Indigenous youth from across Canada have gathered in Brant County for a celebration of history, culture and dance as they prepare an important event later this month. On Thursday, participants were busy perfecting their moves during final rehearsals for the Outside Looking In (OLI) showcase. OLI is an Ingenious-led charitable organization aimed at inspiring youth to continue and complete their education through the power of the arts. “It showed me the path of the arts, so theater, performing music in general,” said Sheldon Harper, who joined OLI in Grade 7 and now is the program’s sound engineer. Harper also produced music for this year’s showcase. “I learned how to produce, mix, master, be an engineer, do all the technical side of music and so, after that year, I applied to work at OLI again, and instantly they hired me.” The annual event brings 100 Indigenous students from 14 remote and fly-in communities from around Turtle Island to southern Ontario. Winnona Chavis, 16, has been a part of the program for three years. She said she joined to meet new friends, even though the idea of leaving her remote home in Manitoba was intimidating. “It was very overwhelming. It was my first time seeing a big city and being around so many people, but I’m glad I did it,” Chavis explained. The program combines academics and dance. “They’re getting credit for it every year through high school, they put in 110 hours through the school year to get that credit. And it’s a combination of education, academics and dance,” Sanderson said. The goal is to help keep kids in school until they graduate. “The dropout rates are even higher in the more remote communities, so this program was really started to be that motivator, because who doesn’t want to go to school and dance, right?” added Sanderson. The showcase combines traditional Indigenous dancing with hip-hop, to create a fusion of cultures. “You can learn a lot and you can learn about yourself, and you can also raise your confidence and your communication skills,” Chavis said. The impact of dance can be life changing for some participants. Devon Monias met some of his best friends in the program, and said he felt like he found a reason to continue his education. “I started crying because that actually taught me a lot, that if I were to keep trying and going, I’ll succeed no matter what, so that’s where my journey started, and three years later, I’m back here.” The final showcase takes place at Chrysalis in Toronto on May 9.
