Menu
There is a sacredness in the ability to share our culture’s richness with the world. To tell its story and heritage from our perspective and express its vibrancy and beauty. West-Can is the expression of history and spirit through the performing arts of music, dance, and storytelling. We introduce creative ways to honor the past and conserve the heritage and history of the Caribbean islands.
Needing to create a sense of ‘Home away from Home’, West-Can founders designed a space where they could collectively support, share and learn from one another. This has since evolved into what West-Can is today, an artistic community that honors the past and shares its knowledge with the future so they understand all that has come before them.
As a non-profit organization our mission is to use the performing arts to create community among people from the West Indies and their allies. We are dedicated to the preservation, sharing, creation and promotion of Caribbean arts, culture and heritage.
The group has expanded its horizons to include Haitian folklore and traditional African dance styles. During its 30+ years of existence West-Can has touched the hearts of many with their exciting performances, theatrical presentations and drum and dance workshops. Over the years West-Can has offered drum and dance classes to the children of the Caribbean community, ensuring that the rich Caribbean folk culture is passed down to the next generation.
The group has maintained its position as an ambassador of Caribbean folk culture throughout Quebec and Canada and has performed at Montreal Grand Prix, Nuits d’Afrique, The International Reggae Festival, Montreal Caribbean Fashion week 2015 and the International Folk Festival in Drummondville, Quebec and at the 32nd edition of the Folklore Festival in Schoten, Belgium (Werelddansfestival Hello! Schoten). The company has also performed in various festivals in Ontario, Western Canada and the museum of Natural History in Manhattan. Recently (June 2013), West-Can was invited to perform at the Port-of-Spain Town Hall as well as participate in the re enactment of the Canboulay riots of 1881 (March 2014, February 2016, February 2018).