On November 4, 2022, Sandra Laronde was appointed to the Order of Ontario for 2021 for her outstanding contribution to arts and culture in Ontario and elsewhere. The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and Chancellor of the Order of Ontario, will bestow the province’s highest honour to the new appointees at a ceremony to be held on November 21, 2022.

https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1002448/ontario-celebrates-2021-order-of-ontario-appointees

October 15, 2022

Artistic Director Sandra Laronde is a plenary speaker at the Dance Studies Association 2022 Conference, Dancing Resilience: Dance Studies and Activism in a Global Age.

As one of our plenary speakers, she spoke on issues around Race, Resilience, and Representations of Diversity in a Global Context. 

 Vancouver, B.C.

September 15, 2022

Artistic Director Sandra Laronde was invited to participate in an Ontario Arts Council event for the new Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Nina Chiarelli. The event consisted of a presentation focused on Indigenous and Francophone arts programs.

Toronto, ON

Guest Lecture on Contemporary Sociocultural  

April 1, 2022

Red Sky Performance Artistic Director Sandra Laronde gave a guest lecture on “Contemporary Sociocultural” at Denison University.

Denison University, Granville, Ohio

Master Class on Dance, Wellness, and Public Health

March 31, 2022

Red Sky Performance held a master class on Dance, Wellness, and Public Health at the Thorsen Dance Studio at Denison University, facilitated by dancers Lindsay Harpham and Jessica Mak.

Denison University, Granville, Ohio

Guest Lecture on Women and Organizational Leadership

March 31, 2022

Red Sky Performance Artistic Director Sandra Laronde gave a guest lecture on Women and Organizational Leadership Class at Denison University.

Denison University, Granville, Ohio 

Somatics

March 31, 2022

Red Sky Performance held a Somatics master class at the Thorsen Dance Studio at Denison University facilitated, by dancers Lindsay Harpham and Jessica Mak.

Denison University, Granville, Ohio

Fundamentals of Contemporary Dance

March 31, 2022

Red Sky Performance held a master class in the Fundamentals Contemporary Dance at the Thorsen Dance Studio at Denison, facilitated by dancers Lindsay Harpham and Jessica Mak.

Denison University, Granville, Ohio

Wednesday, March 2 at 6:00pm EST / Online

Red Sky Performance, in collaboration with Earl Haig Secondary School, presented a REDTalk with Dr. Michael DeGagné (Anishinaabe) who spoke about what Truth & Reconciliation means today, the impact of residential schools, and Indigenous modern history. This special REDTalk was focused on themes of TRC for educators, students, artists, and their families.

Dr. Michael DeGagné is the current President and CEO of Indspire and former President and Vice Chancellor of Nipissing University, the first Indigenous president named to a public university in Canada. Dr. DeGagné is a recipient of the Order of Canada, the Order of Ontario, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, and the founding Executive Director of the Aboriginal Healing Foundation. He holds a PhD from Michigan State University. He is Anishinaabe from Animakee Wa Zhing 37 First Nation in Ontario.

January 19, 2022

As part of the Business / Arts Speaker Series, Red Sky Executive and Artistic Director Sandra Laronde joined a panel conversation about responding to risk and navigating uncertainty in the arts sector.

The panel features arts leaders from across the country to discuss how the current wave of the pandemic is affecting arts and culture organizations, and their response to rapidly changing restrictions and realities. Speakers included:

Alex Sarian, President and CEO, Arts Commons
Belinda Bale, Director of Marketing and Communications, The National Ballet of Canada
Sandra Laronde, Executive and Artistic Director, Red Sky Performance
Nik Nanos, Chief Data Scientist and Founder, Nanos Research

November 27

Regina Symphony Orchestra Music Director Gordon Gerrard will sit down for a pre-show chat with Sandra Laronde, director of Red Sky Performance. This is a great way to get some in-depth knowledge about the evening’s performance, Adizokan.

Adizokan is a unique, genre bending performance that shares Indigenous principles and connects the audience to the natural world through dance and music, featuring Indigenous artists and the musicians of the RSO.

Access to the pre-show chat is included with show ticket.

November 26

Red Sky Performance is hosting a Masterclass at Simon Fraser University’s Goldcorp Centre for the Arts (Fei & Milton Wong Experimental Theatre). Instructors will be Trace performers Lindsay Harpham and Jessica Mak.

Participation is free with registration. Register here

November 23

Executive & Artistic Director, Sandra Laronde, gave a lecture on Indigenous contemporary dance at Simon Fraser University to a group of 50 students in the Dance program at SFU’s School for the Contemporary Arts.

November 1

Red Sky Performance hosted an open rehearsal of Trace during our residency at the Del E. Webb Center in Wickenburg, Arizona. 25 people attended, getting an exclusive look into the rehearsal process.

October 28

Executive & Artistic Director Sandra Laronde participated in a 1.5-hour interview for a crowd of approximately 40 people at the Del E. Webb Center in Wickenburg, Arizona.

October 27

Red Sky Performance hosted an open rehearsal of Trace during our residency at the Del E. Webb Center in Wickenburg, Arizona. A dozen people attended, getting an exclusive look into the rehearsal process.

October 6, 2021

Executive & Artistic Director Sandra Laronde participated in a forum on “Building the Narrative of Toronto” for the City of Toronto and Destination Toronto. This forum focused on what the narrative of Toronto is, and how we make Toronto a better city.

October 2, 2021

After a performance of Trace at Dance Place in Washington, DC, a Q&A session was held with Red Sky Performance Executive & Artistic Director Sandra Laronde, Dance Place Artistic Director Christopher K. Morgan, musician Rick Sacks, and dancers Connor Mitton and Jessica Mak.

September 30, 2021

Red Sky Performance, in collaboration with Dance Place (Washington, DC) held a conversation and masterclass at City Dance Center in Maryland. The conversation with Red Sky’s Executive & Artistic Director, Sandra Laronde, was followed by a masterclass for approximately 40 diverse dance students led by Red Sky dancers.

September 27, 2021

A 60-minute virtual workshop on Truth & Reconciliation designed for educators was held with Carlie Chase of Nawaska Consulting and Cobblestone Collective. The workshop explored ways that educators can support Indigenous students and honour Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing in the classroom. Click here to see the recording of that lesson.

September 28, 2021

Executive & Artistic Director Sandra Laronde was interviewed by Kathryn Maguet, Executive Director of Bucknell University’s Weis Center for the Performing Arts, before that evening’s performance of Trace in Lewisburg, PA.

September 23-24, 2021

Red Sky presented masterclasses led by Red Sky dancer Lindsay Harpham at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York.

September 20-21, 2021

Red Sky dancers presented a masterclass for high school students at the State University of New York (SUNY) on Sept. 20 in Oswego, New York, on Onondaga Territory. The next day, Red Sky’s Executive & Artistic Director, Sandra Laronde, was a guest lecturer at SUNY, speaking with approximately 100 students during their Intro to Native American Studies class.

September 17, 2021

Atlantic Ballet/Ballet Atlantique offered a unique opportunity to experience Indigenous culture through a stunning performance of Trace at the Capitol Theatre in Moncton, NB. On September 17, 2021 Trace was performed live on stage and streamed live online. This one-of-a-kind event by Atlantic Ballet was offered as part of their work leading up to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30.

Red Sky Executive & Artistic Director, Sandra Laronde, did a Q&A prior to the performance.

September 10, 2021

Red Sky Performance was on Snake Island (part of the Toronto Islands) working with Bell Media on a special augmented-reality video project. The video features traditional hoop dancer Ascension Harjo and drum group Young Tribe performing on the shores of Toronto’s inner harbour, with the city skyline serving as a stark backdrop.

The video was shot with a 360-degree camera and will be experienced via VR goggles at a Virtual Reality conference produced by Bell, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in a stunning outdoor performance of Indigenous dance and music.

July 14, 2021

The 2021 Collingwood Summer Music Festival celebrated the creativity and fire of Indigenous artistic expression with a combined virtual/drive-in showcase featuring Red Sky Performance. The event featured poetry readings by Duke Redbird, flute playing by Jason Chamakese, traditional dance by Ascension Harjo, Jennifer Martin and Adrian Harjo, a screening of “The Water Walker” documentary about Autumn Peltier, and time-lapse photography of the Saugeen First Nation.

On June 21, as part of our National Indigenous Peoples Week programming, Red Sky led 5 exciting digital workshops for schools, getting people on their feet and having fun with movement, voice and music.

Getting On Your Feet workshops introduce students to the world of theatre, dance, music and voice. Workshops led by Red Sky Associate Artist and dancer Samantha Sutherland.

Throatboxing workshops introduce students to throat signing and beatboxing in one dynamic vocal workshop. Workshops led by Red Sky artist and throatboxer Nelson Tagoona.

Romeo Public School, Stratford, Ontario

Getting on Your Feet with Jock Soto

WHEN: April 17, 2021 at 1:00-2:00 PM EST

WHERE: Online (via Zoom)

As part of the Red Sky Performance webcast experience, join the movement with Jock Soto for a virtual dance workshop.

The workshop will be taught by former New York City Ballet principal dancer who is now an associate artist with Red Sky Performance, Jock Soto (Navajo). Jock will teach ballet techniques incorporating fitness exercises while respecting the limitations of your space at home.

This workshop is an initiative of Danse Danse (Montreal) offered in collaboration with Red Sky Performance (Toronto), DanceHouse (Vancouver), National Arts Centre (Ottawa), Harbourfront Centre (Toronto) and Springboard Performance (Calgary).

December 3-13, 2020

Red Sky will be part of Canadian Stage’s Festival of Ideas and Creation, a digital space for artists and audiences to come together, build and feed the creative imagination, and enhance community connections.

On December 3, Red Sky and Canadian Stage co-present Wisdom Keepers: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants with Robin Wall Kimmerer, hosted by Sandra Laronde.

December 8, 2020

Red Sky is invited to present at The Mayor’s Evening for the Arts which supports Arts in the Parks and the COVID-19 Response Effort Initiatives of Toronto Arts Foundation. With participation from Mayor John Tory, this year’s event will take place in an immersive online space with digital performances.