There’s a dark shadow of pain that haunts Gordon’s mind.
It’s destructive, wounding and puts a weight on his soul too heavy to bear alone.
The wound, a mental infliction, remains. He remembers the anguish and abuse he suffered in a residential school when he was younger.
And although he doesn’t physically dwell in the building any longer, he carries its spectre with him.
Meeting Annie, a young contemporary First Nations woman working as a hairdresser, helps Gordon, a homeless First Nations man, travel on the path of healing.
For Annie, her encounter with Gordon awakens a connection to her roots and she begins to have visions of past events.
Gordon was born on a reserve and, as a young boy, was forced into the residential school system.
He fled the institution and has lived on the streets ever since.
He mourns the loss of his friend Charlie who was abused by the clergyman who ran the school and disappeared one day.
The duo’s journey away from pain, into knowledge and connection comes to life during Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s presentation of Going Home Star – Truth and Reconciliation at the Port Theatre April 4-5.
“It is a Canadian story,” said André Lewis, artistic director of the ballet. “It brings hope and inspiration.”
Lewis said the story of Gordon and Annie brings light to some darker parts of Canadian history and while the two reconcile with their past it is also a chance for audience members to reconcile with Canada’s past.
“We have to be part of the future of this,” he said. “I don’t know if we can, but we have to make a better place and move forward in harmony.”
The ballet was created in memory of the late elder Mary Richard and was written by Joseph Boyden. Boyden is of Anishinaabe, Irish and Scottish descent.
The ballet shows at the Port Theatre April 4-5 at 7:30 p.m.
There is a pre-show chat, both performances, at 6:30 p.m. with Lewis and Shelagh Rogers, CBC host and TRC honorary witness.
Tickets are $60 or $54 for members and are available by calling 250-754-8550 or www.porttheatre.com.
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