Indigenous youth hope dance performance inspires next generation

Indigenous youth from remote communities in Manitoba and Ontario are in Winnipeg this week preparing for a dance performance of a lifetime.

Twenty-seven Indigenous dancers are learning a new choreography for their “Future Leaders Dance.”

They will perform the dance May 12-13 in Toronto for the 16th annual Indigenous Youth Performance.

The event is organized by Indigenous-led program Outside Looking In, which gives Indigenous youth the chance to learn how to dance in exchange for high school credits.

Program manager Lindy Kinoshameg says the dance they are learning is about Indigenous injustice.

“They are learning about injustice and how widespread it is,” said Kinoshameg. “It is important for the youth to understand this and find a way to move through it and move past it. How can they make a difference in the world around them.”

Kinoshameg says all the dancers are supporting one another through this journey to becoming future leaders in the community.

“Outside Looking In” program manager Lindy Kinoshameg in Winnipeg on March 28, 2023. (Alex Karpa/CityNews)

Bryce Wood says dancing provides him an escape.

“It helps me with my mental health, helps me get through the day,” he said. “It helps me move on from things and helps me move on from all the hard things in life.”

Wood grew up in the Child and Family Services system, living in both St. Theresa Point and Garden Hill First Nation in northeastern Manitoba.

He says dancing allows him to become his full self.

“You have a choice to be here, and you have a choice to not be here,” he said. “Everything is a choice, so make the right decision.”

Indigenous youth from remote communities in Manitoba and Ontario learning the choreography for their dance performance in Winnipeg on March 28, 2023. (Alex Karpa/CityNews)

Sisters Kaydence Keeper and Makayla Keeper, from Pikangikum First Nation in Ontario, are excited to perform the dance in Toronto in May. Their hope is to not only make memories for themselves but inspire the next generation.

“It takes a lot of time to work on the piece, no matter how you try, you must not give up,” said Kaydence. “No matter how long it takes, it could be time consuming, but at the end, it will be all worth it.”

“The hard work that you are working on, it will be all worth it in the end,” added Makayla.

Kinoshameg hopes the program continues for generations.

“Having Indigenous youth on a stage like this is going to inspire the next generation of youth and it will keep going like that,” he said.

Indigenous youth from remote communities in Manitoba and Ontario learning the choreography for their dance performance in Winnipeg on March 28, 2023. (Alex Karpa/CityNews)