The Atlantic Ballet of Canada is spearheading an Indigenous dance program this fall that will allow eight dancers to train close to their communities and culture. Nipahtuwet Naka Wespahtuwet Possesom (Paul), who is the director of Atlantic Ballet Indigenous, said there are no professional training programs in Atlantic Canada and that the ballet's initiative is filling an important gap. The dance training program will be in contemporary style, but also include traditional and ballet, making it a holistic format that will give students access to a wide range of opportunities in their professional careers, he told reporters.
The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App "This will help tell Indigenous stories through contemporary dance." A news release from the ballet said that the program will teach contemporary style and is rooted in the "world views, cultures, and practice" of the Mi’kmaq and Wolastoq nations of the Wabanaki Confederacy." On Tuesday, the federal government announced a grant of $400,000 to support the program, and the Ulnooweg Indigenous Communities Foundation will put in another $50,000.
The new two-year program that will launch in Moncton, N.B., this fall will accept eight Indigenous dancers in Grade 11.
"It's really important that we had a small number, because, as you know, there's difficulty graduating Indigenous students right now in all of our systems," Possesom said. "So in order for us to support them, we wanted t.
