Kids dream big at Dare to Dream Day in Thunder Bay
By Rick Garrick
THUNDER BAY—The third annual Mazinaajim Children’s Foundation Dare to Dream Day featured a variety show with about 15 acts, including Jingle Dress and Fancy Shawl dancers and music by Jamie Labrador on April 27 in Thunder Bay.
“I was really honoured to show our way of life and show the jingle dress dance,” says Neveah Morriseau, a Jingle Dress dancer from Fort William.
Morriseau danced along with two other dancers to the hand drumming of her father Dustin Gagne, from Biigtigong Nishnaabeg, and another drummer during the variety show, which was held at St. Patrick High School.
“It’s important to show the youth it is a healthy lifestyle to follow,” Gagne says. “Seeing [Neveah] grow, seeing her evolve into the young lady that she is, she surrounds her life around those Seven Grandfathers. The biggest part in our culture is to surround your life with good feelings, good teachings, good laughs.”
Labrador, from Eagle Lake, performed a cover of the song ‘Perfect’ by Ed Sheeran on her guitar.
“I wanted to do something that the adults and the kids in the room would recognize because it is on the radio a lot,” Labrador says. “I went to this school and my first time on that stage was a Grade 9 talent show. I remember being super nervous, so it kind of came full circle where I’ve been doing this a long time now so I can be that person to maybe inspire the kids watching. Growing up, I knew that I wanted to do music [but those] kind of local role model musicians were kind of lacking and I think I would have benefitted from something like that.”
The variety show also included performances by Princess Elsa, The Beast, Princess Tiana and Ultimate Gymnastics, Roller Derby, Judo and Cheerleading groups.
“What a great day — it was spectacular, super energy, super response, just great kids and so much talent,” says Dave Jones, emcee of the variety show and founder of Turtle Concepts from Garden River. “They make me want to keep dreaming because of how they showed their energy today. There were some Jingle Dress dancers, there was a Fancy Shawl dancer up there and our own hand drummers, so it just shows that in our Indigenous culture, we dream big and sometimes it looks colourful, sometimes it’s animated and sometimes it’s spiritual and healing. So there was a lot of great healing and a lot of super energy here today.”
Yolanda Wanakamik, vice-president of Mazinaajim Children’s Foundation and a Whitesand citizen, says the variety show was “amazing.”
“There’s lots of kids, lots of candy, lots of activities and everybody is super pleased with all of the variety show acts,” Wanakamik says. “It is a good place for community people to gather to kind of know what we are doing as a foundation in the community and what is available to all of our youth in the community and to see what great talent kids are developing as they are participating in extracurricular (activities).”
Wanakamik says the highlight of the variety show was seeing all of the children dressed up in their costumes.
“They are super excited, super happy,” Wanakamik says. “Dave from Turtle Concepts is really inspiring in getting the kids excited and happy about what it is that they can do to dream big in their own lives.”
The Mazinaajim Children’s Foundation was established by Dilico Anishinabek Family Care in 2009 to support the educational, recreational, leadership and cultural needs of Aboriginal children in northwestern Ontario.