About

The Ojibwa jingle dress dance originated during the influenza pandemic of 1918-19. It came to a father in a dream when his daughter was sick with the virus. The dream revealed a new dress and dance that had the power to heal. The dresses were made and given to four women to dance. When the little girl heard the sound of the jingles, she became stronger. By the end of the night, she was healed and started to dance.

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“Art Heals: The Jingle Dress Project” also started from a dream. The dream told me to take the healing power of the jingle dress to different places and capture a series of images to document the spiritual locations where our ancestors once walked. The goal is to unite and offer hope to the world through art, dance, and culture, helping us heal during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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During the project, it was essential to capture the harmony of the land and the girls in their jingle dresses. When on location, I asked the girls to feel the land, to feel the ancestors who once lived there, and to channel this spirit through themselves. When the girls danced they could feel the ancestors dancing with them spiritually.

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The project was challenging. We didn't have days or weeks to travel to our locations and the luxury of doing numerous scouting trips before our photo sessions. In fact, some of the locations were completely new to me. The miracle of the project is when we had stormy days, we would be blessed with clear skies and beautiful light, and then it would be stormy again.

The images and this project are incredibly powerful and spiritual. I believe this whole experience is larger than me. I hope when people view this documentary, they feel the same way – that we are all blessed to be in the presence of such beauty.