From folksy-roots, to avant-garde, to a penchant for the playful, the stage at the 快盈v3 Arts and Cultural Centre (NACC) will be starlit in the coming weeks and months, Marie Coderre, NACC's executive and artistic director, said of the upcoming performances planned for not only Yellowknife but across the Northwest Territories.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to go from a bluegrass East Coast music act, to a children鈥檚 festival of Indigenous art, to a group from Quebec,鈥� Coderre said of the variety of upcoming performances in the coming weeks.

鈥淲e wanted to gather groups from different areas, from different creative influences. So, you have a little bit of everything for everybody. And we want to be a place where people can feel home and find something they like.鈥�

Old Man Luedecke returns

Coderre said audiences will no doubt recognize the name of Nova Scotia performer Old Man Luedecke when he returns to the North - this time for a territory-wide tour, which will include stops in Norman Wells, Hay River, Inuvik, Fort Smith, Fort Simpson and Yellowknife.

Luedecke, known for his 鈥渂anjo-driven stompers鈥� and guitar ballads and accompanying storytelling is known for connecting with his audiences with his range of entertainment.

鈥淲e have a huge East Coast population in the North, and we were looking for someone who has this bluegrass, folk music tradition from the East Coast,鈥� Coderre said.

鈥淗e's a fantastic storyteller. It's a blend of storytelling, and his music will appeal to a lot of people who have been in the North long enough, and I know that the East Coast population and the overall population absolutely love this kind of artist.鈥�

Old Man Luedecke said he is no stranger to performing in smaller venues and communities, something he has done across the world, and he looks forward to his upcoming cross-territory tour, which begins on January 21st in Norman Wells.

鈥淚 feel very grateful. It feels like a real sort of Canadian victory, to be able to be a performer in that regard, in this country,鈥� Luedecke said. 鈥淚've been really lucky that I've been able to play in small communities from rural Queensland to all over Canada, in rural communities and smaller gigs.

鈥淚've done these festivals in small halls and I've done home roots tours, where you end up playing in people's homes,鈥� the Juno Award winner said from his home in Nova Scotia recently.

鈥淎nd I think it's a vital and the most rewarding part of my professional performing life - adapting to the local scene, and trying to figure out how it's common, how it's different, and what I have to bring and what I can offer that is a little bit of escape, and what I can offer that's a little bit of commonality, and that sort of thing.鈥�

Sing-a-long fun

Coderre said the young and young-at-heart will appreciate the fun that Yellowknife performer Miranda Currie brings onstage during her Children鈥檚 Festival of Silliness sub-arctic sing-a-long.

The interactive Indigenous artist, known for creating accessible northern Indigenous music, will sing favourites such as 鈥淢y Ribbon Skirt鈥� and other songs as well as stories that provide insight into the culture.

鈥淪he is a multi-disciplinary artist,鈥� Coderre said of Currie.

鈥淢iranda is fantastic with really developing a kids鈥� show around Indigenous languages. So, it's going to be a participatory performance and the kids will be able to sing and respond.

鈥淪he's quite driven and talented, so she's really able to get the kids involved in the show. And it's what we want when we have a kids鈥� show. We want the kids to be really captivated, and so it's an honour to work with her again,鈥� Coderre said.

To add to the fun that day, Coderre said that a Frozen sing-a-long will also be held on stage - a tribute to the popular Disney movie.

An avant-garde spring

The exquisite talent of Compagnie Marie Chouinard from Quebec will grace the NACC stage during the dance performance of Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun & the Rite of Spring in February, Coderre said.

鈥淭his is a pure work of art, what she does,鈥� Coderre said of Chouinard鈥檚 choreography, known for its originality and energetic performances.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 intense. It can go in all directions. So, the passion, intensity and the creativity, it's rare I see that. But it鈥檚 at the at the core of it. it's because that generation allowed everybody in Quebec to explore... it's because they didn't have any conventions. And back in the 80s... they were not influenced by the mainstream, as well. They just created their own signature,鈥� Coderre said of the individuality Chouinard is known for.

鈥淪he's not influenced by anything but, but by her own spirit. It's a tribute to the human body, and it's a tribute to expression. We're being told what to do 90 per cent of our life. This show is like a tribute to expression.鈥�