On Wednesday, June 21, a competitive dance group from Prairie Soul Dance Company in Niverville performed at the Manitoba Legislative for the National Indigenous Peoples Day prayer breakfast, an event organized by Encounter Life Ministries in Winnipeg, Canada Awakening Ministries in Niverville, and other local leaders.
The event was attended by a variety of Manitoba’s top dignitaries, including Premier Heather Stefansson, Opposition Leader Wab Kinew, and Grand Chief Cathy Merrick of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.
Art as Advocacy
In the fall of 2022, Prairie Soul began working with Canada Awakenings and Peter Yellowquill, a residential school survivor and former chief of Long Plains First Nation, to teach dance students and their audiences about inclusivity, Indigenous issues, and truth and reconciliation.
When Canada Awakenings approached Prairie Soul with the opportunity to perform for National Indigenous Peoples Day in 2023, the group accepted.
The dance presented by Prairie Soul involved 17 students ranging in age from 10 to 20 and incorporated elements of ballet, jazz, contemporary, and lyrical movement. The music selected for the dance was “O Siem” by Susan Aglukark. The lyrics promote inclusivity by describing humankind as one family is sung in both Inuktitut and English.
“The song, ‘O Siem,’ is by award-winning Canadian artist Susan Aglukark, who is an activist for the Inuit culture and Indigenous people in Canada. The song calls for inclusivity and acceptance while protesting racism and prejudice,” say Melanie Ducharme and Danielle Auld, owners of Prairie Soul. “Together with our students, we had the opportunity to work alongside this group of amazing individuals throughout the season. With their guidance, our creative vision and interpretation of ‘O Siem’ came together. The dance reflects Susan Aglukark’s message, truth and reconciliation, and working together towards positive change.”
The group also used performance outfits as a medium to highlight the theme.
“We selected orange costumes to represent Orange Shirt Day and the symbol of forced assimilation of Indigenous children that the residential school system enforced. Sequins on the costume sparkle, when they reflect light, symbolize hope.”
As a studio, Ducharme and Auld felt it was an honour and a privilege to be included in the event.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to share our creative work with the community of Manitoba,” they say.
Positive Experience
Sarah Brandt of Niverville is a parent of one of the dancers and was integral in connecting the dance studio with Canada Awakenings. Brandt supports the work of all Canadians toward truth and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, and she is pleased that her daughter Lexy had the opportunity to perform for so many Manitoba leaders.
“To have my daughter dance in this historical moment is an honour for me as her mom because of the deep friendship I hold with Peter Yellowquill, and my continued partnership with both him, his wife Sheila, and Roger Armbruster from Canada Awakening Ministries to educate and evoke change at a heart level,” says Brandt.
Brandt is pleased to see that students at Prairie Soul are taught to take what they are passionate about and use that avenue to positively affect change in the community.
“Through the gentle leading and example that Dee and Mel are setting, they are learning that in dance there is space to listen, receive, and create,” Brandt says. “When you trust your daughter and her passion to someone to train and lead them, these are the qualities you could only hope for in directors.”
At the age of 13, Lexy says that she is learning important information about Indigenous history in Canada and can connect to their experiences through the art of dance.
“When I perform ‘O Siem,’ Miss Mel and Miss Dee often tell us to evoke emotion so that the dance tells the story,” Lexy says. “So I think of my friend Peter [Yellowquill], who was in a residential school. He told us that he didn’t get Christmas presents as a kid and that makes me feel sad. And I want to do something about it. I also like that by dancing, it joins what I love to do with what my mom loves to do and so we can work together.”
Together with Lexy, Brandt feels that the arts can express what words alone often fail to convey.
“When the students dance this piece, you can feel it in the room. It bypasses political views and impacts the soul,” says Brandt. “There have been many words spoken hoping to effect change, but now they are making room for the arts, where music and dance speak the language of the heart, which is the language that every nation understands.”
After the performance, Yellowquill reflected on his experience watching the dance for the first time.
“I could feel the effect of their work and conviction,” says Yellowquill. “So did the audience. I was pleased and honoured to be there to watch and hear and was deeply moved… Love conquers and must and will conquer all.”
Local Support for Truth and Reconciliation
Roger Armbruster, director of Canada Awakenings, was pleased to be able to network with Encounter Life Ministries, a not-for-profit Indigenous organization in Winnipeg, to organize the prayer breakfast. One of their goals was to get participation from as many leaders in Manitoba as possible.
“Both the premier and the opposition leader readily agreed to attend, and to give their support,” says Armbruster. “So upon this foundation, we have been building towards this event for the past two months now, and the feedback has all been positive and encouraging.”
A handful of Manitoba MLAs were in attendance, as well as Lieutenant Governor Anita R. Neville, Grand Chief Scott Anderson of the Island Lake Tribal Council, and other Indigenous leaders and elders.
“[Neville] even allowed Grand Chief Cathy Merrick of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs to speak ahead of her, something that was not the normal protocol prior to this ceremony,” says Armbruster. “There still remains much more to be done on the journey towards truth and reconciliation, but some important steps towards a more egalitarian system were taken yesterday.”
Armbruster says that Niverville was very well represented at the ceremony, as town councillor Bill Fast, former mayor Clare Braun, and many others were in attendance.
