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Lynn Lau
Northern News Services
 Ruby Ann McLeod shows off her special dancing mukluks and slippers, at home in Inuvik. - Lynn Lau/NNSL photo |
Over the years, she estimates some 80 youth, including many young offenders and foster children, have danced with the East Three Reelers.
This summer, with the help of one of her long-time dancers, Melissa Kisoun, McLeod is planning a reunion.
News/North caught up with her off the dance floor last week to talk about her love of music, old time dances and her young old time dancers.
News/North: Where did you get the idea for the reunion?
Ruby McLeod: For the last two or three years, we've been talking about it, and the dancers keep saying it would be nice to get together one more time and see everyone again. I talked with Melissa Kisoun, she's one of the dancers, and she said we should try to do something. So she's getting into contact with quite a few people.
N/N: How did the East Three Reelers get started?
RM: Me and my husband, we don't have any children, but I adopted three -- two girls and boy, and we were foster parents. We were also looking after young offenders for quite a few years.
We would always go to my fish camp in the summer. When I go to my camp, I take my tapes and listen to music. We had this drum dance tape from Fort Good Hope, so we put that on, and there we were starting to dance on the beach with these kids, boys and girls. Then I put fiddling music on and there we started dancing to that. When I came back to town, I kept thinking about it. I talked to Ingamo (Hall Friendship Centre) and they said I could come down there, and I got a hold of William George Firth (who helped at the beginning) and this is where I got started.
N/N: So the group was always for the kids?
RM: It was always for young people. It was all mixed -- Gwich'in kids, Inuvialuit kids, even white kids I had. And these young offenders, when I was looking after them, they used to practise in my kitchen.
N/N: How many young offenders did you have?
RM: Maybe 30. Over the years, they'd come and go. Most of them were interested in the dancing. Most of started calling me Ruby, and in the end, they hear my grandchildren saying grandma, and they start saying grandma. It makes me so proud. I get so happy when they say things like that. And the parents were also happy I had them dancing.
N/N: How long does it take to teach the kids to dance?
RM: It doesn't take long -- just one evening. You watch somebody else and you hear the music and you're right there -- you just try and pretty soon, you're dancing.
N/N: Do the kids like it?
RM: Oh yes. They would phone me and say, "When are we going to dance?" If they don't have anything to do, this is where they get into drinking and smoking. When you got them dancing, they got nothing on their mind except to dance and show their steps. When they take different steps, they're proud of themselves. They think, "I'm going to keep doing this and keep doing this."
I make most of their costumes too, their skirts and vests. Most of their slippers are mine, eight or nine pairs. The ones that don't have any I let them use mine.
N/N: Has the group gone many places to perform?
RM: We've been to just about every festival around here -- Aklavik, McPherson, Tuk, Arctic Red (Tsiigehtchic). We even went to Old Crow (Yukon) and Fort Yukon, Alaska. Ross River (Yukon) saw us on TV when we went to Old Crow, so they invited us and they paid our way there and looked after us. We went there three times, that's how much they liked our dancing. Whitehorse found out about us too so they got us to go there.
N/N: How many dancers do you take when you go?
RM: The most I take is about eight couples and one girl and one boy to help me supervise.
N/N: How old are your dancers?
RM: Eight, nine, 10. Some of them are still dancing and they're about 18 years old, they like it so much.
N/N: When did you start dancing yourself?
RM: I started dancing when I was about 16 or 17 years old. Not only that, I've had 21 operations -- 21 surgeries! And I still dance. The doctor told me I'm a bionic woman.
In 1957, I had TB in my spine, so I had a big operation. I spent 16 months in Edmonton for that, and I had a big operation on my right hip about four years ago, in the joints, and I'm still dancing. And I had my whole hand, eight fingers and two thumbs, I had them all done because of arthritis, and I'm still sewing. I'm 67 and I still make parkas.
N/N: Wow! Where do you get your energy to do it all?
RM: Where I get the energy is when we're ready to perform and I'm with my dancers, I start listening to the music. My mom used to be a silly little old lady. When she got up to dance, everybody would laugh and she'd have so much fun. I'm just like her.
We to Midway (the Lake Music Festival near Fort McPherson) one time and this one old man, he ran to me and said, "Mahsi! Mahsi!" That means, Thank You! He said, "I'm so happy and proud of you. You're just like your mom." My mom used to get silly when she'd dance, and when I'm dancing I scream and it makes the crowd happy.
I like old-time dancers, I like dancing, and I love the music. I like to see the young boys and girls get into this. Now, I see the boys and girls are very interested in dancing, and you know that's the way you keep them off the street.
They got something to go to, they're happy and they're dancing. It's very important for me. I'm happy they're doing this instead of looking around for something to do like drinking or something.
This is why I'm really like to keep them together.
