Red Sky Performance. Reviews.

and Articles on Red Sky
Click here for feature articles:

Windspeaker, September 2005

Eye Weekly, May 2005

Surface & Symbol, September 2004

Dance International, Fall 2004

Sage, Summer 2002

on Dancing Americas from press, colleagues and community
Click here for feature articles:
Globe & Mail, March 29, 2003
The Star, March 30, 2003

The Top 10 of 2003 Dance Picks
The Globe & Mail, Tuesday December 23, 2003.
The year's mixed program by Paula Citron

1. Red Sky's Dancing Americas.
Canada/Mexico co-production conceived by aboriginal wunderkind Sandra Laronde, with stunning choreography by Peter Chin, inspired by the migration of the
monarch butterfly...click here for the entire list.

Best of 2003 - Notable year for Dance
Toronto Star, Monday December 29, 2003
Susan Walker, Dance Writer
(an excerpt)
"Closer to home, the women choreographers dominated the dance stages in 2003. Sandra Laronde paired up with Peter Chin to create Dancing Americas, a powerful and original production giving expression to Aboriginal dance and music in a contemporary context."

"audacious...astonishing...magnificent...mysterious in its beauty"
- Paula Citron, Globe & Mail

"The whirl of movement speaks of many metaphors...of freedom without borders, of ritual and faith, of the oneness with the earth, of tribal bonds, of the power of tradition."
- Paula Citron, Globe & Mail

"makes an original statement about the continuity of continental cultures that speak to each other and to us, across the centuries".
- Susan Walker, Toronto Star

"Red Sky reveals aspects of the more-than-human world in such a way that we can see them, with new eyes, as living and sentient".
- Rebecca Todd, The Dance Current

"Dancing Americas had power and beauty...what moved me the most was the conviction, this was palpable and memorable...what extraordinary detail in layering the concept – the breadth of execution was breathtaking."
- Veronica Tennant, O.C, former prima ballerina with the National Ballet of Canada, director

"The grand finale (of the Canada Dance Festival) featured one of the most exciting performances of the 10-day festival: Red Sky, four Mexican and four Canadian dancers in Dancing Americas, to a haunting score developed with pre-Columbian music."
-Jenny Jackson, Ottawa Citizen

"Remarkable work...the dancing was full of joy, sometimes anger, sometimes danger, but always celebration."
-Jenny Jackson, Ottawa Citizen

"La actuación de Red Sky es una magistral simbiosis de metáforas. Usa la odisea de la mariposa Monarca al volar entre México-Canadá, para hacernos reflexionar sobre la vida indígena precolombina, su persistencia, el significado y la continuidad de la vida. Tras siglos la Monarca sigue imbatible al igual que las Primeras Naciones".
- Salvador Arguello, Radio Canadá Internacional, Las Américas.

"You must be basking in glory! It was absolutely powerful, wonderful. Wish that I could have seen it twice."
- Selma Odom, York University

"The performance was brilliant and your realization of the theme was ever so evocative and powerful. Congratulations and I look forward to seeing more of your work."
- Lata Pada, artistic director, Sampradaya Dance Creations

"So many images from the performance keep going through my head. I found the whole experience very uplifting."
- David Fallis, artistic director, Music Consort

"Me permito felicitarle tanto por la calidad y categoria del espectaculo que nos ofrecieron como por el exito de publico, que respondio entusiastamente. "
- Ignacio Sanchez del Lerin, El Consul General de Espana

"Sitting in the balcony that evening, and being a dancer of our First Nations classical tradition, gave me the perspective of what I often imagined our Creator must see. I recall what our Elders often say, "He gets great joy in watching us dance...when we all dance in harmony - like how I saw the Red Sky ensemble dance that evening. It was a powerful and magnificent experience for me, sending chills up my spine as I sat in the darkened theatre...in awe... bordering on euphoria."
- Amos Key, dancer and executive director of the Woodland Cultural Centre

"Dancing Americas is an outstanding production that engages audiences on every level: heart, mind and spirit. It offers a compelling vision of the cycle of life, relationships among aboriginal peoples of the Americas, their connection to the land and its creatures. A rich, contemporary evocation of deeply held values and beliefs, Dancing Americas is imbedded with the rhythms of today and the voices of the ancestors."
- Mimi Beck, Dance Curator, DanceWorks

"the experience was amazing and unforgettable"
- Yvonne Ng, dancer and artistic director of Princess Productions

"Entre fresque historique, documentaire ecologiste et mythologie artistique, Dancing Americas, une creation díartistes autochtones canadiens et mexicains, síannounce fort prometteur."
- Charles-Antoine Rouyer, L'Express

"I have such admiration for your success last night ... the piece was wonderful...I only wish I had brought my daughters...they should have seen a piece that was this well done, always engaging and with nature as its central theme...it helps us to be human. I hope that it comes back."
- Fides Krucker, contemporary opera singer, artistic director, Good Hair Productions

"a contemporary dance explosion that invigorates the soul from every corner of the stage. Bravo Red Sky!"
- Dennis Stark, editor and publisher, TANSI, Toronto's Aboriginal Newspaper

on Caribou Song

"... a blend of natural and percussive sounds that resonate as powerfully as the performances."
- Jon Kaplan, NOW Magazine

“...the wildly successful children’s show.”
- Dance International

"The piece de resistance was Red Sky's performance of Caribou Song...a rousing performance..."
- Dennis Stark, TANSI, Toronto's Aboriginal Newspaper

“It’s strange and exhilarating and has everything to do with the theatre and the imagination that comes with childhood...remarkably evocative.”
– Edmonton Journal

"magical, expansive, yet playfully intimate".
- Tilman Lewis, MUSICWORKS

"My beginnings were magical beyond belief. I was born and grew up in a garden of Eden, a northern paradise that was pure and magic".
- Tomson Highway on Caribou Song, Globe & Mail

"I loved Caribou Song. The messages in Caribou Song were so respectful to children and to others. Good art, good heart."
- Rose Jacobson, Toronto Theatre Alliance

on Raven Stole the Sun
“The fun, and the beauty, of this high-spirited performance...what sets the whole show apart is, in a word, joy”
– Edmonton Journal

"Our faculty at the Theatre of the World Festival, who are leaders and innovators in the world of family drama absolutely fell in love with your production. Your work was enchanting and inspiring to our children, students and adults. I am sure that Red Sky will enrich the lives of all who see it in the future. We welcome you back anytime!"
– Theatre of the World Festival, San Diego State University

”What a wonderful experience for our students! The show was masterful. The content was great and the actors were able to hold all 300 of us captive.”
– Jill Kates, Teacher, Driftwood Public School

“I loved having Red Sky come here. I wish it never ended!”
– Hailey, 8 years old, Buckingham Elementary School

"What a success! I've been getting a lot of positive feedback from collegues and visitors who attended the show. I appreciate all the effort that you and your team have put into this and I hope we can collaborate again in the future."
- Brigitte Hamon, Programme Planner, Canadian Museum of Civilization, Quebec

on SHIMMER
Click here for feature articles:

Red Sky Dance a Delight to Eye
Toronto Star, June 15, 2006

The Nature of a Warrior
FFWD Weekly, July 13 – 19, 2006

Dances with Warriors
Ottawa Xpress, June 1 – 7, 2006

“Shimmer is a testament to how creative, open-minded people can come together and be forces of nature in themselves.”
- FFWD Weekly, Banff

“...a penchant for surprising, suspending and inspiring."
- Contemporary Dance, Suite 101

“So many people have expressed how the performances of Shimmer were the highlight of the Festival for them. Thank you again for all of the positive energy this summer and the remarkable artistic experience.”
- Casey Prescott, Banff Centre

“The dancers are extraordinary in their range, shimmering with an energy that appears to move through them as though they were conduits between earth and sky. Shimmer evokes a profound sense of connectedness."
- Karen Jaimeson, Choreographer

Productions • Red Sky at Night • Community Connections • Press Kit • Research