By Teena Monteleone

‘Every time I dance it feels like I’m floating’: Gazebo dancer video goes viral

Apr 30, 2021 | 10:25 AM

A video of a young woman dancing in her jingle dress at the gazebo on Prince Albert’s Riverbank, has been viewed nearly 10,000 times in less than a week.

Summer Standingready, 19, has been dancing since she was three years old and told paNOW she is very proud of her First Nations culture.

“Every time I dance it feels like I’m floating and I forget about everything that’s happening, she said.

Barb Ann Standingready, Summer’s grandmother, explained there was a sense of purpose to the dance last Sunday.

“On that evening that we did the shoot at the gazebo, the grandmother moon was out and she was trying to capture how beautiful the city was because she just loves PA” she said.

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Cliff Joanis and his wife happened to be driving by but felt compelled to stop and watch.

“It was so powerful to hear the jingles and the powwow music echoing through the night. Seeing her lit up against the night background was breathtaking,” Joanis said. “It made us proud to see that as we usually relate that area with negative perceptions.”

Prince Albert’s Art and Cultural coordinator Judy McLeod Campbell was one of the hundreds of people to share the video.

“To see someone actually use [the gazebo] in that way, and have the dancer using the gazebo right next to some people filming her, was awesome,” McLeod Campbell said.

The Bandstand Gazebo was built in 1909, and was fenced off for a period of time in 2020 due to some renovations. Those renovations included the addition of special lighting, as well as a thorough cleaning and a fresh paint job. The total cost of the work done was nearly $4,300.

Funding was provided by the Prince Albert Downtown Improvement District reserve fund, which received its funding from parking meter revenue. Funds also came from the city’s Municipal Cultural Action Plan. McLeod Campbell said it was her vision that the gazebo be used to showcase arts and culture related activities.

“It’s the community’s asset so it’s there to enjoy and I hope we see more of it,” she said.

Summer Standingready loves to dance and has also been seen performing during the winter at Kinsmen Park. She is also a part of the Thunderingsky Dance Troupe. (Submitted photo/Barb Ann Standingready-Garvin)

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell