Métis jiggers love the stage
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/07/2019 (2474 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Watching the D-Town Steppers jig across the stage, one is left out of breath watching the energy and joy they exude with each step.
Their feet fly furiously as their shoes clickity-clack in perfect beat to the music.
The group is based out of Dauphin and features dancers between the ages of four and 14.
One of the dance team’s head coaches, Kristy Chartrand, said she is filled with delight and joy every time the tiny dancers hit the stage.
“It’s so important to carry on their culture and the Métis traditions,” Chartrand said.
She is constantly amazed and proud of how much they have grown, accomplished and learned in the dance group, she said.
“They developed into these little entertainers that are full of joy and creativity — we love it. … It’s really important to keep the jig alive.”
Jigging is a Métis cultural dance where performers wear tap shoes and do steps to different dances.
The dance steps to a jig are like a song, Chartrand said. Each dance features a chorus where performers do repetitive dance moves and verses where they can bust out unique and different steps.
The D-Town Steppers practise every Sunday, sometimes more before competitions, said dancer Hannah Chartrand, 10.
The group began jigging together when they were little and kept practising and watching videos until they became mini-masters of the art.
The group has made friends in the jigging world, including with fellow dancers from across the province, Hannah said, adding that it is always a treat to see them when they are at competitions.
It can be a bit nerve-wracking in the lead up to a big event, she said, but it helps to have their friends there to support each other.
They love performing and making up routines, but can still feel a little skittish in the lead-up to big performances.
“In big groups, we get nervous. But when it’s just a little group, it’s fine,” Hannah said.
Hannah and teammates Vayah Burns and Koilynn Forsyth, both 12, featured one of their self-choreographed numbers at National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21 at the Riverbank Discovery Centre in Brandon.
The group created a unique dance to the song “Cotton Eye Joe” by Rednex, mixing traditional and contemporary jigging to the delight of the audience.
The most challenging aspect of the dance is keeping in time with the group and learning new dances, Koilynn said. However, it was fun to pick their own music and create their own dance.
It took them about a day to create their unique toe-tapping moves, and three days to perfect their performance.
“It’s fun to make up our own things and not have all the adults doing it for us,” Hannah said with a grin.
» ckemp@brandonsun.com
» Twitter: @The_ChelseaKemp