History and culture at Montebello Park
If the bright colours, polished mirrors wrapped in beads and the fringes of Sean Vander Klis’ outfit make you think he is trying to grab your attention, you wouldn’t be entirely wrong.
It’s true, the costume is traditional — part of the long history of First Nations dancing that Vander Klis is part of. But beyond the important task of keeping traditional alive is the spirit of competition.
“There are pow wow dance competitions,” said Vander Klis, a St. Catharines member of the White Pine Dancers troop, which draws members from across southern Ontario.
“We practice weekly. The competitions can get pretty intense. The mirror on my head? Sometimes I will try to catch the light and aim it at the judges as a way to get their attention, make them look at what I’m doing.”
The performance of the White Pine Dancers at Montebello Park Saturday was not about competition, but it did keep the attention of those who showed up for the annual Folk Arts Festival.
About 100 people came to the park for the three-day festival that was forced to shut down a day early thanks to Sunday’s continual downpour.
Festival executive director Jeff Burch said he was pleased with the festival, save for Sunday’s rain.
“It is hard when you have an outdoor festival. Last year, we pretty much had to cancel everything because we were rained out. Saturday we had great weather,” he said. “The Friday night event at Market Square was well attended and the open houses were as popular as ever.”
Burch said the festival is looking to partner with the new downtown performing arts centre next year to build an indoor/outdoor event.