Last year's production. (Submitted/Outside Looking In)

By Julia Lovett-Squires

Outside Looking In

Big Island Lake dancers to perform in Indigenous youth showcase

May 2, 2025 | 3:21 PM

In a just a week’s time, the Toronto Metropolitan University’s (TMU) Chrysalis performing arts space will burst forth with a cultural mashup as 88 young Indigenous dancers look to “Share the Flame.”

Two cousins from Big Island Lake Cree Nation will be among them and said they were inspired to join Outside Looking In (OLI) a few years ago, after seeing a change in their peers when they came back from a trip.

“They had a glow, they were glowing. Dancing is really important to me now,” said Adrienne Sandfly, 18, one of the cousins.

“When I was dancing alone, it was a spark, but when OLI was there, OLI was the flame, and they ignited my spark, and I felt like I was on fire when I would dance.”

This theatrical showcase marks the 18th year of the organization that brings young teens from 15 communities together who have taken part in a year-long program to develop confidence and leadership skills, while staying in school.

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“We mostly work in the north in very remote and isolated communities,” said Hope Sanderson, CEO of OLI.

“We’re basically a dance program but we are credit-based.”

Working with the provincial ministries of education to accredit the curriculum allows for the participants to get high school credit.

“Dance is the hook, but the objective is to keep kids in school,” Sanderson said, noting the on-reserve graduation rate is roughly 45 per cent.

“In some of these very remote communities, it’s even less and so the communities approach us because the dance program, it has academic curricula in it as well. It’s just a really fun way to motivate kids to come to school.”

Sixteen-year-old Babie Sandfly said she wanted to join to help her build up confidence.

“Part of the reason why I joined it was because one of my friends, I’d seen that their confidence was just through the roof,” she said.

“I wanted to see if that would affect me and honestly, it did like a whole lot.”

According to the press release, the theatrical extravaganza will have two performances on May. 9 at 11a.m. and 7:30 p.m. This year’s flame motif is “a sacred symbol of healing, connection and strength in Indigenous traditions,” according to the release.

“The performance will take audiences on an awe-inspiring journey of transformation and resilience.”

This year, the live event producer Candace Scott-Moore (Anishinaabe – Ojibwe Potawatomi) whose credits include the JUNO Awards and Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto, will serve as artistic director and multi-award winner Mohawk Composer and Storyteller Shub (DJ Shub) and multi-winning artist Drezus will join the production.

The young dancers said they joined in 2023, and they’ve loved it ever since.

“Every time OLI came back to our school…we were just so excited for it and just so excited to meet the people here,” said Bebe.

According to Adrienne, the two are both part of the Future Leaders Program and she said it was this program that made their experience unique.

“That’s not very common in reserves,” she said.

“We don’t really have much positive role models there, but to actually become a positive role model for all the youth out here today is an amazing opportunity for both of us.”

This year, the other communities taking part are Gakijiwanong Anishinaabe Nation, ON, Garden Hill Anisininew Nation, MB, Hamlet of Baker Lake, NU, Mosakahiken Cree Nation, MB, Pikangikum First Nation, ON, Poplar River First Nation, MB, Red Sucker Lake Anisininew Nation, MB, Sapotaweyak First Nation, MB, St. Theresa Point Anisininew Nation, MB, Tataskweyak Cree Nation, MB, Tasiujaq, QC, Wasagamack Anisininew Nation, MB and Webequie First Nation, ON.

According to Sanderson, they send professional choreographers to the communities to teach the students the routines but there’s a catch. For participants to attend the program, they must attend school 80 per cent of the time and they need to maintain a passing grade. To attend the big show, however, they have to maintain an average of 65 per cent.

“That’s one of the biggest challenges and why schools bring us in, is because they’re trying to get the kids to finish school and they’re trying to get them to get in school,” she said.

“They do it because they want to dance.”

The show itself is a high-level live experience, and the youth take to the stage and perform for thousands.

“A lot of the communities that are in our program have been with us since day one or not too long there after,” she said.

“We keep growing every year, more communities join and join.”

The current CEO started her position two years ago when they had 850 students signed up, which presented a problem: the stage in Toronto only holds about 100 so that led to a complete redesign of the program.

“We’re not letting these kids down,” Sanderson remembers telling her team at the time.

“Part of the reason it exploded like that in demand was Canada was isolated during the pandemic, but you can imagine these isolated communities were isolated on top of their own isolation.”

Since the organization had connections with the communities, she said the students needed a healthy and trusted outlet.

“More kids just wanted to be in the program because they’d been held back and held down for so long during the pandemic,” Sanderson said.

“They just wanted to come out and dance.”

For the kids who won’t be travelling to Toronto, they get to do special performances of their own in their communities. There is no audition requirement to participate in the program and the growth that takes place over the year inspires the CEO to keep going.

“I’ve never cried so much at work in my life and it’s all tears of joy,” she said, of the rehearsals where the dancers are putting their hearts and souls into their art.

“When you know the environment that these kids live in right, there’s nothing available for them in these communities and we have the highest suicide rates in the country,” she said.

“If you look at every social issue known to Canadians, as Indigenous people, we’re at the negative end of the spectrum on so many of them.”

Watching 80 plus performers onstage perfecting their routines, she said, is emotional.

“We’re making a difference in these kids’ lives,” she said.

“You see them take that stage and they come off the stage and their high-fiving and they’re crying, they’re so proud of themselves.”

New this year is the Future Leaders Next Level. Sanderson developed the 13-week certificate program to help participants who wish to stay with the organization after high school.

“Because of where they live, we’re trying to increase access to post-secondary, we’re trying to help them build their employability skills.”

The program focuses on five career paths: the arts, entrepreneurship and financial literacy, public service, climate leadership and environment, and technology and trades.

For Babie and Adrienne, they are already making plans for their future. Babie wants to go into the trades and Adrienne has her heart on becoming a doctor. Right now, however, they are just looking to take to the stage.

“I’m just ready to perform on stage and show everybody that’s going to come see us, what we’ve done together and how we come together as a group,” said Babie.

“The rush – when the lights turn on and everybody’s just watching you – it’s just such an amazing rush.”

As they rehearse, they have formed life-long bonds with each other in the supportive atmosphere they have cultivated.

“It’s what brings us to be able to dance,” added Adrienne.

“That’s a good thing to see here.”

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julia.lovettsquires@pattisonmedia.com

On BlueSky: juleslovett.bsky.social