Bio
Nayana Fielkov is a critically acclaimed performing artist dedicated to the work of play. She is based on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples–Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. Beginning with scripted plays and musicals over two decades ago, she evolved through the creation and wearing of masks, into the worlds of clown and devised theatre.
Nayana has performed at recognized festivals and venues across the nation with her genre-bending approach to theatre. She is co creator of multi-award winning RAGMOP Theatre, Habitats, Underbelly and The Myrtle Sisters. She brings together the mediums of clown, dance, mask, and physical comedy. Along with her touring duo and solo shows, she creates ensemble work, roving acts, hosting characters, variety acts, and is an active and founding member of Vancouver's cherished Dusty Flowerpot Cabaret. She teaches contact dance and clown internationally, and has facilitated youth in theatre creation for many events including The International Children's Festival. Nayana is also a maker of puppets, clothing, costumes, and is a proud mother of a twelve year old boy.
General Show Descriptions
Hotel Vortruba
From the creators of the award-winning international physical comedy sensation Falling Awake, RAGMOP Theatre presents Hotel Vortruba.
Welcome to Hotel Vortruba -an exquisite world of magic, circus and comedy all wrapped up in the beauty of a surrealist Hotel. Described by a fan as "a Pixar short written by Salvador Dali," this piece of stunning, hilarious theatre is full of surprises. Items from the Hotel appear, reappear, change places, float, and have minds of their own. The proprietor, a masked eccentric, whimsically tries to keep it together as the hotel roof begins to drip. Will they catch all the drops? Will the guest make it through the night? What about the rats? Will the contract they have signed hold up when it all falls apart? Let's find out! Come check in at Hotel Vortruba.
Length: 55 minutes
Formats: Pre-recorded video available for schools, Live show available for theatre bookings and festivals.
Ages: All ages
Ensemble: 2 Performers with roaming set pieces
HABITATS (Outdoor)
HABITATS (Indoor)
HABITATS
A twist between Fellini and Lewis Carroll, Habitats is an enchanting performance for all ages combining elements of physical comedy, contemporary dance, circus and shadow puppetry. Accompanied by a mysterious white hare, a woman travels through dream-like roads in search of home. Through her journey into the unknown, she learns to transform her fears into curiosity. Celebrating the power of imagination, Habitats is a living poem about migration, transformation and the interaction between humans and animals.
Length: Indoor (40 min) or Outdoor (25 min)
Formats: Live for community events and festivals.
Ages: All ages
Ensemble: 2 performers in costume, one in stilts
FOOLS PROOF - Clowning Workshop
This workshop is an invitation to expand and develop play and personal presence. It is an opportunity to bring more awareness to the detail of sensation, our senses, and how we connect to our environment and one another with an a-tuned aliveness. Through a series of experiential awareness building games and exercises, you will cultivate curiosity, explore emotional and expressive range, loosen our perceptions, and practice the bravery of sharing your willingness and openness. Through following the body and our impulses, we can be in delight with the discovery of the moment. Whats so funny?!?! WE ARE!!
In this workshop you will:
*Laugh A LOT
*Practice being seen and seeing
*Work with our agency in emotional range
*Practice simplicity and honesty to uncover in what is funny
*Work both solo and ensemble
*Explore extension of impulse to become familiar with the edges of what is possible
*Play with heightened moments to cultivate honest responsiveness
*Work with tempo, rhythm, space, tensegrity, image and form to gain agency in the body as a tool
*Access tools for generating content
Perfect for performers and non-performers, dancers, actors, musicians, storytellers, and anyone interested in building their personal presence and sensory awareness in performance and everyday life! Taught in English with Gibberish subtitles.
"If I were a fool, I'd know exactly what to do"
Length: 3 hour, weekend (2 x 6 hours), or week-long residencies for schools
Formats: School workshops and live community events
Ages: All ages
Note: Workshops can be clown only, or clown and mime if combined with booking Hotel Vortruba or clown and stilting if combined with HABITATS
The Myrtle Sisters
The Myrtle Sisters, featuring Candice Roberts, Nayana Fielkov, and Kat Single-Dain, are a trio of east Vancouver performers delighting audiences of all ages with their harmonies, twinkling-tap numbers and family antics! They’ve been showcasing a clowning, vaudeville and dance menagerie of musical calamity for over 10 years in a variety of venues. Expect plenty of charm and shenanigans along with their original and historic songs and dances. The music stands on its own, but their onstage family antics, tap stylings and wild tunes are not to be missed.
TESTIMONIALS
“Nayana Fielkov is”… “immensely charming.” - Collin Thomas, reviewer for the Georgia Straight Vancouver.
“Nayana Fielkov show(s) off an impressive range of skills.” CBC
HOTEL VORTRUBA
“An extraordinary blend of mime and magic”
★★★★★
-Global News
“It’s the perfect mix of magic, physical comedy and charm.”
★★★★★
-Edmonton Journal
"The two tap into a seemingly endless array of dexterous theatrical abilities (including clown, magic, mime, mask, puppetry, illusion, dance and various other circus arts) to mount a show that is a marvel to behold, a continuing treat and a boisterous display of exotic, theatrical talent."
★★★★★
-Gig City
HABITATS
"Nayana Fielkov and Isabelle Kirouac take you to an entirely new and strange dimension with a giant rabbit and a clown. What a combination. This is an incredibly elegant romp in our strange new world and you could see the audience and the casual walkers passing by were all mesmerized and everyone stayed to watch. This performance is all ages and was done as a free show outdoors in the cultch courtyard. The costumes were lovely and the music perfect."
-Miranda Possee
Clowning Workshops
"I genuinely cannot speak highly enough of working with Nayana. What she creates is more than just clowning — it is a container through which you can see your life and the world in a new way (which includes a lot of laughing). If you’re on the fence about doing this workshop, I encourage anyone and everyone to take the leap. You won’t regret it."
-Student
"We really appreciated working with Nayana. It was exciting to see her passion and experience transfer into meaningful and direct lessons and opportunities. Nayana was able to facilitate very strong and playful solo, small group and ensemble work built on awareness, listening and responsiveness.Nayana has left us with several retainable, lessons and examples that will continue to be useful as our work evolves."
-Jason Donaldson, Theatre Arts, Gulf Islands School of Performing Art