Maelle F. and Madelyn D.

Dance in Canada

Maelle F. and Madelyn D.
East Kootany Regional Heritage Fair 
Cranbrook, BC

Dance in Canada is an important part of Canadian culture. It tells the story of how the French immigrants came to Canada. The Historical Significance of Dance in Canada

Ballet comes from the time of the Italian Renaissance, when it was a form of court entertainment. When the French immigrated to Canada in the 1600s, ballet was becoming popular in Europe. The immigrants enjoyed ballet and performed small stage performances across French Canada. The French Canadians hosted dance companies despite their love for dance, instead of doing it themselves. People want to hear stories about their countries and heritage, and dance was and still is a way people convey that. Dance in Canada has a long, complicated history. It started with indigenous traditions and evolved with the help of European influences. Dance is traditionally used for religious purposes. Indigenous peoples would dance in hopes of a successful hunting season. Other cultures use dance as a form of prayer. Lois Smith was known as Canada's first prima ballerina and is recognized in the BC Hall of Fame. Lois Smith was invited by Celia Franc to join the National Ballet of Canada in 1951. In 1969, she formed the Lois Smith Dance School in Toronto after a serious knee injury.Celia Franca was one of the many founders of the National Ballet of Canada. In 1951, she accepted the position of founding artistic director and remained in the position until 1974. Her leadership of the National Ballet of Canada was very controversial. 

In Canada, there are many dance companies, including the most famous ones: the Winnipeg Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada, the Alberta Ballet, the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. Dance has brought many people across the country and around the world together to dance. 

What sources and evidence did you consult for your project? What different perspectives did they provide on your topic?

In our research, we used many different resources, including a book source and many websites. Websites were more helpful in our process than the book source.  Our process was creating subtitles, then researching under each subtitle. In our research, we saw the perspectives of dancers, dance teachers and dance students. Using the different dance companies' websites gave us more of an understanding of the company from their perspective.

What is the historical significance of your topic?

The dance in Canada project has shown how our ancestors immigrated from different countries to Canada and how they brought their culture. Our project has significance in how we are connected to the rest of the world. Different dances that have been passed into the United States have spilled into Canada, like hip hop, contemporary and tap, as well as many other dances. Dance is something that connects us. Each country has different forms of the dance, that at festivals and competitions we get to share our unique take on the specific form of dance. When the French immigrants came to Canada, they brought ballet, a famous form of dancing in Canada and worldwide. These people used dance as a way to remind themselves of home and keep their culture with them. Even though they loved dancing, they had others dance for them. This might be because that was what they were used to doing, for the normal life in France was for some to dance and others to watch. In other cultures, people use dance as a form of prayer; they use different dances to pray for rain, healing and fertile crops. Each specific prayer had a unique dance to go with it. The French immigrants liked watching the First Nations' traditional dance, such as the powwow and red river jig, as examples; they found it entertaining and out of the norm. They weren't used to that style of dance. 

Why did you choose this topic? 

We chose this topic because we both have danced for a long time, and it has been very important to us from a young age. We have danced since we were 3 and 7 years old. We think that it is important for our country and people should have awareness about our history from the French side and the Indigenous dance that has now been incorporated into our society and taken up by lots of Canadians today. Dance is something that happens worldwide and has been around for 10,000 plus years. It is something that brings people together to pray, celebrate, and tell stories. When immigrants came to different countries, they brought their own unique form of dance with them to remind them of home.