Red Talk: Michelle Good on Truth Telling
Our Red Talk Series celebrate ideas, performances, and wisdom of Indigenous artists, changemakers, and leaders.
This Red Talk features the phenomenal Michelle Good, lawyer, activist, and award-winning novelist. Her debut novel, Five Little Indians, swept the literary world, winning the Governor General's Literary Award, the HarperCollins/UBC Best New Fiction Prize, the Amazon First Novel Award, and Canada Reads 2022. Her latest work, Truth Telling: Seven Conversations about Indigenous Life in Canada, is a bold exploration of Indigenous resistance, reconciliation, resurgence, and reclamation. Michelle is a member of the Red Pheasant Cree Nation in Saskatchewan.
Join us for a thought-provoking conversation with Michelle Good hosted by guest host and celebrated Canadian broadcast journalist, Shelagh Rogers.
This Red Talk is now available on our new streaming platform through Aki Creators.
About our new streaming platform, Aki Creators
Available globally, our Aki Creators platform is the world's first entirely Indigenous streaming platform to focus on the intersection of art, wisdom, and relationship to land. The streaming platform will host Indigenous art of all mediums including dance, film, TV, talks and digital projects.
Red Talk: Seven Generations and Seven Grandfather Teachings
Join us for a dynamic conversation between author James Vukelich Kaagegaabaw and guest host acclaimed journalist Duncan McCue.
James is a renowned speaker, author, and digital creator. With his book, The Seven Generations and the Seven Grandfather Teachings, James shares how to live a life of 'mino-bimaadiziwin,' the good life. For two decades, James has energized community language tables, consulted with organizations on language and cultural programs, and traveled widely as an inspiring keynote speaker. A descendant of Turtle Mountain, he is Anishinaabe and lives in the Twin Cities, Minnesota.
This Red Talk is now available on our new streaming platform through Aki Creators.
About our new streaming platform, Aki Creators
Available globally, our Aki Creators platform is the world's first entirely Indigenous streaming platform to focus on the intersection of art, wisdom, and relationship to land. The streaming platform will host Indigenous art of all mediums including dance, film, TV, talks and digital projects.
Red Talk: David A. Robertson
Join us for our latest Red Talk, where we celebrate dynamic ideas, performances, and wisdom of Indigenous artists, changemakers, and leaders.
This Red Talk features author David A. Robertson, a two-time winner of the Governor General's Literary Award, with host Sandra Laronde for a conversation you won't want to miss.
David has earned numerous accolades for his work as a writer for children and adults, podcaster, public speaker, and social advocate. In 2023, the University of Manitoba honored him with a Doctor of Letters. With nearly 30 books spanning fiction, non-fiction, and children's literature, David's storytelling skills are unmatched. He is a proud member of the Norway House Cree Nation and resides in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Don't miss this chance to be inspired.
This Red Talk is now available on our new streaming platform through Aki Creators.
About our new streaming platform, Aki Creators
Available globally, our Aki Creators platform is the world's first entirely Indigenous streaming platform to focus on the intersection of art, wisdom, and relationship to land. The streaming platform will host Indigenous art of all mediums including dance, film, TV, talks and digital projects.
Red Talk with Taiaiake Alfred
Our Red Talks celebrates ideas, performances, and wisdom from Indigenous artists, changemakers, and leaders.
This Red Talk is with Taiaiake Alfred, a Kahnawà:ke Mohawk scholar, author, and political strategist. He discusses his latest book, It’s All About the Land, exposing how racism underpins and shapes Indigenous-settler relationships.
Rooted in ancestral spirit, knowledge, and law, It’s All about the Landpresents a passionate argument for Indigenous Resurgence as the pathway toward justice for Indigenous peoples.
This Red Talk is also available through on our new streaming platform through Aki Creators Red Talk with scholar and author Taiaiake Alfred - Aki Creators and through Red Sky Performance.
RED Talk with Logan Staats
Our RED Talks Series celebrates exceptional ideas and performances from Indigenous artists, changemakers, and leaders. This RED Talk features Mohawk singer-songwriter Logan Staats along with guest host Graeme Jonez.
Staats performs two of his hottest songs and dives into his inspirations, dreams, and challenges on the road.
He grew up in Brantford, Ontario with no formal musical training, just a great ear and raw lyrical talent. He played the local music circuit for years before releasing his debut album ‘Goodbye Goldia’ in 2015, an unvarnished yet hard-hitting folk album. His sound draws heavily from the rich blues and rock legacy of Six Nations.
In 2018, Staats won CTV’s ‘The Launch’ where he gained commercial success and toured across North America and Europe. He then made the decision to re-root at Six Nations of the Grand River. “I wanted to bring my songwriting back to the medicine inside of music, to the medicine inside of reclamation."
His music has garnered a Grammy nomination, multiple Native American Music Awards, and the SOCAN Indigenous Songwriter of the Year. Staats now splits his time between Six Nations, Vancouver Island and everywhere in between.
Red Sky gratefully acknowledges Canadian Heritage for their generous support.
RED Talk: THE MEANING OF A LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Join us for a dynamic panel discussion titled 'The Meaning of a Land Acknowledgement' featuring the insightful voices of Indigenous leaders Beverley Jacobs, Cliff Cardinal and Sandra Laronde.
Explore the significance of recognizing traditional territories and our relationship with land in this engaging session. Delve into the depths of what a land acknowledgement truly means -- Is it a starting point? Can it transcend paternalism? How does it catalyze meaningful action?
Don't miss the exclusive chance to witness a vibrant dialogue on moving beyond mere acknowledgement towards actionable steps.
Meet the Speakers:
Dr. Beverley Jacobs is from the Mohawk Nation of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, Senior Advisor on Indigenous Relations and Outreach at the University of Windsor and an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law.
Cliff Cardinal, an award-winning playwright, and actor who is Cree/Lakota and named a Canadian Cultural Icon in 2022 by the Globe and Mail.
Sandra Laronde, an award-winning arts innovator, and multidisciplinary artist from the Teme-Augama Anishinaabe, and founder and artistic director of Red Sky Performance.
Join us to gain profound insights into the significance of land acknowledgements in this candid conversation.
Red Sky gratefully acknowledges Canadian Heritage for their generous support.
RED Talk with Aysanabee
When: Friday, June 23, 2023
Stream for free for 1 month.
Our RED Talks Series celebrates exceptional ideas and performances from Indigenous artists, changemakers, and leaders. Our newest RED Talk features AYSANABEE who performs two of his hottest songs and joins Red Sky Artistic Director Sandra Laronde for a conversation about his remarkable journey from journalism to music and his highly successful debut album.
Aysanabee (Evan Pang) was recently shortlisted for the 2023 Polaris Prize. He was nominated for a 2023 JUNO Award for his debut album and performed live at the 2023 Juno Awards national broadcast on CBC TV. He is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and singer/songwriter currently based in Toronto. Aysanabee is Oji-Cree from Sucker Clan of the Sandy Lake First Nation, a remote fly-in community in northwestern Ontario.
His debut album, Watin, released in November 2022, is named after his grandfather. Featuring the voice and stories of his grandfather, the album is both part music and part journalism, offering a singular new voice steeped in artistry and culture.
Since its release, three of Aysanabee's singles have charted on Billboard Canada, became #1 on CBC Music, and have gone #1 on Alternative Radio, making Aysanabee the first Indigenous artist to reach #1 on any media base chart. His single “We Were Here” also charted on the Indigenous Music Countdown.
Our RED Talks Series inspire, inform, and build ongoing engagement with communities, and contribute to Indigenous cultural resurgence in Canada and around the world.
Red Sky gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Canadian Heritage.
RED Talk: THE BEARHEAD SISTERS
RED Talk: An intimate conversation and performance with The Bearhead Sisters
Where: Online
Red Sky Performance presents our latest RED Talk featuring The Bearhead Sisters. On March 13, 2023, the Bearhead Sisters took home their first 2023 Juno Award for Best Traditional Artist of the Year for their album, Unbreakable.
For 17 years, they have been sharing their gift of song. Currently living in Treaty 6 Territory, about 40 minutes west from Edmonton, Alberta, sisters Trina, Allie, and Carly Bearhead have drawn from their family and Stoney Nakota roots to inspire strength and optimism through their music.
Enjoy our intimate RED Talk performance and conversation with the Bearhead Sisters whose powerful sound and deep connection to culture are capturing audiences and fans everywhere.
Catch a glimpse of them at the 2023 Junos here
Experience our RED Talk with the Bearhead Sisters as they talk about their inspiration, culture and family here for free
The RED Talks Series celebrates exceptional ideas and performances from Indigenous artists, changemakers, and leaders. This Series inspires, informs, and builds ongoing engagement with all communities and the Indigenous cultural resurgence in Canada and around the world.
Red Sky gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Canadian Heritage.
RED Talk: Great Migration and Seven Fire Prophecies
When: Wednesday, January 25 at 9:15pm
(following the performance of Miigis: Underwater Panther)
Where: Charles and Marilyn Baillie Theatre, Canadian Stage
(26 Berkeley Street, Toronto)
On January 25th following the performance, join us for a special RED Talk with culture keeper Brian Peltier from the Manitoulin Islands who will speak about the Great Migration and the Seven Fire Prophecies.
Hear more about this formidable migration of hope from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, moving from salt to freshwater -- the journey, the mystery beings, and the ancestral pull towards the next seven generations.
Hosted by Miigis: Underwater Panther choreographer and Red Sky Artistic Director Sandra Laronde.
Free Admission with your Miigis performance ticket.
The RED Talks Series celebrates exceptional ideas and performances from Indigenous artists, changemakers, and leaders. This Series inspires, informs, and builds ongoing engagement with all communities and the Indigenous cultural resurgence in Canada and around the world.
Red Sky gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Canadian Heritage.
RED Talk: You Are My Sunshine (Part 2)
Saturday, September 3, 2022
7:00pm EST
Temagami Outfitters, Temagami, ON
Free Admission
Red Sky Performance, in partnership with the Temagami Artistic Collective, is excited to host a live music engagement featuring the world of fiddle, folk and blues music from Indigenous, Celtic, and country influences from Temagami and Nashville.
Featured Artists: Hillary Klug from Nashville, David Laronde Band from Temagami
Hillary Klug is already the second-most famous international export from Lynchburg, Tennessee. Now based in Nashville, she is a triple-virtuoso fiddler, champion buck dancer and singer-songwriter-storyteller. Hillary Klug is a fast-rising bluegrass superstar on the scene.
Singer-songwriter-musician David Laronde was nominated for both a Canadian Folk Music Award and Indigenous Music Award. David has deep roots anchored in the ancient pine forests and deep lakes of his homeland territory on Lake Temagami, northern Ontario.
Red Sky gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Canadian Heritage and the Ontario Arts Council.
RED Talk: Louise Bernice Halfe, Canada’s Parliamentary Poet Laureate
RED Talk: Louise Bernice Halfe, Canada's Parliamentary Poet Laureate
WHEN: Friday, January 14, 2022
WHERE: Online (link below)
On January 14, our RED Talks series returns for an exclusive interview with Louise Bernice Halfe, Canada’s Parliamentary Poet Laureate. Halfe, a.k.a. Sky Dancer, is a Cree poet whose works include Bear Bones and Feathers, Blue Marrow, and her newest work, awasis-kinky and dishevelled.
Red Sky gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Canadian Heritage for our RED Talks Series.
RED Talk: Under A Red Sky with Carlos Rivera, Inaugural Associate Artist, Red Sky Performance
RED Talk: Under A Red Sky with Carlos Rivera, Inaugural Associate Artist, Red Sky Performance
WHEN: Monday, August 30, 2021, 5:00 pm EST
WHERE: Online (link below)
On Monday, August 30 at 5:00 pm EST, join us for a RED Talks interview with Carlos Rivera, Red Sky's inaugural Associate Artist. Carlos will talk about his Indigenous Nahua background, his discovery of dance as a child in Mexico, his journey to Canada, the importance of dance from an Indigenous perspective, and the ongoing importance of Indigenous performing arts in Canada and abroad.
Red Sky gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Canadian Heritage.
RED Talk: Reconciliation in the Era of Tragedy. Building a New Relationship for the Future
RED Talk: Reconciliation in the Era of Tragedy. Building a New Relationship for the Future
WHEN: Tuesday, June 22 at 4:00pm EST
WHERE: Online
On Tuesday, June 22nd at 4:00pm EST, as we mark National Indigenous Peoples Week, join Red Sky for a RED Talk with Dr. Michael DeGagné who will join host Sandra Laronde for an engaging conversation about Indigenous modern history, working towards self-governance, the impact of residential schools, and what reconciliation means today.
Dr. Mike 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. His work at Nipissing University has been instrumental in the Indigenization of the post-secondary education sector in Canada. He is Anishinaabe from Animakee Wa Zhing 37 First Nation in Ontario.
Sandra Laronde is a highly accomplished arts leader, creator, and the Executive & Artistic Director of Red Sky Performance. She is Anishinaabe from Temagami in northern Ontario.
Red Sky gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Canadian Heritage.
RED Talk: Thunderbird Rising with Christine Friday
RED Talk: Thunderbird Rising with Christine Friday
WHEN: Thursday, May 20 at 6:00pm EST
WHERE: Online
On Thursday, May 20th at 6:00pm EST, join Red Sky for a RED Talk with dance artist Christine Friday and an excerpt of her new dance film, Thunderbird Rising 2. It is an intimate land-based performance on the traditional territory of the Temagami First Nation. Thunderbird Rising 2 expresses the transformative spirit of dance and healing through dimensional realms of existence - ancestors, dreams, blood memory, and connection to the land. Christine Friday will then join host Sandra Laronde for an intimate artist talk about her work and connection to the Anishinaabek way of living.
Christine Friday has been a professional dance artist for three decades. She has choreographed and performed in solo and full-scale productions.
Sandra Laronde is a highly accomplished arts leader, creator, and the Executive & Artistic Director of Red Sky Performance.
This event has a sliding scale pay structure, please pay what you can.
Red Sky gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Canadian Heritage for our RED Talks Series.
Photo credit: Gerry Gooderham Photography
RED Talk: HOPE MATTERS
RED Talk: HOPE MATTERS with Lee Maracle and her daughters, Columpa Bobb and Tania Carter
WHEN: Monday, March 8 at 4:00pm EST
On Monday, March 8that 4:00pm EST, join Red Sky as we celebrate International Women’s Day with award-winning writer Lee Maracle and her daughters, Columpa Bobb and Tania Carter, for an indelible conversation about the journey of Indigenous people from colonial beginnings to reconciliation.
Lee Maracle’s daughters wrote poetry with their mother as children and dreamed they would one day write a book together. Their book Hope Matters is the result of that dream. Written collaboratively by mother and daughters, the poems in Hope Matters blend their three voices together into a shared song of hope and reconciliation which is more prescient than ever.
In Association with HotDocs.
Lee Maracle is a poet, novelist, storyteller, leader and activist on issues pertaining to Indigenous people.
Columpa Bobb is aphotographer, actor, playwright, poet and teacher.
Tania Carter is an actor, playwright and poet.
Sandra Laronde is an arts leader, creator, and the Executive & Artistic Director of Red Sky Performance.
This event has a sliding scale pay structure, please pay what you can.
Red Sky gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Canadian Heritage.
RED Talk: Dr. Duke Redbird
RED Talk: A Dish With One Spoon with Dr. Duke Redbird
WHEN: Thursday, February 25 at 4:00pm EST
On Thursday, February 25that 4:00pm EST, join Elder and prolific artist Duke Redbird for a conversation about the Dish with One Spoon Treaty and what it means today. Dr. Duke Redbird is from the Saugeen First Nation, he is an Indigenous intellectual, poet, painter, broadcaster, filmmaker and keynote speaker. He brings his breadth of cultural knowledge and artistic practice to the benefit of a global audience.
Duke Redbird is an elder, poet, activist, educator, and artist. A member of the Saugeen First Nation in Ontario, he is a pillar of First Nations literature in Canada and is accomplished at numerous art disciplines including poetry, painting, theatre, and film.
Sandra Laronde is an arts leader, creator, and the Executive & Artistic Director of Red Sky Performance.
This event has a sliding scale pay structure, please pay what you can.
Red Sky gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Canadian Heritage.
RED Talk: Dr. Leroy Little Bear
RED Talk: BIG THINKING AND RETHINKING: BLACKFOOT METAPHYSICS with Dr. Leroy Little Bear
WHEN: Thursday, February 11 at 4:00pm EST
On Thursday, February 11that 4:00pm EST, join the acclaimed and wise scientist Leroy Little Bear in conversation with Red Sky Artistic Director Sandra Laronde to talk about big ideas spanning Blackfoot metaphysics and the role of Indigenous thinking to help shape solutions for a better future.
Leroy Little Bear is Blackfoot from Kainai First Nation in Alberta. He is a renowned teacher, researcher and professor emeritus at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta. His lifetime of accomplishments include some of the most important political achievements for Indigenous peoples in Canada.
Sandra Laronde is an arts leader, creator, and the Executive & Artistic Director of Red Sky Performance.
This event has a sliding scale pay structure, please pay what you can.
Red Sky gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Canadian Heritage.
Wisdom Keepers Series with Robin Wall Kimmerer
Wisdom Keepers Series: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants with Robin Wall Kimmerer
WHEN: Thursday, December 3 at 3:00pm EST
Co-presented by Red Sky Performance and Canadian Stage
Botanist and writer Robin Wall Kimmerer joins host Sandra Laronde as part of the Wisdom Keeper Series that will illuminate our collective need for interdependence and connection at a time of crisis and injustice.
Her best-selling book, Braiding Sweetgrass, deftly argues that the regenerative capacity of Mother Earth will help create the conditions needed for renewal. Her work makes a poignant case for cultures of ‘regenerative reciprocity’. As a global pandemic intensifies, her wisdom is more timely and relevant than ever.
Robin Wall Kimmerer is a mother, scientist, professor, and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She is the author of the bestselling book Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants and Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses which won the John Burroughs Medal for outstanding nature writing. She has a PhD in Botany from the University of Wisconsin and is a distinguished professor in environmental biology at the State University of New York.
Red Sky gratefully acknowledges Canadian Heritage and the Canada Council for the Arts for their generous support.
RED TALK: Autumn Peltier
RED TALK with "Water Protector" Autumn Peltier
WHEN: Friday, October 9th at 1:00pm EST
Our RED Talks Series celebrates exceptional ideas and performances from Indigenous artists, innovators and leaders.
Join host and artistic director Sandra Laronde in a rare interview with Autumn Peltier and Stephanie Peltier to discuss her extraordinary life that brings water, activism, and culture together.
Autumn Peltier is a teenage superstar and water protector from the Anishinaabe of the Wikiwemikong First Nation in northern Ontario. At the age of 13, she became known as a “water warrior” and pressed world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in her quest to protect the world’s natural water sources and provide clean water for all.
She was nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize for the past three years, received several honours and awards for water conservancy, and made waves at the at the Assembly of First Nations, United Nations Secretary-General’s Climate Change Action Summit in New York, and the Children’s Climate Change Conference in Sweden.
Autumn’s mother, Stephanie Peltier, has been a tremendous source of inspiration along with her great aunt Josephine Mandimin, who lobbied tirelessly for the protection of the Great Lakes.
Co-produced with Fall for Dance North
Red Sky gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Canadian Heritage.
RED TALK: Joy Harjo
RED TALK: Joy Harjo
WHEN: Monday, September 21 at 2 pm EST (Eastern Time)
On Monday, September 21st at 2 pm EST, join the magical, resilient, and acclaimed U.S.A Poet Laureate Joy Harjo in conversation with Red Sky Artistic Director Sandra Laronde on her life as the nation’s poet laureate, her thoughts on narrative sovereignty and the recent Supreme Court ruling recognizing the lands of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation which is hailed as a historic win for tribes and their long struggle for sovereignty.
In 2019, Joy Harjo was appointed the 23rd United States Poet Laureate, the first Native American to hold this distinction. Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Harjo is an internationally respected and award-winning poet, writer, performer, and saxophone player of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. She is the author of nine books of poetry and a memoir.
Red Sky Performance’s Wisdom Keepers Series is part of our RED Talks Series which celebrates exceptional Indigenous artists, innovators, and leaders. RED Talks drives ideas, mobilizes action, and serves as a catalyst for social change.
Red Sky gratefully acknowledges Canadian Heritage.
RED TALK: Ziindaamagat (“a confined space”)
RED TALK: Ziindaamagat ("a confined space")
WHEN: Sunday, June 21 at 2 pm EST (Eastern Time)
Imposed limitations have always been a source of great innovation and ingenuity. How do we push through our limitations, go beyond our comfort zones, and navigate through a time of lock-down? How do we move from thinking outside of the box to thinking and doing inside of the circle? What does this even mean?
On Sunday, June 21st at 2 pm EST, join performers and cirque artists online as they perform within unbelievable restrictions. You'll see some of the most beautiful, breathtaking excerpts from Red Sky Performance's repertoire followed by a RED Talk with our artistic director Sandra Laronde and performers Jinny Jacinto and Samantha Halas.
Red Sky gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Canadian Heritage.
RED TALK: Wisdom Keeper Series “Watch Party”
RED TALK: Wisdom Keeper Series "Watch Party
WHEN: Saturday, June 20th, 2020
2 pm EST (Eastern Time)
WHERE: Online
Due to its popularity online, we're streaming the recording of this special 90-minute event, held on May 20th. Join our "watch party" of this essential RED Talk featuring Senator Murray Sinclair, author Lee Maracle, and artistic director and moderator Sandra Laronde as they delve into the pandemic and the meaning of wisdom.
Watch the RED Talk HERE.
Red Sky gratefully acknowledges Canadian Heritage for their generous support of our RED Talks Series.
Artwork by Philip Cote. Artwork commissioned by Scotiabank, Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund Legacy Room.
RED Talk: Wisdom Keeper Series
RED Talk: Wisdom Keeper Series
with Senator Murray Sinclair and Lee Maracle
WHEN: May 20th, 2020 at 2 pm EST
WHERE: Online
During this special 90-minute online RED Talk, join Senator Murray Sinclair, author and activist Lee Maracle, and artistic director and moderator Sandra Laronde as they delve into the COVID-19 pandemic from an Indigenous perspective and context.
While we quarantine at home, nature is starting to restore itself, and a greater balance can be felt. Is this our opportunity to reconnect with the ecology of Indigenous values as a way forward? Could this be the first step towards living in balance with all living beings? Is meaningful transformation on the horizon?
Our Wisdom Keeper Series is part of Red Sky Performance’s RED Talks Series, which celebrates exceptional Indigenous artists, innovators, and leaders. RED Talks drives ideas, mobilizes action, and serves as a catalyst for social change.
Murray Sinclair is a member of the Canadian Senate and a First Nations lawyer who served as Co-Chair of the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry in Manitoba and as Chief Commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Lee Maracle is a poet, novelist, storyteller, and activist on issues pertaining to Indigenous people.
Sandra Laronde is an arts leader, creator, and the Executive & Artistic Director of Red Sky Performance.
Watch the RED Talk HERE.
Red Sky gratefully acknowledges Canadian Heritage for their generous support of the RED Talks Series.
Artwork by Philip Cote. Artwork commissioned by Scotiabank, Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund Legacy Room.
RED TALK: Truth & (re)conciliation
RED TALK: Truth & (re)concilation: The Creative Context
WHEN:
Friday, February 21, 2020 at 8:00pm-10:00pm (after 7:00pm AF performance)
WHERE:
Rehearsal Hall, Canadian Stage
26 Berkeley Street, Toronto, ON
TICKETS: $15, tickets available at door
Join us for a lively conversation about the role of arts in Truth and (re)Conciliation. Have the arts lagged behind the TRC conversation or is art at the forefront? What is our role as artists and creators and how can it be reimagined?
For this RED Talk, Anishinaabe creative Ryan McMahon, Métis visual artist David Garneau, and Jessica Bolduc, Anishinaabe from the 4Rs Youth Movement will explore the implications of Truth and Reconciliation within the context of the Arts.
Watch the RED Talk HERE.
Hosted by Sandra Laronde, Artistic Director of Red Sky Performance.
Ryan McMahon (Anishinaabe) is a writer, comedian, media maker and community activator whose storytelling style is irreverent and boundary-pushing.
David Garneau (Métis) is a Professor of Visual Arts at the University of Regina. His practice includes painting, curation, and critical writing.
Jessica Bolduc (Anishinaabe-French) is the Executive Director of the 4Rs Youth movement, which centres the needs and roles Indigenous young people play in moving forward reconciliation between individuals, communities & systems in Canada.
Red Sky gratefully acknowledges Canadian Heritage for their generous support of our RED Talks Series.
RED TALK: DUNCAN McCUE
RED TALK: DUNCAN McCUE & The Shoe Boy
WHEN:
Friday, January 24, 2020 at 7:00pm
WHERE:
Artscape Daniels Launchpad, Sugar C
East Tower, 130 Queens Quay E 4th floor, Toronto, ON
TICKETS:
$10, tickets available at door only
Duncan McCue (Anishinaabe) is an award-winning journalist, host of CBC Radio One Cross Country Checkup, and author of The Shoe Boy: A Trapline Memoir. A member of the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation in southern Ontario, he is based in Toronto where his journalism is featured on CBC's The National. McCue's work has garnered several RTNDA and Jack Webster Awards. He was awarded an Indspire Award for Public Service (2017) and a Knight Fellowship at Stanford University (2011). His debut book The Shoe Boy: A Trapline Memoir recounts a season he spent in a hunting camp with a Cree family in northern Quebec as a teenager.
Watch the RED Talk HERE.
Red Sky gratefully acknowledges Canadian Heritage for their generous support of our RED Talks Series.
RED TALK: MURIEL MIGUEL
RED TALK with Muriel Miguel: A Retrospective
WHEN:
Friday, January 10, 2020 at 7:00pm
WHERE:
Artscape Sandbox, 301 Adelaide Street West, Toronto
TICKETS:
$20
Come and experience the extraordinary life of Muriel Miguel through her engaging stories, photos, and video over the past 60-years! As Founder and Artistic Director of New York City's Spiderwoman Theater, Muriel shares her remarkable journey from her Brooklyn roots to landmark contributions to the contemporary feminist and Indigenous theatre movements in the United States, Canada, and around the world.
Our host will be Candy Palmater, a recovered lawyer turned feminist comic. Candy is the creator and star of her own national, multiple award-winning TV series, The Candy Show (APTN).
Watch an excerpt of the RED Talk HERE.
Red Sky gratefully acknowledges Canadian Heritage for their generous support of our RED Talks Series.
In association with Nightwood Theatre.
RED TALK: TINA KEEPER
RED TALK with TINA KEEPER
WHEN:
Friday, November 8, 2019 at 7:30pm
WHERE:
Verity Club, 111d Queen St E, Toronto
TICKETS:
$20, tickets available at door only
Tina Keeper joined us in Toronto for a scintillating performance and up-close-and-personal conversation about her remarkable life as an actress, politician, producer, and filmmaker. Tina Keeper is a Gemini Award-winning actress, producer, filmmaker and documentary filmmaker from Norway House First Nation in Northern Manitoba. Best known for her role in the critically acclaimed CBC Television series North of 60, Tina became the first Indigenous person to lead a Canadian television drama. More recently, she performed in the 2018 film, Falls Around Her.
Watch the RED Talk HERE.
We gratefully acknowledge Canadian Heritage for their generous support of our RED Talks Series.
RED TALK: “TRUTH 2 POWER”
RED TALK: “TRUTH 2 POWER”
WHEN:
Friday, August 16, 2019 at 7:30 pm
WHERE:
ArrayMusic, 155 Walnut Street, Toronto
TICKETS: PWYC (Suggested $20)
Our RED Talks Series celebrates exceptional ideas and performances
RED Talks Series: "Truth 2 Power" is a one-night-only concert on Friday, August 16th at 7:30 pm, featuring 4 award-winning Indigenous women singers and multi-instrumentalists from 3 countries: Canada, New Zealand, and the United States.
Featuring highly acclaimed Indigenous women artists: Ora Barlow-Tukaki (New Zealand), Nadene Rasmussen (New Zealand), Marie Gaudet (Canada), and Raye Zaragoza (United States).
"Truth 2 Power" explores the act of reclamation through song, music, and short film. We invite you to be part of this live music concert and short film performance followed by a scintillating conversation with the artists.
Ora Barlow-Tukaki (Te Whanau-a-Apanui/English, New Zealand) is a highly skilled musician and storyteller who has toured professionally for over 15 years. She co-founded and toured the world with Manuhiri, Planet Woman and Pacific Curls, and has co-created with many international artists. She was the lead vocalist and a multi-instrumentalists n in Red Sky Performance’s Trace and Great Lakes productions.
Nadene Rasmussen (Maori (Ngātiwai)/Irish/Portuguese, New Zealand) is an acclaimed experimental vocalist and violist based in Los Angeles. She has developed an exploratory sound that encompasses poetic lyricism, cross-cultural improvisation, electroacoustic, jazz and classical influences.
Marie Gaudet is Anishinaabe from the Wikwemikong First Nation of Manitoulin Island, Ontario. She teaches singing at the Centre for Indigenous Theatre and traditional dance and shawl-making at the Native Women’s Resource Centre. She is a member of the Eagle Heart Drummers and Dancers and was a lead vocalist in Red Sky Performance’s production of Miigis and Great Lakes.
Raye Zaragoza (Japanese/Mexican/Native American, USA) released her debut EP Heroine in 2015 and gained national attention with her song "In The River" protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline. The song was awarded the Global Music Awards 2017 Heretic Award for Protest Music and the Honesty Oscars' award for Best Song. In 2017, she independently released her debut album, Fight For You.
We gratefully acknowledge Canadian Heritage for their generous support of our RED Talks Series.
In partnership with Arraymusic.
RED TALK: “ISHPIMING: The Above World”
RED TALK: "ISHPIMING: The Above World"
WHEN:
Thursday, November 8, 2018 at 9 pm
WHERE:
Canadian Stage's Berkeley Street Theatre, 26 Berkeley Street, Toronto
In this RED Talk, Melanie Goodchild will introduce us to Anishinaabe cosmology and star knowledge and reflect on the themes of Trace.
Dubbed NASA’s Indigenous voice, Melanie Goodchild is a Waterloo researcher who works to bridge Indigenous knowledge with NASA to reduce climate change vulnerability for First Nations communities.
Watch the RED Talk HERE.
We gratefully acknowledge Canadian Heritage for their generous support of the RED Talks Series.
STARS AND SKY STORIES: INDIGENOUS COSMOLOGY & WESTERN ASTRONOMY
WHEN:
Thursday, May 31, 6:30pm
WHERE:
Verity, 111 Queen Street East
Toronto, ON
In this RED Talk, we explore multiple knowledge systems of cosmology and the many points of intersection between Indigenous cosmology and Western astronomy.
RED Talks host and curator Sandra Laronde will be joined by cultural astronomers Wilfred Buck (Manitoba First Nations Science Education Resource Centre, Winnipeg) and Michael Wassegiizhig Price (Bemidji State University, Minnesota), astrophysicist Annette S. Lee (St. Cloud University, Minnesota), and astrobiologist Daniella M. Scalice (NASA, Maryland).
Wilfred Buck is a member of the Opaskwayak Cree Nation and is currently employed with the MFNERC as a Science Facilitator. As a Science Facilitator with MFNERC, Wilfred was given the mandate to add a First Nation perspective in the sciences.
Annette S. Lee is an astrophysicist, artist and the Director of the Native Skywatchers (NSW) research and programming initiative.She has over 28 years of experience in education as a teacher, university instructor, educator, program administrator, professional visual artist, and researcher.
Michael Waasegiizhig Price served as a faculty member in the Indigenous Studies Department at Bemidji State University and dedicated 16 years of service to tribal colleges in Minnesota.
Daniella M. Scalice has been the Education and Communications Lead at the NASA Astrobiology Program since 2001. She co-founded the NASA and the Navajo Nation project with her Diné colleagues in 2005.
We gratefully acknowledge the Department Canadian Heritage and the Ontario Arts Council for its generous support of the RED Talks Series.
Cover Image: Biboonkeonini-Wintermaker, Close up from “Ojibwe Giizhig Anung Masinaaigan”, A. Lee, W. Wilson, C. Gawboy, 2012.
AN EVENING WITH BEA SHAWANDA
WHEN:
Tuesday, April 24, 7pm
WHERE:
Verity, 111 Queen Street East
Toronto, ON
Join us for an evening with storyteller, culture keeper and residential school survivor, Bea Shawanda. She will share her experiences at St. Joseph Residential School in Spanish, Ontario.
A frontline worker, Bea Shawanda has over 35 years of experience in North America in health, education, social and family development as well as organizational leadership and multi-cultural training. Her work creates a legacy of fortitude, hope, and resilience within First Nations communities and in Canada.
Watch an excerpt of the RED Talk HERE.
TANYA TAGAQ and LAAKULUK WILLIAMSON BATHORY
WHEN:
Wednesday, March 21, 2018 at 7 pm
WHERE:
Berkeley Theatre Downstairs, Canadian Stage
Celebrate the first day of Spring with the season kick-off of RED Talks featuring creative powerhouses Tanya Taqaq and Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory.
Tanya Tagaq is a multi-award winning experimental Inuit throat singer and Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory is a trailblazing Greenlandic mask dancer.
Hosted by Sandra Laronde, this intimate evening of dialogue delves into the artists’ work through the lens of their Indigeneity spanning Inuit cultures from Canada to Greenland.
Presented in collaboration with Canadian Stage.
INDIGENOUS WAYS OF KNOWING: Land & Culture
WHEN:
Friday, November 10, 2017 at 5:30 pm
WHERE:
Berkeley Theatre Upstairs, Canadian Stage
26 Berkeley Street, Toronto
FREE Admission
Hosted by Artistic Director Sandra Laronde, join filmmaker Cowboy Smithx and artist and professor Gerald McMaster for an intriguing RED Talk about Indigenous ways of knowing.
Cowboy Smithx is Blackfoot and an award-winning filmmaker and founder of REDx Talks.
Gerald McMaster is a curator, artist, author, and professor of Indigenous Visual Culture and Critical Curatorial Studies at OCAD University in Toronto.
Sandra Laronde is an accomplished arts innovator and cultural leader, and is the Artistic Director of Red Sky Performance.
DUKE REDBIRD AND THE RED POWER MOVEMENT
WHEN:
Monday, March 17, 2014 at 7 pm
WHERE:
The Drake Hotel
1150 Queen Street West, Toronto
RED Talks presents an evening with Duke Redbird and the Red Power Movement, a highly mobilized and vibrant initiative that highlighted issues through social protest in the 1960s and 1970s. Duke Redbird is a poet, scholar, storyteller. and television personality. He is a member of the Saugeen First Nation and is Ontario College of Art & Design's (OCAD) first Aboriginal Advisor. His poetry has been published in numerous anthologies and collections in both Canada and the United States.
JOCK SOTO and WATER FLOWING TOGETHER
WHEN:
April 5, 2013 at 5:00 pm
WHERE:
Camera Lounge
1026 Queen Street West (at Ossington)
Toronto
RED Talks will screen the documentary film Water Flowing Together, a compelling and intimate portrait of Jock Soto, one of the most recognized and influential modern ballet dancers in the world.
Of Navajo heritage, Jock Soto was just 16 when George Balanchine selected him to join the New York City Ballet where he became the most choreographed dancer in the company's history. He has danced feature roles created by such choreographers as George Balanchine, Peter Martins, Jerome Robbins and Christopher Weldon.
The film is an in-depth exploration of Soto's heritage, identity, and celebrated dance career.
"Ballet is a man called Jock." ~ The New York Times
Water Flowing Together is a film by Gwendolen Cates.
EVERY STEP YOU TAKE
WHEN:
Thursday April 4, 2013 at 6:30 pm
WHERE:
Toronto Room, Verity Club
111d Queen Street East (in between Church and Jarvis)
Toronto
Red Sky presents an evening with acclaimed dancer Jock Soto who will read from his intimate memoir Every Step You Take and then join Artistic Director Sandra Laronde for an up close and personal conversation.
Jock Soto was just 16 when George Balanchine selected him to join the New York City Ballet company where he became the most choreographed dancer in the company's history. His distinguished 24 year career as a principal dancer included roles in over 40 ballets that were created for him by choreographers Peter Martins, Jerome Robbins, Christopher Wheeldon, and Lynne Taylor-Corbett.
A book signing will follow the event.
TRANSFORMATIONAL MUSIC & DANCE
WHEN:
Saturday, October 23, 2010 at 8:00pm
WHERE:
TIFF Lightbox, Bell Blue Room
350 King Street West, Toronto
RED Talks presents a special evening with Latin Grammy Award winning musician Alex Cuba and New York City-based dancer and choreographer Javier Dzul.
ALEX CUBA: Alex Cuba's trademark melodies, pop-soul hooks and rock chords cut through cultural barriers. He won a Latin Grammy Award in 2010 for Best New Artist and was nominated for Best Latin Pop album at the 2011 Grammy Awards.
JAVIER DZUL: New York City-based Javier Dzul fuses Indigenous pre-Hispanic ritual and mythology in dance with the undulant muscularity of a jaguar.
Mix + Mingle with light refreshments at 6pm.