Welcome friends!
This page is the home of Searson’s “Ottawa Valley Step Dance Education Series” and we’re so glad you’re here!
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Developed in 2022 and released in 2023, this project is a video series that serves as a "beginner’s guide" on the Ottawa Valley step dance and fiddle traditions.
The videos are sequenced to teach participants the basic elements of the dance tradition, followed by the steps required to assemble a beginning reel routine. One video also features history and facts about the Ottawa Valley fiddle tradition, with special guest Brian Hebert.
It has been our honour to share our passion for Ottawa Valley step dancing and fiddling in workshops over the years, in addition to our live performances at music festivals across North America, Ireland and Europe. We’re thrilled to have these videos live online for all to enjoy, as an extension of what we’ve been doing in person, and as an introduction/follow-up to interested learners.
WHO IS THIS FOR?
One of the beautiful things about our dance and fiddle tradition is that all ages can participate and join in the fun! From youth to seniors, the inter-generational participation and community which has long been reflected in these traditions is something we hope this series will continue to foster.
This series is for you! And your school, your neighbours, your friends, your family, your church group, your community centre… Think big, and share it far and wide!
We will be sharing the series with school boards, student groups and seniors’ homes in phases, beginning with our local area, then across Canada, and over time in other countries where we have built a fan base and have former students who have participated in live workshops with us.
IT’S FREE!
This video series is free for all to enjoy and share. We ask that if you use it, or if you share it, you take a moment to fill out THIS FORM. This will help us keep track of the reach of the project and help us to make decisions about what might be useful in a future project. Filling out the form is completely optional, and we thank you in advance for your consideration in giving us your feedback!
BASIC INSTRUCTIONS
CAPTIONS AND TRANSLATIONS
We are pleased to be able to offer this series with subtitles for English, French and Inuktitut.
Here is how you can access those subtitles while viewing the videos on YouTube:
Click the “CC” icon in the bottom right hand corner of the YouTube video you’re playing
Then click the “gear” icon right beside that (to the right). There will be a list of options, one of them being “subtitles / cc”. If you click on that option, you’ll be able to choose which language you’d like to view.
That should do the trick! Every device is a little different, so if you encounter problems, a quick google search regarding “how to view subtitles on YouTube on XYZ device” might help.
THANKS & CREDITS
As with any project of this scale, we could not and did not do this alone! Our thanks to all of our contributors and partners:
Video & Audio Recorded by comBEtek Video Productions
Video Editing & Audio Mixing by Sue Passmore
Project Consulting by April Verch
Language Translations by Phil Bergeron and wintranslation
Language Consultation by Louis & Paula Schryer
Recorded Music by Chad Wolfe & Searson
Special Guests: Angus Clouthier, Levon Clouthier, Brian Hebert, Matti Laliberte
Created, Written & Performed by Erin Searson & Colleen Searson
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
Nous remercions le Conseil des arts du Canada de son soutien.
PAY IT FORWARD
Some of you have kindly asked how you might contribute funds to say thanks and to help us continue to provide free resources like this one. If you’d like to make a donation, you may do so using the button below. Thank you for your support!