko, a drum originally from Japan. The band started online with members Mel Ski, Chiara 鈥淜hilibe鈥� Codetta and Romina Taverna coming from different musical backgrounds and having met in Germany and Spain. They offered online workshops to others interested in learning the art over the past few years.

The Loco Ladies are now embarking on a post-pandemic road trip and they attracted the attention of Yellowknife鈥檚 Nancy Mullick, who founded SkyFire Taiko with Kevin Cull in 2015.

Mullick extended an invitation to the Loco Ladies to come to the NWT capital to perform on stage. That offer was accepted.

David Dowe, co-owner of Double D Rockstar Studios, will be a special guest during the March 4 taiko show.

Heading down the highway

Miranda Currie will hold a show at the Fort Simpson elementary school on March 8. Her new album, Tickling the Taiga, features songs that introduce young listeners to different genres of music through a 快盈v3 Indigenous lens.

Currie knows that Indigenous language speakers are declining so she hopes to provide some help in revitalizing the languages.

鈥淚 just want to make it fun for kids, and make them be proud of their language through music,鈥� she said.

She has been performing as a children鈥檚 entertainer for 10 years, which she said she enjoys.

Currie is also one of the mentors with NACC鈥檚 mentorship program.

According to NACC, mentoring is a partnership that involves two individuals or an individual combining with an organization that is committed to professional and personal growth.

Marie Coderre, NACC鈥檚 executive and artistic director, said NACC is focusing on creating relationships with professional artists performing at the theatre from other provinces or countries. The plan is to eventually collaborate with the mentees to commission new works, support workshops, showcase formal presentations and help with technical and design assistance.

NACC will provide a creation and rehearsal space for specialized workshops and professional mentoring opportunities. This funding is allocated per artist based on the artist鈥檚 need and assessed project development.