Spring 2008

Photo credit: David Hou

With the sun shining, the air is filled with a sense of anticipation and possibility. Red Sky is forging forward into its most ambitious year to date.

It has been an active year of touring to many destinations and venues across the country. Most recently, Red Sky toured to Atlantic Canada (April 1 - 18, 2008) with the cast of Raven, including Michael Dufays, Patti Shaughnessy and Carlos Rivera to exciting New Brunswick venues including: The Playhouse (Fredericton), Imperial Theatre (Saint John), and Capitol Theatre (Moncton). In Nova Scotia, Raven toured to Osprey Arts Centre (Shelburne), King's Theatre (Annapolis), The Y'arc Playhouse (Yarmouth), Marigold Cultural Centre and the Membertou Trade & Convention Centre (Sydney). Our Atlantic Canada tour also stopped at Prince Edward Island's Confederation for the Arts in Charlottetown.

Red Sky makes its first ever appearance in Saskatchewan on June 4 - 5 at the Saskatchewan Childrens Festival. This festival features performers from across Canada, Denmark, Japan, Germany and the USA.

From May 19 to July 5, 2008, Red Sky enters into the next phase of Tono which delves into the unique and intriguing parallels of the Indigenous peoples of Canada, Mongolia and China. Tono is a new creation with concept, choreography and direction by Artistic Director Sandra Laronde with co-choreography by Roger Sinha, Viewpoints by Michael Greyeyes, and music by the Mongolian musicians led by Rick Sacks. This three-country project includes thirteen dancers and musicians from Canada, Mongolia and China.

In this new work, Red Sky will speak to the tribal identities of Indigenous peoples and their shamanic history, while exploring the great horse cultures of the world that have held a mystical sway over our imaginations. The production will be heavily grounded in the theme of horse culture, spanning plains tradition in Asia and North America, and will rise into the realm of the evocative with a storyline about shamanism on both continents. Our Developing Partners to date include The Banff Centre and Luminato: Toronto Festival of Arts & Creativity.

Plans are currently underway for touring to Inner Mongolia and Beijing.  Red Sky will continue to develop this project, and tour in the near future to Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, and the United States. Currently, there are plans for lasting legacies underway including a CD compilation of the music, and a short documentary on the process to performance of this expansive new project.

In addition to touring, Red Sky remains committed to and actively involved in Community Engagement Initiatives offering public speaking opportunities, engaging in educational outreach, and community and artistic development.

From April 3 to 5, Red Sky's Artistic Director Sandra Laronde was a panelist at the inspirational 11th Annual Canadian Arts Summit along with renowned filmmaker Deepa Mehta, principal double bassist Alison Mackay, and moderated by The Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, Co-Chair of The Institute for Canadian Citizenship.

From April 24 to 26, Sandra participated in a national forum, Art Matters, in collaboration with The Banff Centre and Their Excellencies, the Right Honourable Michaelle Jean, Governor General of Canada, and Mr. Jean-Daniel Lafond, and with 30 artists from across Canada.

"Red Sky soars, delights... with a complete experience intact."
- Toronto Star

"Red Sky steals the show...an innovative performance company."
- Toronto Sun

"On behalf of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, please accept my congratulations on presenting one of the best theater pieces that we have presented here in New York."
- Program Producer, Smithsonian National Museum

"Red Sky has everything to do with theatricality and the imagination...remarkably evocative."
- Edmonton Journal