Community Classes in Métis Jigging

Please join us for a free weekly class for the community taught by Yvonne Chartrand or the Louis Riel Métis Dancers. "Métis Night” happens Wednesdays from 5:30 - 7:30pm at the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre. Fiddle player, Kathleen Nisbet, provides live musical accompaniment.

Artist & Community Collaboration Projects

Development & Production of Fort Langley Project 2011 & 2013

As our summer 2011 performance at Fort Langley was a great success, we returned in the summer of 2013. Inspired by our previous projects at the National Batoche Historic Site (written by Maria Campbell with choreography by Yvonne Chartrand), we offered free public performances at Fort Langley with youth community participants from the Lower Mainland. The project participants learned about both contemporary dance and Métis traditional dance from Yvonne Chartrand and Monica Trejbal. Several performances included the accompaniment of live fiddle music by emerging Métis fiddler Kathleen Nisbet.

Award-winning Production at Batoche National Historic Site

2007 & 2008

For this Artist & Community Collaboration, V’ni Dansi created an expanded version of several excerpts from The Crossing, which was developed with the participation of community participants in Saskatoon, SK. Written and directed by Maria Campbell of Fireweed Productions, with choreography by Yvonne Chartrand, we co-presented this performance at the Batoche National Historic Site through summer months in 2007 and 2008.

The community participants, named "The Homeland Jiggers" by Maria Campbell, went on to compete at Back to Batoche Days, and won the top 3 places for Men's Jigging and 2nd place in the Square Dance Competition!

This project was awarded the 2008 Saskatchewan Tourism Award for Creative Excellence.

Gabriel’s Crossing Remount with Vancouver Métis Youth

2005 - 2006

Yvonne worked with six youth to remount this work resulting in a 2-week school tour through ArtStarts. Five of these young artists joined the Louis Riel Métis Dancers and continue to dance with the company today.