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RANKIN INLET
Hundreds of people spent a good part of the day, and most of the evening, celebrating being Canadian during Canada Day festivities in Rankin Inlet on July 1.

Maggie Itigaitok, 6, gets her face painted by Lori Tagoona during Canada Day celebrations in Rankin Inlet on July 1, 2012. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo

After the parade, barbecue, bike race, boat race, target shoot and other funfilled events were over, it was off to the community hall to cut a rug with some good old-fashioned square dancing.

And that's where one particular group of Rankin youth shine.

Lucy Manilak started the Rankin Inlet Square Dance Group in October of 2011.

The group practises two or three times a week when a competition or celebration nears, moving from house to house among family members nice enough to provide rehearsal space.

Manilak said the group has eight regular members - four boys and four girls - and sometimes she'll have two alternates ready just in case one of the members can't make it for some reason.

She said the dancers always look forward to performing, whether it's a competition or a community gathering.

"Any show they're invited to, or they can perform in, like Canada Day on July 1, they look forward to showing the community kids can do it too," said Manilak.

"They really have a lot of fun and it's not just about the competitions.

"This also helps them learn our (Inuit) traditional ways, because there's always a square dance any time there's a celebration in the community."

Manilak said the kids were aged nine to 12 when she first started the group with the help of her daughter, Wendy.

She said most of the members are cousins.

"Practising two or three times a week has really paid off and they're excellent at square dancing now.

"I'm very proud when I'm watching them perform and having so much fun."

Each member of the group has their own traditional outfit, and the pride they have in them is obvious from the moment they appear.

The outfits are a result of the sewing skills of Manilak and four moms of group members.

Manilak said she told the moms she would copy the traditional outfits from Arviat.

She said then she began cutting up the boys' outfits based on what she watched her late father wear when he square danced.

"I made a pattern from what I watched my dad wear and, with a little help from one of my cousins, it came together really well.

"The moms then, kind of, copied my work until all the kids had their own.

"We keep the outfits together so they last, sometimes at my house and sometimes at my helper's, Martha Arnarauyak's."

"We have to copy some of them and make new outfits soon, because the kids are growing up and they need to get a little bigger size."

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