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In May 2010, we toured Tono to World Expo 2010 Shanghai in China. We arrived to a sunny Shanghai which is located in the middle of the coast of mainland China, and sits at the mouth of the Yangtze River. This is bustling city where east meets west since 1842.

Our World Expo tour was Red Sky’s third trip to China. We have been fortunate to tour there on three occasions. On our first trip, we first performed in China with Caribou Song in 2006 in Nanjing, Chengdu, and Yinchuan. After a direct flight from Toronto to Beijing which was 13 hours (13 is a lucky number in China by the way), we spent our first memorable day in Beijing. We visited Tiananmen Square which is the largest central city square in the world; enjoyed Peking Duck for lunch; climbed the Great Wall which was built originally to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire; and then saw an incredible performance of Peking Opera that evening. So, this was day one in Beijing.

As we toured to the other destinations, we soon realized just how diverse China actually is. From the hinterlands of the north to the lush jungles in the south, from the mountains in the east to the top of the world in the west, China serves as home to 56 ethnic groups. We saw some of China’s urban and rural life, and performed in a Muslim part of China in the west where you can actually see the exquisite mountains of Mongolia in the distance.

Our second time to China was part of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 2008 Meet in Beijing Festival, and the International Festival of Art and Culture in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia. We toured with our new production called Tono which is a three-country project involving the Indigenous peoples of Canada, Mongolia and China. Tono explores the shared theme of horse cultures, spanning plains traditions in North America and Asia with a storyline about shamanism on both continents.

Apart from our 10 presentations in Beijing and throughout Inner Mongolia, we were also invited to perform as part of the Closing Ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Cultural Olympiad. This actually happened by coincidence because a director saw us perform at the Hai Dian Theatre in Beijing, and then invited us to perform at the prestigious Great Hall of the People’s Republic of Beijing. This Great Hall seats over 16,000 people and as we soon discovered, China does everything big. The Closing Ceremonies was filled with VIPs, athletes, artists, embassies, and talent from China and other foreign countries. We then toured throughout Inner Mongolia and performed in several venues in and around Hohhot. A highlight was our time with the Hohhot Song and Dance Ensemble, its director Mr. Peng Fei, and his wonderful team. We saw incredible performances from acrobats to dancers to comedians to opera, and experienced their warm hospitality.

Most recently, our third time to China was this past May 2010 where we were a featured highlight at World Expo 2010 Shanghai. Red Sky was the first Canadian company to perform on the stage of the Plaza of the Americas. After these initial performances, we were whisked off to the VIP room of the beautiful Canadian Pavilion where a press conference was held with considerable Chinese television, radio and print media in attendance. This press conference included Commissioner General Mark Rowswell (“Dashan”); Executive Producer of Cirque du Soleil, Jacques Méthé; Pascale Hebert; Marie-Jo Therio (Acadian singer and musician), and myself. The first question out of the media gate was directed at Red Sky. The press relayed how much they had enjoyed Tono, and expressed further interest in Red Sky itself.

Photo Credit: Patrick Alleyn

Expo 2010 is expected to be the biggest exposition ever, with 242 countries and organizations participating, and with an estimated 5.5 million visitors from around the world expected at the Canadian Pavilion during the Expo. Cirque du Soleil is responsible for the creative concept, the architecture, and the public presentation for the Canada Pavilion. I would like to take this opportunity to mention the other remarkable Indigenous artists from Canada who are performing at World Expo such as Inuit Throat Singer Tanya Tagaq from Nunavut; Cree singer/songwriter Shane Yellowbird from Hobbema, and the Dancers of Damelahamid from the Northwest coast of British Columbia, among others. I’m so proud of the Indigenous talent that continues to reveal our vibrancy and creativity to the world.

An exciting gala evening celebrated the launch of the Canadian Cultural Program at the Expo Centre on May 8, 2010. This evening brought together live performance excerpts of Red Sky Performance’s Tono, Cirque du Soleil, Marie-Jo Therio, Jean-Philippe Tremblay conducting the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and Alain Lefevre in the first Chinese performance of an original piece by Canadian composer Andre Mathieu. It was a well-attended evening with an eclectic mix of dance, music and circus; the excerpt of Cirque’s Zaia was particularly breathtaking.

I also had the good fortune of attending the world premiere screening of The Child Prodigy, a film written and directed by Luc Dionne and produced by Denise Robert and Daniel Louis of Cinemaginaire. This film is about Andre Mathieu’s genius, his young hands flying rapidly over the keyboard without thought. There was nothing easier for this child; he simply heard the sounds in his head and played them. Adulated, hailed, praised, this child prodigy seemed destined for great success.

After the screening, there was a reception where I met the director, producer, writer and cast of the film. It was especially fun to hang out with people such as Marion Seelbach and Pascal Richer, among others. Yes, the Tono cast enjoyed Shanghai very much. Our work was very well received. We met many new friends and delighted in the incredible performances that we saw at World Expo. Of course, we thoroughly relished the delicious cuisine and the warm company of one another. We have become a Red Sky family.

Red Sky truly created a stampede for the audiences in Shanghai, and likewise, Shanghai created an unforgettable stampede for our senses too.