More than 100 Indigenous youth from across Canada are in Brant County this week, preparing for a major dance performance in Toronto through a national program focused on confidence, culture and education. The students are part of Outside Looking In, an Indigenous-led organization that uses dance to support school engagement and personal development among youth from First Nation and Inuit communities. Inside a barn loft at Tim Hortons Foundation Camp, dancers will spend about a week rehearsing choreography that blends hip hop, contemporary dance and Indigenous cultural elements ahead of a showcase at Toronto’s St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts on May 15. For months, participants trained in their home communities before gathering together in person for the first time. “It’s really cultivating as a culture in dance if you combine hip hop and Indigenous culture together,” said Joshua “Joy” McPherson, one of the youth dancers. McPherson said the program has helped them through struggles with self-esteem. “I have struggled a lot with self-esteem. I find that dancing helps me release all that energy,” McPherson said. Outside Looking In works with students in grades 7 through 12, allowing participants to train throughout the school year while earning high school credits. Hope Sanderson, CEO of Outside Looking In, said the impact extends far beyond performance. “You see them going from giving you one-word and two-word answers to questions or not answering at all, to standing in front of a stage and commanding an audience’s attention,” Sanderson said. Many of the youth travelled long distances to attend the camp. Dallas Peters-Turtle came from Pikangikum First Nation in northwestern Ontario. “First we flew from Pikangikum to Winnipeg. And we took a two-hour flight to Toronto and then a two-hour bus ride here,” he said. Some participants from Nunavut also faced multiple flight cancellations caused by Arctic weather before finally arriving in Ontario. Peters-Turtle said the program has helped him gain confidence performing in front of large crowds. “Before I started this program, I didn’t think I would be able to dance in front of a lot of people,” he said. “Since I’ve been doing this for two years now, I feel like I do that really pretty well.” The week of rehearsals will culminate in two performances in Toronto next week. For many of the young dancers, organizers say the showcase represents more than entertainment — it is an opportunity to share their stories and celebrate Indigenous identity. “It gives me a chance to let the people of Canada know that my people are still here, that we are still standing strong,” McPherson said.
