The 1936 Olympic Dance Competitions, Canadian Settler Colonialism, and the Indigenous Absence

Abstract

Abstract Despite the substantial attention paid to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, the Internationale Tanzwettspiele of these Games has received nominal attention. The studies related to this relatively unknown episode in Olympic Games focus on the ethnocentrism of aesthetic expression in dance and ballet as cultural art forms. This article seeks to shift the focus toward the fundamental importance of the Indigenous absence at the center of this episode; its significance can be properly understood when placed in the context of Canadian settler colonialism. The article first provides an overview of settler colonial history and its implications for the Canadian troupe's Berlin performance. Second, the circumstances that led to the construction of the Canadian contribution to the 1936 dance competitions are examined. Lastly, we reflect on the reception of pre-Olympic performances offered in Tkaronto (Toronto) in May 1936 and on the Olympic performance's reception in the German media.