Every October in Cape Breton, the Celtic Colours International Festival celebrates the island’s vibrant traditional culture. Decked out in its splendid fall colours, Cape Breton lived to the rhythm of the many concerts and community events organized on the island, which reflected its Scottish, Irish, Acadian and Mi’kmaq influences. It is these great events that Renée Samson is fond of to proudly promote her Acadian culture, through her life’s passion, dance, or more specifically her traditional tap dance troupe, Les pieds au vol (see a beautiful video from 2016). Because Renée is first and foremost a teacher…
Originally from Petit-de-Grat, Renée Samson has been a kindergarten to Grade 12 teacher at Acadian Beau-Port School in Arichat since 2009, a school where she also served as interim vice-principal. Renée has a strong academic background, with degrees in chemistry, science and technology education, and business and leadership. Today, at Beau-Port School, she teaches high school science and cooperative education, while being in charge of the O2 program [1]. In addition, the ambitious Renée, a mother of four, has a long union career to her credit. She held various positions at the Conseil syndical acadien de la Nouvelle-Écosse, including serving as its president from 2015 to 2019. In reality, the great fight of his life is cultural transmission, in order to make young people aware of their Acadian and Francophone culture and to make them proud of it. And what more fun ways to do that than through dance and music…
A passion for dance
Renée Samson has been teaching Acadian dance at Beau-Port School and in the region for more than 25 years. This passion came to her when she was practicing her dance steps, with other young girls, in the 5th grade at the former primary school of Petit-de-Grat, in the furnace room (heating). They had the trust of their teacher, a renowned Acadian singer, who one day invited them to dance at her musical show. Since then, her passion for dance and music has never left her, nor then her passion for transmitting her culture through shows in the province, the country or the world. In her troupe Les pieds au vol, founded in 2010, she instills in her young dancers, with a touch of modernity, the pride of transmitting the unique style of traditional dance of their community as a team.
In 2020, Renée Samson made her dream come true by creating her own dance studio, Islandview Athletics, at her home and can thus preserve her family life. She is now fortunate to be assisted by six former students who have become coaches, who share the same passion for dance as a cultural springboard. Let us hope that this brilliant woman will continue to be a source of inspiration for all these young people in search of an Acadian identity of which they can be proud.
Header photo: Renée Samson (Courtesy of Renée Samson).
Jean-Marc Agator
Paris, France
[1] Options and Opportunities (O2): a community-based education program that prepares high school students for work, career exploration, or post-secondary education.