I won't lie, at the start of this show, I hated this production. I wanted out. If it hadn't been a required class, I'd have left. There were a few reasons. For one thing, the story I thought it would tell made me uncomfortable: certainly we should acknowledge and remember the stories of children being taken to residential schools, but in my experience the story most often told is that I should feel personally guilty for what happened, which has never sat right with me. For another thing, I didn't really like the music we performed to. As well, I thought I was a terrible dancer, and always felt big, awkward, and clumsy while rehearsing. 

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However, through the process, I realized just how wrong I was. New Blood doesn't guilt trip the audience or the actors. It does a perfect job of telling a true story, and acknowledging that terrible things did happen, but it's ultimately a story of victory over those challenges, showing our protagonist overcoming their struggles. The music eventually grew on me, which helped out a lot. I also made some new friends through the project, which helped me enjoy the work a lot more.

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At the time I didn't understand what had happened, but I now realize another significant change through the rehearsal process. I was diagnosed when I was younger with Developmental Coordination Disorder, which essentially meant it was harder for my body to learn to move in ways I didn't already know. (I always knew about my DCD diagnosis, but I hadn't understood it's implications for my daily life until several years later.) Thus, learning new choreo for a dance show I'd never done before left me feeling deeply uncomfortable and clumsy. However, as rehearsals went on and I got every movement into my body, I grew rapidly less clumsy, and began to enjoy the work. In the end, I really enjoyed this show. I recommend seeing it if you get the chance.

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New Blood is a movement show created by Deanne Bertsch, telling the story of an Aboriginal child who's taken from her family, and brought to a residential school. Despite facing many challenges and abuses while attending there, she stays true to her heritage, ultimately being released, and thriving once more in the natural world. New Blood includes elements of dance, narration, live performances of Peter Gabriel's music, and some performances of Native American music and dance. This performance was staged using students from Bertsch's high school dance class, students from Rosebud School of the Arts, and Aboriginal people connected to either school.