Alberta Ballet didn’t have a performance season in 2020-21. With theatre activity on hold, Alberta Ballet had capacity to explore new community connections. One of those connections led to the Indigenous Sport Council of Alberta which has since sparked a unique thriving program.

Since 2023, culture has met craft in six-week programs where Indigenous youth explore the movements of Powwow and Ballet.

Said Kyra Buchan of the Indigenous Sport Council of Alberta, “Partnering with Alberta Ballet was a great fit as it brought together both sport and culture for youth who may not have these opportunities.”

An Alberta Ballet Outreach Teacher co-teaches alongside a Powwow Dancer. The teaching pairs - each local to Calgary and to Edmonton, have flexibility to determine how the class is structured, but in all cases the duo plan together, alternate who leads, and learn from each other in front of the students. As one outreach teacher put it, “Our goal is a room where both traditions have equal voice—we co-plan, co-teach, and keep listening to each other.”

Over six weeks, the two disciplines are woven into a single inclusive experience. The result is a powerful learning environment. The class not only valued both traditions equally; it emphasized how everyone is both a teacher and a learner.

When local media came to cover the program, the successes were clear. The reporter first interviewed the teachers. He then asked for two students to speak on camera, but and that’s when everyone lined up, keen to share how the class made them feel.

Parents waiting outside the studio were advised that the class needed a few extra minutes, and the reporter interviewed each student one-on-one. Several mentioned Powwow movements or Ballet movements. They showed off their favourite moves; they named steps they found challenging. They showed the camera their moccasins and their ballet slippers. They shared how close they felt to their teachers.

The segment captured what this class is designed to build: respect in action, collaboration you can see, and voices growing stronger week by week. In their voices, a deep sense of cultural pride and connection reverberates as the students talked about dancing, together.