Red Sky engages in educational outreach and community and artistic development through dialogue, lecture presentations, company classes, workshops, and open rehearsals in order to enrich our communities.
 
While on tour, we offer opportunities for the community to engage in dialogue around artistic and cultural expression through artist talk-backs, community dialogues, and artist/community mentoring initiatives.
 
Red Sky’s Community Initiatives to date:

April 4, 2007
University of Toronto, Toronto
Artistic Director Sandra Laronde was a Guest Lecturer on Indigenous contemporary performance and Red Sky’s creative process.

March 20, 2007
Brock University, St. Catherine’s
Artistic Director Sandra Laronde was a Guest Speaker on “Empowerment Through the Arts” as part of the second annual Aboriginal Women’s Day that celebrates positive Aboriginal women in today’s society, leadership, social justice and artistic expression.

February 1, 2007
Odawa Friendship Centre, Ottawa
Co-presented by the Canada Dance Festival and the National Arts Centre, Artistic Director Sandra Laronde recently facilitated a workshop in Movement and Voice for 15 students of the Urban Aboriginal Alternative High School at the Odawa Native Friendship Centre in Ottawa. Components of the workshop included Red Sky’s creative process, a presentation of DVD excerpts of Red Sky’s performances, and an interactive component including movement, voice, and improvisation.

October 24, 25, 26, 2006
Red Sky studio, Toronto
Five aspiring performers learn more about theatre and music in terms of breaking down scripts and examining elements of music. This mentorship with accomplished director and professor at York University, Mark Wilson, includes sneak previews, behind the scenes work, and performances of renowned Tomson Highway (playwright, composer, lyricist, pianist) and Patricia Cano (mezzo soprano/actress) and Uli Kempendorf (saxophonist).


June 7, 2006
National Arts Centre, Ottawa
Master Class with Michael Greyeyes on Viewpoints Improvisation

June 6, 2006
National Arts Centre, Ottawa
Dance Dialogues:
(1) Pre-Show Chat with Artistic Director Sandra Laronde with Aboriginal youth from the Urban Aboriginal Alternative High School and Wabano Health Centre.
(2) Post-Performance Discussion with David, Greyeyes and Laronde on Shimmer’s creative process and traditional/contemporary dance.

May 10, 2006
Dovercourt Penthouse, Toronto
Dance workshop with Grade 9 students at York School

March 9, 2006
Yinchuan, China
Music Department of the Second Northwest University of Nationalities

March 7, 2006
Chengdu, China
Sichuan Arts Professional School

March 6, 2006
Chengdu, China
Arts Institute of the Southwest University for Nationalities

January 15, 2006
Red Sky workshop on theatre, dance and music at the Charles W. Stockey Centre in Parry Sound, Ontario.

December 9, 2005
Red Sky workshop on artistic process and the multidisciplinary approach to performing arts at the Cantebury High School in Ottawa, Ontario

November 27, 2005
Red Sky workshop on artistic process and theatre for third and fourth year drama students at Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario

November 10, 2005
Red Sky workshop for children exploring movement, song, and exercises for the imagination at the Martime Conservatory for the Performing Arts in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

November 9, 2005
Red Sky workshop for the Highbury Education Centre (Youth at Risk), and Central Kings High School from Annapolis Valley First Nation in Nova Scotia.

November 2, 2005
Post-Performance Salon: Storytelling and Cultural Practice with Red Sky and Bea Shawanda at the Algoma Fall Festival in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

April 7, 2005
Voice & Movement workshop for Emerging and Intermediate Aboriginal actors affiliated with Ondinnok’s Theatre Intensive at the National Theatre School in Montreal.
 
March 16, 2005
Artistic Director Sandra Laronde is featured in "Sharing the Inspiration", The 3rd Annual National Aboriginal Women in the Leadership Forum co-presented by Women in Leadership Foundation and Native Canadian Centre of Toronto.
 
February 14, 2005
Guest Lecturer for the Indigenous Performing Arts program at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
 
February 2, 2005
Guest Lecturer on Performance Entrepreneurship at Ryerson University in Toronto. The purpose is of this lecture was to give graduating actors and dancers the tools they need to mount a show, or to start a company, and to inspire the students by talking about Red Sky's successful experiences.
 
December 9, 2004
Artistic Director Sandra Laronde was a recipient of the Aboriginal Affairs Award from the City of Toronto on the occasion of Human Rights Day.
 
Hosted by Mayor David Miller and Andy Barrie of Metro Morning CBC Radio One, the Aboriginal Affairs Award honoured the contribution of a person(s) whose efforts have made a significant contribution towards improving the quality of the life for the Aboriginal community in Toronto.
 
According to Sandra Laronde, "this award represents the recognition of the entire Aboriginal community and its significant role in the social change in the City of Toronto."
 
November 27 – 28, 2004
Red Sky's interactive festival booth attracted thousands of people at the Toronto International Pow Wow, the largest annual pow wow in North America.
 
May 7 - 21, 2004
Governor-General's Canadian Leadership
In 2004, Red Sky's Artistic Director Sandra Laronde was one of 225 Canadians chosen to participate in the Governor-General's Canadian Leadership program that celebrates promising leaders making a significant impact on Canada. In May, Sandra participated in a two-week intensive travelling to three provinces, and met luminaries such as Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa; Guy Laliberte, Cirque du Soleil; Zacharias Kunuk, filmmaker of Atanajurat: The Fast Runner.
 
March 26, 27, 28, 2004
Master Class: Carlos Rivera on Traditional & Contemporary Dance Forms
Carlos Rivera is a core performer with Red Sky, and a dancer, teacher and choreographer of traditional Mexican and contemporary dance. He is of Mixteco indigenous descent, and studied at the Government of Mexico City's Cultural Secretary Dance School and the Centre for Choreographic Research (CICO-INBA) at the Mexican Fine Arts Institute.
 
Where: Maddison Studios, Toronto
When: March 26, 27, 28, 2004 from 4 pm - 9 pm
Cost: $75
 
March 8, 2004
Teacher Orientation session for primary school teachers to better understand and appreciate First Nation’s artistic and cultural expression
at the Harbourfront Centre, Toronto.
 
December 7, 2003
Master Class: Makka Kleist on Stage Presence
Makka Kleist is an accomplished actor, director and teacher, and considered one of the world‚s leading indigenous performers. Makka is Inuk originally from Greenland, and has trained extensively with Tuukkaq Theatre in Denmark, and performed in Tuukkaq's "Nattoralik", "Kattutta, "Eqqartuussisuaraq", and "Uaajeerneq in Greenland, Scandinavia, Holland, France, Germany, United States and Canada.
 
Where:  Guild Room, Equity Showcase Theatre
651 Dufferin Street (Dufferin/Dundas)
When: Sunday December 7, 2003 at 1 pm - 6 pm
Cost: $20.
 
2004
On the Advisory Committee for Harbourfront's Planet IndigenUS: an international multidisciplinary festival.
 
November 29 – 30, 2003
Red Sky's interactive festival booth attracted thousands of people at the Toronto International Pow Wow, the largest annual pow wow in North America.
 
October 18, 2003
Excerpt of Caribou Song at the "Creative Places & Spaces" international conference of 500 delegates at Toronto's Design Exchange presented by Toronto Artscape in association with the Canadian Urban Institute and Artspace Projects of Minneapolis on October 18, 2003.
 
September 24 – 25, 2003
Speaker at a joint initiative sponsored by Canada Council and the Department of Canadian Heritage called “Perspectives on Innovative Management Practices in Small-mid scale and Community Based Arts Organizations”.
 
August 23, 2003
"Movement and Voice" workshop at the Splitting the Sky Festival at Western Canadian Theatre in Kamloops, B.C. hosted by the Indigenous Artistic Service Organization of British Columbia to create an inspiring workshop for emerging Aboriginal performers.
 
2003
On the Steering Committee for the National Study of Professional Dance in Canada in 2003.
 
April 1, 2003
Gardiner Museum’s Education Program & Public Events
Community Intensive with Mayo Deer Dancer that is performed by the Yoreme culture of northwestern Mexico.
Free Admission
 
March 31, 2003
Lectured at University of Toronto's Introduction to Aboriginal Studies.
 
March 30, 2003
Lectured at York University's undergraduate dance class.
 
February 23, 2003
Community Celebration with Red Sky at the AGO
Sneak preview of excerpts from Dancing Americas with Red Sky’s artistic director Sandra Laronde, choreographer Peter Chin and Mexican performers Carlos Rivera, Marina Acevedo and Andrea Zavala at the Art Gallery of Ontario.
1 pm - 4pm, Art Gallery of Ontario
317 Dundas West, Toronto
Admission $12.
 
February 22, 2003
In Series 8:08 at the YMCA, Red Sky presented a work-in-progress, Dancing Americas, on February 22, 2003 at the YMCA, Toronto.
 
November 8, 9, 10, 2002
Movement and Voice Workshop for "Ateliers d'initiation au theatre pour les autochones" with Ondinnok at the National Theatre School in Montreal.
 
October 31, 2002
Lectured at York University's Master of Arts' research seminar on in the performing arts.
 
January 19, 2002
Participated on the Emerging Platform panel at the 2002 On the Move Conference at the National Ballet of Canada.