No matter what struggles life brought, Angela Gladue got through them by dancing. She is a dancer who was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. She does hiphop, breakdancing, locking, and popping and got her start as a fancy shawl dancer and Métis dancer when she was a young child. She jingle dress and hoop dances, dances at parties and for Alchemy Performing Arts. Outside of dance, she does beadwork and works as a camp counsellor. She learned to do beadwork from a friend from whom she bought her first outfit.

Gladue got her start in dancing in elementary school. The school fitted them in their own regalia and they performed at other schools and retirement homes. At 12, she saw the Magoo Crew perform at the Alberta Museum and learned dancing could take her around the world when one of the dancers shared that she had performed in Japan. Gladue went on to join the Métis dance group, the Red River Wheelers, and then a professional group.

When her grandmother who raised her passed away, Gladue ended up in the homes of different friends, relatives, and group homes. She found joy dancing in all ages dance clubs where she could just dance and didn’t have to talk to anyone. She found sober clubs, after hours clubs, anywhere she could dance, even her bedroom. She experimented with substances but didn’t like how some people would only dance when they used. She didn’t want that for herself.

Gladue eventually gave up drinking and drugs to take dancing seriously, joining a series of dance groups including the Red Power Squad, performing at the Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards and travelling across Canada. She also joined the White Braid Society, powwow dancing weekly, and was asked to join other performance groups. She even travelled to powwow dance in Italy.

As Gladue gave up substances, she stopped going to places where people were offering them or trying to buy them from her and started going to jams, events, hiphop competitions, and friendship centre practices. Showing up and asking questions, she found community for herself. She also connected with people who shared her interests on social media, leveraging Facebook and Instagram for networking about beadwork, breakdancing and hiphop. She’s also been able to learn new skills from online classes.

While her dance career flourished, Gladue spent her summers working as a camp counsellor. Her first summer as a camp counsellor was when she was just 14. Living in a foster home in Red Water, Alberta, her foster mother made sure she got to and from work every day where she learned how to work with kids, be professional, respectful and a good worker.

If Gladue could give a message to her younger self it would be, “Just keep going and don't stop. Good things are coming. Don't worry, don't be afraid, and don't be ashamed about doing what you love or what makes you happy, and just keep going and keep learning and surround yourself with the others that are into what you're into, and people that you can also learn from."

As someone who always struggled with social anxiety, Gladue pushed past her fears with dance. When she was young, she imagined herself performing for thousands of people. “Don't let the shame take you away from wanting to try whatever it is you want to do,” she urges.

Something else Gladue struggled with was focus. As a teen, she had been on ADHD medications but resisted them because she thought all amphetamines were bad. Now that she’s back on them, she’s able to sit and do her beadwork again instead of just sitting and scrolling endlessly.

Dance was her escape, her joy and eventually, her profession. Angela Gladue found solace, opportunity and community on the dance floor, creating the life she dreamed of as a child. Letting go of anxiety and shame, she has picked up chances to learn, grow and shine.

Thanks to Alison Tedford Seaweed for authoring this article.