Dance is an act practiced worldwide; it is characterized by expressive movements of the human body rather than just functional movements. However, in some cases, pedestrian movements like crawling, jumping, walking and running can also be described as dancing.
The philosophical, emotional, spiritual, cultural, social, intellectual and religious motivation involved in dancing distinguishes it from other functional body movements. Learn everything about dance in Canada.
All over the world, dancing is affiliated with different cultures and religions, so every country practices their unique styles, and dancing has existed for many years. So this guide will show you the history of dancing in Canada.
How Did Dance Originate in Canada?
Humans have practiced dancing for so many years. It might have started with an automatic response to natural phenomena like heartbeats, the day and night cycle and other natural sounds. This is probably why dancing is often done rhythmically. Dance and music started with the same impulses and often accompanied each other, but it is still unclear which one came into existence first.
Dancing in Canada started as soon as people began inhabiting the land; it was a form of cultural expression or just some organized movements. Dancing is still one of Canada's diverse and most interesting cultural practices.
Discover the different styles of dancing throughout Canada here on Superprof.
Indigenous Dance
The Aboriginal people of Canada had made dancing a vital part of their social and religious lives long before the transatlantic explorers came to the country.
Jacques Cartier, in 1534 wrote of how he was approached by seven canoes along the shore of Chalem Bay. In these canoes, he saw wild men dancing and making signs of mirth and joy; this was the earliest form of dancing recorded in Canada. Some people also referenced many Aboriginal dance forms after Cartier's first record.
However, these Aboriginal dance forms had some cultural relevance to the indigenous people in question. Unfortunately, over time the indigenous dance suffered a severe decline in practice due to many years of assimilation tactics.
See how these famous Canadian dancers shaped the history of dance.
However, in the late 1990s, some native groups and artists started investing their money and time into the Aboriginal dance culture to try and preserve it, so it doesn't go into extinction.
Imported Dance
Dance performances arose in Canada when some sequences of body movements became too challenging for some people to learn and practice. Then those dance forms were reserved for a privileged or selected few who could do it perfectly; it became customary for some people to watch others dance and enjoy it.
From the late 1990s, when the first European settlers came to Canada, Canadians spent more time hosting companies and traveling troupes and did not create many dance works. However, after this period, the European visitors and dancers kept writing about how much dance is loved and practiced in Canada.
So in the 18th Century, dancing evolved in Canada from its ritual, religious and cultural functions into a form of entertainment. Eventually, with further technological advancements, Canada became a significant part of the US touring circuits.
Then a further distinction arose in dancing with professional dancers and many other manifestations of dancing in Canada. This distinction still exists and is still fully reflected in Canada.
International Influence
Canada later experienced an influx of rich culture and heritage from different regions across the globe as more people immigrated to the country. With the influence of international talents in Canada, they started creating dance institutions and professional dance performances.
Canadians went with the flow and let their cultures evolve and enhance with these international dance influences creating an exceptional fusion not found in any other country. As a result, today, Canada has some of the best dance institutions and professional dancers worldwide.
What was the First Dance Style in Canada?
The Red River Jig is Canada's first traditional dance and also the country's national dance. It is a dance practiced by the First Nations and the Canadian Metis; a fiddle tune accompanies it. Red River's early settlers, especially the Selkirk Settlers, loved and practiced this dance frequently.
At a Metis couple's wedding in 1860, a man named Mr Macdallas played a tune that later became a base for creating the Red River Jig dance. The dance later originated from the North American Indian Powwow dance, and since then, Canadians have enjoyed practicing this dance at events, festivals and more.
How did Ballet Come to Canada?
Besides the Red River Jig dance in Canada, Ballet dance is also one of the oldest dance forms. It has a long history in Canada, starting with two small companies. One of the ballet companies was located in Toronto and owned by a Russian immigrant, Boris Volkoff. The other was in Winnipeg, owned by two English immigrants - Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Ferrall.
The two companies were later combined with a troupe from Montreal established by a Polish-German immigrant called Ruth Sorel, and the trio was called Winnipeg Ballet.
Some years later, Toronto wanted a ballet company like Winnipeg's Ballet, so they invited an English immigrant called Celtic Franc to create a ballet company in Toronto. The company was fully established three years after the establishment of Winnipeg's Ballet, and they called it the National Ballet of Canada.
However, Winnipeg felt challenged by this recent development since they were once Canada's top ballet company. So two years later, they applied to officially change their name from the Winnipeg Ballet to Royal Winnipeg Ballet.
Meanwhile, Les Ballets Chiriaeff was created in Montreal by Ludmilla Chiriaeff, who was a Russian-Latvian-German immigrant. The Lès Ballet Chiriaeff later became Les Grands Ballets Canadiens.
Later these three ballet companies in Canada experienced tremendous growth and developed their perspective of what ballet is about.
The Royal Winnipeg Ballet
With its compact team, this ballet company remained small and could easily travel to perform in different countries. The RWB were known for their great diversity and balance. They organized shows every season and gave outstanding performances, including new ballet pieces, classics and various styles, to impress their audience from different parts of the world.
The Royal Winnipeg Ballet was the first ballet company to perform in London in 1965, and they also served in several other places like Australia, South America, Asia, Moscow, Paris, etc.
The National Ballet of Canada
This ballet company based in Toronto focused on classical ballet, just like the founder's former ballet company in the UK. Throughout 1960, they toured several countries in Europe and the US. Finally, in the 1970s, they produced a masterpiece called The Sleeping Beauty.
This production was hazardous because they spent almost all they had on it and almost went bankrupt. Still, luckily the investment and efforts paid off, giving the company global recognition and prestige.
Les Grands Ballets Canadiens
When the Les Grands Ballets Canadiens was established, many people raised concern because of the name; they thought ballet wasn't that grand then. However, this ballet company later distinguished itself by being more avant-garde.
Unlike the other companies, they opted for brand new ballet performances rather than just classics. For example, in 1957 they staged the rock opera Tommy, and Carmina Burana, which made them more successful and became globally recognized, proving to people that ballet can be grand and more than just an ordinary dance.
Where Can I Take Dance Classes Vancouver?
Vancouver is beautiful and one of Canada's major cities, so whatever trends in Canada will get here, including ballet. After reading the history of dance in Canada, you can see that Canada has a long dance history, especially ballet dance.
This is only possible because the people of Canada love dancing, and today there are numerous platforms from which you can learn dancing. So dancing is and will always be a part of Canada's rich culture and heritage.
However, if you want to take dance classes Vancouver, you should first decide what type of dance lessons you want, how to know good music and whether in-person or online dance classes near me. Also, for ballet dance lessons, there are platforms for adult ballet classes or classes for other age groups. So decide where you fit in, and then search for a good and reliable platform to take the dance lessons from.
The best platform in Vancouver to take dance lessons is Superprof. Whether you want to dance professionally or like to learn dance for yourself, Superprof is the most reliable and trustworthy platform to experience fun and exciting learning.
The Best Dance Lessons Near Me
Apart from Vancouver, if you are from other cities in Canada, you can also count on Superprof to give you the best dance lessons, be it adult ballet dance classes or dance classes for any other age group. In addition, Superprof offers online and in-person dance classes.
Also, on Superprof, you get a chance to choose your coach from some of the best professional dance tutors in Canada; you can also schedule your classes and set the pace for your learning.
So do you have a passion for dancing? Then what are you still waiting for? Get a dance tutor on Superprof right away and become a pro dancer in no time.
Discover how people practiced dance in ancient times.
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