Josée Bourgeois
Josée is an Algonquin First Nations multi-disciplinary artist born in Ottawa, and raised mostly in Toronto. She began her dance journey as a gymnast and in contemporary dance. Josée built a strong foundation of passion for stage performance with a drive to bring creation through dance at a very early age. When she began high school, she was scouted by the Ford International modelling agency and began a journey as one of Canada’s First Nations high fashion models. At the age of 23, she made a profound decision to begin learning Pow Wow dancing, which would completely shift her life and become a catalyst for the following chapters as a dance artist.
Josée has focused her lifestyle to connect with pow wow dancing and performing arts to be a foundation for storytelling, making roots with her son Little Thunder, and creating a positive impact through on her ancestral Algonquin territory.
Highlights thus far would include collaborations with artists like DJ Shub, DJ Classic Roots, and DJ Rise Ashen, Plex, STOiK, Jahkota, Drezus, and Sultans of String. Residencies as a dance artist under the Banff Centre, National Arts Centre’s and touring with Mura Buai production in 2019. Other theatre attributes would include The Wild West Show- Gabriel Dumont Story, and Mushkiki Nibi production with the National Arts Center of Canada. In 2019, Josée was a part of the dance troupe, Kina Nimiwag who opened in the opening act for the Backstreet Boys at Ottawa’s Bluesfest. Josée is the Artistic Director , Writer, Choreographer, and performer of the experimental film, The Sickness, funded by the National Arts Center and Indigenous Theatre. Josée has performed traditional pow wow dance openings at over 150 City of Ottawa events, prestigious galas and awards ceremonies, honouring events and government reconciliation events.
Josée is committed to continuing trailblazing and reclaiming space as an Algonquin artist all over Turtle Island and across the world.
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