Lac La Croix First Nation students travel to Toronto to share their stories in dance, music and film
Press Release ...
Bridging the cultural gap through dance, music and film - Show brings First Nations youth from isolated reserve to share experiences
Toronto (ONTARIO) May 6th, 2008 – Bridging the cultural gap through dance, music and film Show brings First Nations youth from isolated reserve to share experiences
This is a show that proves dreams really do come true. Through a video-dance montage, a group of at-risk youth – who will travel to Toronto from their isolated First Nation reserve in northern Ontario to perform at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts on May 21 and 22, 2008 – will share where they come from and express who they want to be. Outside Looking In’s first-annual performance will give Canadians the opportunity to look inside a First Nations community, while First Nations youth get to see beyond theirs.
“Most of these youth have never, and would never, be given an opportunity to participate in something that takes them so far away from their world,” says Tracee Smith, founder, choreographer and producer of Outside Looking In. “We want this experience to motivate the youth dancers to look beyond the reserve and perhaps finish high school – maybe even go to college or university – and follow their dreams.”
These First Nations youth are not trained dancers – they’re high school students from Lac La Croix First Nation, an extremely isolated Ojibwa reserve in northern Ontario. To prepare for the show, they’ve spent months practicing their dance numbers. Smith travels to the reserve at least once a month to ensure that they’re keeping up not only with their rehearsals, but also their academics.
“In just nine months, these students have come such a long way,” notes Smith. “They’ve shown incredible focus and determination while learning the dance routines, and in some cases grades and school attendance have improved.”
Academics are so important to Smith, an MBA candidate herself, that students whose studies have suffered during the process have been asked them to step down from the show. She adds: “They knew the deal when they signed up for Outside Looking In; grades, attendance and dance are equally important. Going to Toronto for the show is the reward for their hard work on all fronts.”
Outside Looking In is about artistic expression, self-empowerment and discipline. Through it all, the students have been keeping video diaries to express who they are, their history and their hopes and dreams for the future. Diary selections will be woven into the final performance.
The show will also embody the fastest-growing craze among Native youth in Canada – hip hop. With popping, locking, crumping and floating, Outside Looking In leverages this popular dance style. In addition to the Lac La Croix youth, the performance will also feature some of the most talented dancers in the industry, including Levi Claiborne from New York City, all with high-energy and commercial dance choreography.
There are two Outside Looking In shows at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto. Tickets for May 21, 2008, at 8 p.m. are $50 for general admission; the 1 p.m. show on May 22, 2008, are $30 for students and seniors, or $40 for adults. For more information about the show, please visit www.olishow.ca. Tickets are now available and can be purchased at www.stlc.com.
Sponsors
The generous support from the official sponsors and suppliers of Outside Looking In will make its debut performance an unforgettable experience for everyone. Outside Looking In would like to thank the Bank of Montreal, Canada Council for the Arts, Union Gas and Tuccaro Inc. as the official sponsors and Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, Tim Horton’s Children Foundation, Sodexo and Chant Construction as official suppliers.
Sponsors are still welcome for this unique experience. For information on how to become a sponsor, please visit www.olishow.ca.
About Outside Looking In
Outside Looking In was created by First Nations choreographer-producer Tracee Smith, who was recently named one of Canada’s Top 50 Artists by the Canada Council for the Arts. Outside Looking In – through dance, film and music – offers Canadians the opportunity to see through the eyes of the today’s First Nations youth and is about inspiring First Nations youth to imagine and dream about a future beyond the borders of their reserve.
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For more information or to arrange an interview with Tracee Smith, please contact:
Andrea Wooland
Hill & Knowlton Toronto
(416) 413-4698
andrea.wooland @ hillandknowlton.ca (no spaces)
Matt Salvatore
Hill & Knowlton Toronto
(416) 413-4605
matt.salvatore @ hillandknowlton.ca (no spaces)