Dancing Through History-XLED: In Search of the Stories that Define Canada
About this eBook
In Dancing Through History, Henry crosses Canada’s vast physical and ethnic terrain to uncover how its various cultures have evolved through their dances.
Her coast-to-coast journey takes her to Haida Gwaii in British Columbia, where she witnesses the seldom seen animist dances of the islands’ First Nation people. In the Arctic, Henry partakes in Inuit drum dancing, kept alive by a new generation of Nunavut youth. And in Cape Breton, she uncovers the ancient “step dance” of the once culturally oppressed Gaels of Nova Scotia.
During her travels, Henry discovers that dance helps to break down barriers and encourage cooperation between people with a history of injustice. Dance, she finds, can provide key insight into what people value most as a culture, which is often more similar than it seems. It is this kind of understanding that goes beyond our divisive histories and gives us compassion for one another.
About the author
Lori Henry is a writer and anthropologist of dance based in North Vancouver, Canada. She started learning Polynesian dancing when she was two years old and continued training as a dancer in many other disciplines like jazz, tap, contemporary, modern, and ballet. After high school, she trained as an actor and went on to work in the Vancouver film industry for many years. The past eight years have seen her jet setting around the world as a travel writer, covering different cultures through their food, landscape, dance, and festivals. Lori is best known for her book, Dancing Through History: In Search of the Stories That Define Canada.
You can find out more about Lori on her website: http://www.LoriHenry.ca.
