Dance a cultural celebration

Page 12

Years of hard work and enjoyment of his art brought fancy dancer Cal Arcand national attention beyond his dreams.

Arcand was introduced to Native dancing in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, shortly after his dad Eugene Arcand became head of the city's Indian Metis Friendship Centre eight years ago.

"I was up in the rec room when I heard an announcement about learning powwow dancing," Arcand said. He signed up and started along a path he will follow "for as long as I am able to dance."

It was three years before Arcand actually began dancing. First he had to learn respect.

"I started with a basic outfit. It was very uncoordinated but I thought everything was beautiful," he laughed. Now, his regalia includes several outfits he has earned and eagle feather bustles, the gift of his parents.

He loves to dance. When he gets home from school, he turns on the stereo and dances. He follows the powwow trail all summer and in the winter he and the other members of the First Nations Dance Troupe dance for groups around the province.

The troupe has performed around the country, as well, performing in Ottawa at the opening of the Museum of Civilization in 1991. They were back this past July, dancing on Parliament Hill, when Anita Jo Tuharsky saw Arcand dance.

Arcand was aware that the Canadian Native Arts Foundation was presenting a national tour of their ballet in the Land of the Spirits. He knew there were auditions for powwow dancers in Regina in July. He decided not to leave his volleyball team, taking part instead in the Aboriginal Summer Games on the Poorman Reserve.

Tuharsky tracked him down and in August, he was offered a contract to dance with the ballet, premiering in the National Art Centre in Ottawa Sept. 18, in honor of Canada's 125th anniversary. The company performed in Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver.

The Native ballet and modern dance company presented the story of Winona,

the first human, whose fate it was to travel the earth. But Native dancing is a separate discipline, requiring years of practise. Eleven dancers were chosen to join the troupe.

Arcand found the experience of sharing with the other artists deepened his own

art and his own sense of his Native heritage. "It is our history, our culture. We are still teaching. My dad has learned a lot. Now, he can explain to the audience as we dance."

Nothing to do with dancing is too much trouble for Arcand, who celebrated his 18th birthday on tour. He poses for school art classes and recently danced for visiting students from the Maritimes.

"They had never seen an Indian dancing before."

Arcand saw an advertisement for Native dancers to appear in Europe. He showed it to his mother and it disappeared.

"I guess I'm not going overseas right away."