Tasha Faye Evans is an artist, creator, mother, and lover of the cedar trees whose work is rooted in story, movement, and land. For more than three decades, she has cultivated a multidisciplinary artistic practice spanning theatre, dance, and writing. A Coast Salish woman, Tasha is deeply committed to caring for the lands and waters of her ancestors and to uplifting cultural knowledge for future generations.
Over the past decade, she has expanded her creative work through meaningful community engagement, particularly in Port Moody through the Presence of Ancestors project. Tasha has performed across Canada and as far as Aotearoa and Colombia. Her work has been presented in Vancouver by Co.ERASGA Dance, Raven Spirit Dance, and Dancers of Damelahamid and in 2023, she received the Edge Prize in recognition of her leadership in cultural resurgence.
She is currently a faculty member at Emily Carr University of Art + Design and the director and choreographer of Cedar Woman, premiering at the Scotia Dance Centre in September 2026.
Known for her curiosity, laughter, and generous spirit, Tasha brings her whole heart to every artistic and community project she is a part of.
-Written by Starr Muranko, CO artistic Director of Raven Spirit Dance
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Which ‘hood are you in?
I was born in Burnaby, had my two kids at home in Strathcona, moved us all to Port Moody, where the air is fresh, and there’s trees and ocean and salmon in the creeks. Lived here ever since.
What do you do?
I try to make things happen that are good and healing and bring light and love. I teach at Emily Carr, I make theatre, I dance, I walk in a good way according to the original laws of these Coast Salish Lands and Waters.
What are you currently working on?
I’ve been working on two major projects that mean a lot to me. My piece, Cedar Woman, was presented as part of the Dancers of Damelahamid’s Coastal Dance Festival this March 7th at the Museum of Anthropology, where I performed wearing a mask carved by Ocean Hyland, alongside a powerful circle of women: Salome Nieto, Emily Solstice Tait, Sophie Dow, Kelly McKinnes, and Marisa Gold. Cedar Woman, a matriarch of these lands, sang for our survival during the Great Flood and continues to sing in our voices when we stand on the front lines to protect the inlet, our old-growth forests, and the future of all our relations.
I’m also creating a lifelong exhibition of magnificently carved house posts called “q̓əq̓atəl̕ ʔə k̓ʷə syəwenəɬ” (“In the Presence of the Ancestors”) that will stand along Port Moody’s Shoreline Trail in prayer for səl̕ilwət, the Burrard Inlet. Two of these house posts are already raised. Come and see them!
Where can we find your work?
