Feature Friday - Marshall Diabo
Photo by Anthony Pelli
Name
Marshall Diabo
Pronouns
He / It
Bio
Marshall is an award-winning Kanien’keha:ka (Mohawk)/mixed-heritage competitive dancer/choreographer who performs with dance troupes and as a soloist. He has been dancing powwow and street dance styles for over 10 years, on stage and in film. Marshall also teaches dance regularly and coaches a competitive dance team at Break City Dance Studio. He has been seen dancing at Battery Dance Festival (New York, NY), Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal, the Olympic Stadium, on television, Montreal Pride, and various other festivals. He was invited to perform as a dancer with renowned Indigenous cellist, Cris Derksen. He was the subject of a documentary on TV about inspiring young First Nation’s children; danced in the new documentary series on Aboriginal People’s Television Network (APTN), PULSE; and has danced in Radio Canada’s Le Grand Solstice. He is also an instructor, mentor, and choreographer in the Indigenous teen dance program Watershed, as he believes it is important to pass on knowledge to the next generations. He takes pride in being 2-spirited and queer and hopes to inspire other youth to be proud of who they are and to go for their dreams.
Instagram
@marshdiabo
Photo by Bri Bedard
Where in Montreal are you located?
The Plateau
What do you love about that neighborhood?
I love the creativity, the art and the lovely queers <3
What’s your favourite art space in Montreal and why?
Honestly, there are so many art spaces I love, but I think that I would say Parc Lafontaine actually! I love creating art there with my partner or with friends, and I love to see so many people doing the same thing. It is full of life out there!
What do you do on stage? Tell us about your work!
I am a mixed-styles dancer, specializing in hip hop and venturing into the contemporary realm. I love to mix styles a lot while still doing my best to honour each of their individual roots. I enjoy finding ways to move that reflects my inner thoughts and feelings, and I love to find new strange ways to move my body and portray human/non-human forms.
Describe your art in your own words.
I choreographed and perform a solo titled "Tasseomancy", meaning the reading of tea leaves, which is a piece reflecting the duality of chaos and peace within ritual.
My newest work recently premiered at Montreal Fringe, "Dolycule", and it is a solo choreographed and performed by me, and directed by my partner, Bri Bedard. This piece is about the complex and passionate relationship between three doll lovers; Porcelain Doll, Clown Doll and Ragdoll.
What have you been working on recently?
I've been working a lot on Dolycule, which we aim to expand. We really want to highlight polyamorous and queer representation in this work, showing it can be messy and beautiful like any kind of relationship. It is such a fun piece to perform, and it will hopefully get longer, more fun, sexy and heart-wrenching.
What drew you to the stage?
I have always loved to perform, with my friends, for my family... My mother is also a wonderfully talented dancer, and she has been my mentor since I was a toddler. I grew up in studios, and I continued to find my passion in performing as well as teaching. Dance is a beautiful universal language and it is so healing.
Who are some of your favourite stage performers?
I am inspired by so many dancers, notably Barbara Diabo (my mother), Simik Komaksiutiksak, Nicole Jacobs, Katie Couchie, Professor Word, and Ebnfloh (run by Spicey).
Tell us about your BEST or WORST performance.
One of my best performances was one of my runs of Dolycule in the Fringe Festival. That night, I had a lot of wonderful dancer friends and family come to support me, and it felt so warm to have my community come out to see me. It was a really special run, I felt so in the zone.
What’s your favorite Montreal stage and why?
I really enjoyed performing a work-in-progress of Dolycule recently at Theatre des Écuries for the Ohakwaront residency with CCOV. I was in one of the black-box spaces, which felt really nice and intimate, with a great amount of space and AC (yay!)
