Cikilaxʷm: Controlled Burn

Cameron sinkʷə Fraser-Monroe returns with his newest work for the company, Cikilaxʷm: Controlled Burn, a full-length narrative ballet that blazes across time and tradition and is set to original commissioned music by Cree cellist and composer Cris Derksen. Projections by Euro/Omushkego Cree artist Andy Moro will bring to life sterile cities and scorched forests, while costumes by Navajo/Cherokee designer Asa Benally layer each character with rich histories.

Set in a dystopian future where wildfire season has no end, a young Indigenous firefighter’s beliefs are challenged when he meets Mothkʷ, a fierce protector of ancestral knowledge who carries out cultural burns.

The word cikilaxʷm [tseeLAHkwum] means “prescribed fire” in nsyilxcən, the language belonging to the syilx (Okanagan) People. It relates to traditional burning practices that nourish the land and community, bringing healing and rejuvenation.

Developed in collaboration with the National Creation Fund at Canada’s National Arts Centre.

Subscriptions on sale until November 8, 2025: https://www.balletkelowna.ca/202526-subscription

Ballet Kelowna gratefully acknowledges our 2025/26 season sponsor: The Thomas Alan Budd Foundation.

You may also like the following events from Ballet Kelowna:

• This October, 8th October, 07:00 pm, Launch: 2025/26 Season Preview in Kelowna
• This November, 7th November, 07:00 pm, Countermove in Kelowna
• Happening on, 13th February, 07:00 pm, Restless Balance in Kelowna

Also check out other Arts events in Kelowna.