The Prairie region in Canada includes the three western provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The Indigenous peoples in this region include Métis, First Nations represented by several main nations, namely; Cree, Blood, Ojibway and Blackfoot, Dakota, Lakota, Slave, Chippewayan, Beaver and Sarcee(1).
The young dance career of Alberta Metis Lance Relland has been fraught with medical challenges and triumphs as he has battled with leukemia. At the age of 16 Lance was a dancer with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet when he found out he had leukemia. With perseverance and dedication $100,000 was raised through the Lance Relland Medical Foundation that afforded him experimental medical treatment and a successful bone marrow transplant. In 2001 at the age of 21 Lance was honoured with the Youth National Aboriginal Achievement Award. He then began studying medicine at the University of California. While his sights are set on a medical career, he is still a devout Metis folk-dancer and very proud of his heritage(15).
Dance for many Indigenous peoples of the Prairie Provinces is often associated with Pow Wow dances that are accompanied by large round social drums where several men sit around and play in unison with long drumsticks. Pow-wow’s are a social event that has evolved into traditional celebrations or competitions. There are several dance styles found within Pow Wow’s, some examples include: fancy dances, a quick paces dance; grass dances performed by men with colourful regalia that uses long strands of multi-coloured yarn to represent the flowing grass of Mother Earth; traditional dances that are slower paced drum beat.
During the long nights of winter, the Cree people of Saskatchewan and Alberta gather for the round dance. This traditional dance is a time of friendship, courtship and humor as singers strive to bring couples to the dance floor with the energy of their singing and the infectious swinging rhythms of their hand drums. One of the premiere pow-wow groups of North America, the Northern Cree Singers of Alberta will surely bring you and your partner to your feet with their lively songs in Cree and English(16).
This article is a non-comprehensive and living document that provides an overview of artistic activities in the region. It will be revised as necessary as part of our ongoing process of continuous updates.
1) http://www.aboriginalcanada.com/firstnation/dirfnab.htm
15) http://www.naaf.ca/html/l_relland_e.html
16) http://store.canyonrecords.com/index.php?app=ccp0&ns=catshow&ref=round_dance_cd