The historical, traditional, and ceremonial significance of the Jingle Dress Dance is the subject of a presentation Thursday, May 13. The Faculty of Human Kinetics presents the event in conjunction with the Centre for Teaching and Learning, with support from the Nanadagikenim Seek to Know Grant funded by the Office of the Provost.

The lecture, entitled “Healing with Dance,” will be delivered by Ann Marie Proulx-White, a champion Indigenous pow wow dancer, known for her Old-Style Fancy Shawl and Old-Style Jingle Dress dancing. Proulx-White comes from a well-rounded traditional Indigenous family and began dancing at the age of 7. The Jingle Dress Dance is sacred and performed as a prayer or meditative dance to heal afflicted people. Proulx-White will share her knowledge and insights on the making of a jingle dress, the songs that are played, and the significance of the performance of the dance.

Proulx-White’s ancestors are from the Ojibwe and Oneida Nation, and she belongs to the Thunderbird Clan on her father’s Ojibwe side and the Turtle clan on her mother’s Oneida side. Her spirit’s name, Bii-Waubin Kwe – YaWatati, means “The light in the sky before the sun rises.”

The lecture is part of human kinetics professor Krista Loughead’s course, “Sociology of Sport and Physical Activity.”

“It is an honour to have Ann Marie share her knowledge with us,” she says. “Opportunities like this are important in enhancing understanding and appreciation about the wisdom of traditional and cultural forms of dance.”

The lecture will run 8:30 to 9:50 a.m. Attendance is free but registration is mandatory at http://bit.ly/HealingWithDance.