In 1989, Art Bronzes International launched The Canadian Contemporary Sculpture Collection, with this bear among the first eight works produced. Though the edition was announced at 500, the firm later confirmed to First Arts that the run was never completed [1]. The exact number of bronzes cast remains uncertain, but their rare appearance on the market suggests the edition was far smaller than planned.

The sculpture itself carries an immediate visual surprise. With its mottled surface, dark patina, and sense of density, the bear could be mistaken for chlorite rather than bronze. Careful finishing through wax and patination transforms the metal into something at once familiar and unexpected.

The subject of the "Dancing Bear" is one of Pauta Saila’s most celebrated, and here the figure is caught mid-motion, suspended in a balance of play and vitality. Bronze allows that moment to be fixed in perpetuity. In doing so, the work retains the character and spirit of Pauta’s stone carvings while also situating Inuit art within a sculptural lineage where bronze has long been associated with permanence and artistic legacy.