New Blood live show returning to Rosebud Theatre

By John Watson Local Journalism initiative Reporter

Rosebud Theatre and School of the Arts will once again be hosting New Blood, a story told through dance, choreographed by Strathmore High School’s Deanne Bertsch. 

“New Blood is a show that is about Chief Vincent Yellow Old Woman, he is a former chief of Siksika Nation. It’s his story of growing up in (a) residential school and then struggling with addiction, and then healing and becoming chief of his people,” said Bertsch. 

She explained the inspiration for the show came in 2014 following a trip to Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, where Bertsch spent time viewing native pictographs and listening to stories from her tour guide. 

Being somebody who works with many Siksika students at Strathmore High School, Bertsch said she was “saddened and horrified” to learn that the stories behind many of the pictographs had been lost, greatly due to the impacts of residential schools. 

From that experience, Bertsch was compelled to create a show with her dance class which told a history of the Blackfoot people. 

“We interviewed a Blackfoot teacher at our school named Eulalia Running Rabbit and she just talked about the moments in history that changed the way of the Blackfoot people,” said Bertsch. “We started creating the show and it was a little about the fur trade and a little about residential school and reservations … but because it was a dance class, we told it all through movement.”

Lacking direction for her story, one of Bertsch’s students at the time suggested she call his grandfather, who after sharing his personal story, shared a poem with Bertsch called The Indian and the Child, which came to be the story the show is based upon.

This is the second time Rosebud Theatre will showcase New Blood, the first time being in 2016. Bertsch said this year’s cast is the “12th or 13th” who have participated in retelling the story.

“Rosebud (School of the Arts) has asked me to do it with their students, so they are learning the part of the spirit dancers. The spirit dancers are animal spirits that are sort of the protectors of the Blackfoot children who are in residential school,” added Bertsch.

“The students who are playing the residential school children, all of them have parents or grandparents who went to residential school, so they are actually playing their parents or their grandparents in the show.”

The soundtrack for the show is taken from Peter Gabriel’s album of the same name, New Blood, which was originally produced in the 1980s. 

New Blood will be performed at Rosebud Theatre from March 18 to 20.