''Dance Me Outside'' is a 1994 Canadian drama film, directed by Bruce McDonald. It was based on a book by

W.P. Kinsella William Patrick "W. P." Kinsella (May 25, 1935September 16, 2016) was a Canadian novelist and short story writer, known for his novel '' Shoeless Joe'' (1982), which was adapted into the movie ''Field of Dreams'' in 1989. His work often concer ...

.Rob Salem, "Dance Me Outside struts a lively two-step". ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'', March 10, 1995. The film premiered at the

1994 Toronto International Film Festival The 19th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 8 and September 17, 1994. '' Whale Music'' by Richard J. Lewis was selected as the opening film. The festival's name changed from ''Festiv ...

, before going into commercial release in 1995.

Plot

On the Kidabanesee

reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...

Northern Ontario Northern Ontario is a primary geographic and quasi-administrative region of the Canadian province of Ontario, the other primary region being Southern Ontario. Most of the core geographic region is located on part of the Superior Geological Provi ...

lives Silas Crow ( Ryan Black), a young man looking for direction in life. He is uncertain about taking an automobile mechanic's course in college. His general confusion with life is most readily evident in his appearance. He wears an old ratty black fedora, a strange assortment of cargo pants, as well as a long, black trench coat. Frank Fencepost (

Adam Beach Adam Beach (born November 11, 1972) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his roles as Victor Joseph in ''Smoke Signals'', Frank Fencepost in ''Dance Me Outside'', Tommy on ''Walker, Texas Ranger'', Kickin' Wing in ''Joe Dirt'', U.S. Marine C ...

) is Crow's best friend, and Sadie Maracle ( Jennifer Podemski) is his girlfriend. A young girl from the reserve is murdered by Clarence Gaskill ( Hugh Dillon); the

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

man's sentence is light, leading the community to demand justice or vengeance.

Production

''Dance Me Outside'' was the first acting role for Dillon, who was previously known as a rock singer. He later starred in McDonald's ''

Hard Core Logo ''Hard Core Logo'' is a 1996 Canadian mockumentary adapted by Noel S. Baker from the novel of the same name by author Michael Turner. The film was directed by Bruce McDonald and illustrates the self-destruction of punk rock. Released in 1996, ...

'', and has since gone on to become an acclaimed actor in television series such as '' Durham County'' and '' Flashpoint''. The rock band

Leslie Spit Treeo Leslie Spit Treeo were a Canadian folk-rock band in the 1980s and 1990s. The band took its name from the Leslie Street Spit area of Toronto Harbour."Leslie Spit Treeo still true to street-busking roots". ''Toronto Star'', May 11, 1990. History T ...

and singer-songwriter

Vern Cheechoo Vern Cheechoo is a Cree people, Cree folk and country singer-songwriter from Canada.Dariya Baiguzhiyeva"Moose Cree singer's new album will be dedicated to his late wife" ''Village Media, Timmins Today'', July 24, 2021. He is most noted as a two-time ...

appeared in the film, performing in concert at the reserve's community hall, "The Blue Quill Hall". Blue Quill is a borrowed name of a community in

's hometown of

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

. Other contributors to the soundtrack included the

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

duo Kashtin, singer-songwriter

Keith Secola Keith Secola (born 1957) is an Ojibwe- American musician who plays rock and roll, folk rock, folk, and reggae. A singer-songwriter, he also plays guitar and flute. Secola was born in Cook, Minnesota . He is married and has 2 children. In 1982 h ...

and Dillon's band

The Headstones Headstones is a Canadian punk-influenced rock band formed in Kingston, Ontario in 1989, but on hiatus from 2003 to 2011.

, as well as previously recorded songs by Redbone and

The Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

, and an instrumental score by Mychael Danna. The film was shot primarily on the Shawanaga, Wasauksing and Sucker Creek First Nations reserves near

Parry Sound Parry Sound is a sound or bay of Georgian Bay on Lake Huron, in Ontario, Canada. It is highly irregularly shaped with many deep bays and islands. Killbear Provincial Park is located on the large peninsula that separates the sound from Georgian B ...

, with a small amount of location shooting in Parry Sound.

Television series

A television series, ''

The Rez ''The Rez'' is a Canadian drama television series, which aired on CBC Television from 1996 to 1998. Bruce McDonald and Norman Jewison were executive producers of the series, which chronicled life in an Ojibway community. The series is based o ...

'', was spun off from the film in 1996. In the series, Frank Fencepost was played by Darrel Dennis instead of

, who was instead given the role of the chief's son, Charlie. Ryan Black and Jennifer Podemski kept their roles, while Podemski's sister Tamara played a new character named Lucy.

Awards

The film won two Genie Awards at the

16th Genie Awards The 16th Genie Awards were held on January 14, 1996, to honour films released in 1995."Two films divide Genie spoils". ''The Globe and Mail'', January 15, 1996. The ceremony took place in Montreal at Société Radio-Canada's Studio 42. For the fi ...

in 1996, for Best Editing ( Michael Pacek) and

Best Sound Editing This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow List of film awards, film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awa ...

(Steve Munro, Andy Malcolm, Michael Pacek, Peter Winninger and Michael Werth). It was also nominated, but did not win, for Best Overall Sound (Keith Elliott, Peter Kelly, Daniel Pellerin and Ross Redfern).Rob Salem, "Lepage movie tops Genie list: Le Confessionnal nabs a dozen nominations as first-time directors dominate". ''

'', November 8, 1995.

Availability

After the film's spring 1995 theatrical run, the film was released on videocassette in 1995 by A-Pix Entertainment and in Canada that same year by

Cineplex Odeon Cineplex Inc. (formerly Cineplex Galaxy) is a Canadian movie theatre and family entertainment centre chain headquartered in Toronto. The company was formed in 2003 via the acquisition of Loews Cineplex's Canadian operations (which included t ...

. The Canadian tape contained the music video for "Cemetery" performed by

The Headstones Headstones is a Canadian punk-influenced rock band formed in Kingston, Ontario in 1989, but on hiatus from 2003 to 2011.

. Video Service Corporation released the film on DVD in 2008.

References

External links

* {{Bruce McDonald 1994 films English-language Canadian films Canadian drama films First Nations films Films directed by Bruce McDonald Films set in Northern Ontario Films based on works by W. P. Kinsella Films scored by Mychael Danna 1994 drama films 1990s English-language films 1990s Canadian films