Community Spotlight / Where Chokecherries & Bharatanatyam Collide: ‘Takwahiminana’ Premieres In Toronto Today

Where Chokecherries & Bharatanatyam Collide: ‘Takwahiminana’ Premieres In Toronto Today

Community Spotlight Apr 30, 2025

by Team ANOKHI LIFE

At the crossroads of identity, love, and land, Matthew MacKenzie’s bold new play gets a vibrant Toronto premiere at Soulpepper.

A darkly funny meditation on love, land, and layered identity, Takwahiminana (pronounced “TAK-wa-HI-mi-na-na,” a Cree and Michif word for chokecherry) makes its world premiere at Toronto’s Soulpepper Theatre from April 30 to May 11, 2025. Written by acclaimed playwright Matthew MacKenzie (First Métis Man of Odesa, Bears), this genre-bending new work is produced by Punctuate! Theatre and presented by Soulpepper.

Buy Tickets Here

A Métis Woman Between Two Worlds

At the centre of the story is Sharon, a Métis woman born in India who returned to her ancestral Alberta home as a teenager. Now an adult, she attends a high-end dinner party hosted by her long-time (and married) lover – an occasion marking the unofficial 20th anniversary of their affair. What begins with gourmet plates and flirtation soon spirals into something darker: a confrontation with appropriation, fetishization, and the uneasy dance of being both exoticized and erased.

Where Chokecherries & Bharatanatyam Collide: 'Takwahiminana' Premieres In Toronto Today. Credit: Photo By Dahlia Katz — Where Chokecherries & Bharatanatyam Collide: ‘Takwahiminana’ Premieres In Toronto Today. Credit: Photo By Dahlia Katz

A Return To Stage For Michaela Washburn

The role of Sharon is brought to life by Michaela Washburn, a celebrated Métis performer and Dora Award winner. Known for her fierce stage presence and emotional nuance, Washburn returns to Toronto’s theatre scene for the first time in five years, commanding the stage in this intimate yet visually striking production.

Directed by Mike Payette, Designed For Provocation

Helmed by Mike Payette, Artistic Director of Tarragon Theatre, the production also features an all-star creative team. Designers Dawn Marie Marchand, Jolane Houle, and Amelia Scott build a world both tactile and dreamlike, while the chorus of movement artists – Prithvi Castelino, Vanessa Mangar, Kajaanan Navaratnam, Swetha Pararajasingam, and Naveeni Rasiah – transform the stage with rhythmic presence and political weight.

MacKenzie’s Signature Voice, With A New Pulse

“This play is different from anything we’ve done before,” says playwright Matthew MacKenzie. “When you blend a family history from India and Alberta, there’s a lot of tension- and comedy. It’s very much my style like Bears and The Particulars – one central character speaking in third person, while an electric chorus of dancers transforms the stage into something that is both intimate and epic.”

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The Choreographic Spark: Bharatanatyam as Theatrical Force

Takwahiminana marks the choreographic theatre debut of Anoshinie Muhundarajah, an acclaimed Toronto-based dancer known for blending classical Bharatanatyam with hip hop. With nearly 50,000 followers on social media and performance credits including the Pan Am Games closing ceremony and Canada’s Got Talent, Muhundarajah injects the stage with visceral energy, using movement as a form of resistance and reclamation.

ANOKHI had the opportunity to chat with Anoshinie about her work on the play:

Acclaimed Toronto-Based Dancer, Anoshinie Muhundarajah. Credit: soulpepper.ca

ANOKHI: This is your theatrical choreographic debut – what drew you to this project and what made you say yes?

Anoshinie Muhundarajah: My immediate connection with producer Andy Cohen and playwright Matt Mackenzie was the initial step to knowing that I wanted to work with this incredible team. When I first read the script, my thought was “Wow how am I going to create to an entire script?” but I also knew that I was meant to bring my craft to it because I absolutely love storytelling. This is the first time that I created movement and choreography where the dancers would solely rely on word cues as to music and beats which is what I’m used to. I’m so grateful this project was brought to me and I said yes because this was one the most organic, stress free, and beautiful experiences I’ve ever had.

ANOKHI: How did you approach blending Bharatanatyam with a dark comedic play rooted in Métis and South Asian identity?

Anoshinie: From the intricate “mudras” (hand gestures) to the “navarasa” (nine emotions/expressions) rooted in Bharatanatyam, storytelling is an integral component of the form. While exploring the story, I quickly discovered the commonalities that thread between Metis and South Asian identity, especially within ritual, ceremony, and community. This allowed me to bridge the two worlds and heighten this dark comedic play by honing into the storytelling of Bharatanatyam and movement from other dance forms that I have been influenced by over the years.

ANOKHI: You’ve built a large following by fusing tradition with modernity. How did you bring that same energy to the stage?

Anoshinie: Fusing tradition with modernity is almost second nature to me now because I have been doing it for a long time. However, I always get nervous when bringing this approach to new spaces because I know I am going against tradition and that may not be accepted by everyone. After reading the script and having workshopped movement, it was very much instinctual for me to take the route of marrying tradition with modernity. It’s what made the most sense for the story of Takwahiminana.

ANOKHI: What do you hope audiences – especially South Asian and Indigenous viewers – take away from the choreography in this production?

Anoshinie: I truly hope the choreography in this production evokes emotion in the audience and they feel something. This story has so many layers and these layers allow for people to connect and relate to it in their own way. I hope that the choreography takes them through this journey of Takwahiminana and understand that at the end of the day all people need to be loved and accepted.

Show Info

Takwahiminana
Dates: April 30 – May 11, 2025
Venue: Soulpepper Theatre Company – Tank House Theatre (50 Tank House Lane, Toronto)
Run time: 80 minutes, no intermission
Tickets: Start at $30

Buy Tickets Here

Information provided by: Punctuate! Theatre
Featured Image: Photo By Dahlia Katz

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Where Chokecherries & Bharatanatyam Collide: ‘Takwahiminana’ Premieres In Toronto Today

by Team ANOKHI LIFE

A Métis Woman Between Two Worlds

A Return To Stage For Michaela Washburn

Directed by Mike Payette, Designed For Provocation

MacKenzie’s Signature Voice, With A New Pulse

The Choreographic Spark: Bharatanatyam as Theatrical Force

Show Info

COMMENTS

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