Traditional Métis jig takes stage at Coastal First Nations dance festival
Vancouver-based Metis dance company V'ni Dansi performs the centuries-old Red River jig
When Yvonne Chartrand takes the stage to perform the Red River Jig, she is conscious that her ancestors once danced the same steps.
The Métis performer has danced the high-paced and fiddle-led jig countless times, and even tries to add her own steps when she can — just like her ancestors did.
"I was in a rehearsal, and I just start jigging because it makes me feel good ... and then I just created a new step!" she told host Sheryl MacKay on CBC's North by Northwest.
Chatrand is the artistic director of V'ni Dansi — a Vancouver-based Métis dance company. And now, she's taking her dance group to the tenth annual Coastal First Nations Dance Festival at UBC's Museum of Anthropology.
The team is set to perform some of the centuries-old Métis dances, and will fuse some with more contemporary elements. The dances are meant to celebrate the rich culture and history of the Métis.
A Metis jig
Chatrand says the Métis dancing style is unique and fast paced. The traditional style is a blend First Nations and European dancing, often to the tune a fiddle.
"It's so joyful," she said. "It's so hard not to move your feet or tap your toes. It's the spirit of the Métis."
The Red River Jig is both the most popular of Métis dances and also the group's national dance.
"A long time ago, our people did 60 to 100 fancy steps in a row for the Red River Jig, and they kept their feet really close to the ground," she said.
Chatrand and her performers will dance some of those steps and don the traditional gowns. But they will also incorporate some more contemporary elements to the dance, including square-dance outfits and clicker shoes.
She says the performances are a way for her and her dancers to connect with their past, and honor the life of the great Louis Riel.
"I believe our ancestors are really there for us. We sing to them before we do our work."
The Coastal First Nations Dance Festival takes place at UBC's Museum of Anthropology, beginning Feb 28.
With files from CBC's North by Northwest
To listen to the full interview, click on the audio labelled: Traditional Metis jig takes stage at Coastal First Nations dance festival