Interview: Red Sky's Sandra Laronde and the Vancouver premiere of TRACE

From November 24th to 27th, DanceHouse will present the second show of their season: TRACE from Red Sky Performance. The show will play at the SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts in Vancouver and will be one of their last performances on their 15-stop tour across the U.S. and Canada. TRACE is a contemporary dance work inspired by the Anishinaabe people connecting their stories of creation with the beauty of human movement. We had a chance to speak with TRACE's executive and artistic director, Sandra Laronde, about the show. She is the winner of various awards including a Celebration of Culture Life Award from the Toronto Arts Foundation, a Paul D. Fleck Fellowship in the Arts, and many more. As an important leader and creator for Indigenous cultural recognition and creative arts, she plays a large role in creating opportunities for Indigenous stories to be heard. Check out our interview with her below!

What can people expect to see when they come to see TRACE? Why should people come see the show?

Sandra: When people come to see TRACE, they will see a highly kinetic show with strong live music and beautiful imagery. You should come see the show because it has the possibility of changing the way that you see the skyworld.

How does it feel for Red Sky to return to performing Vancouver for the first time since the 2010 Olympics?

Sandra: We have actually performed many times in Vancouver since, but it has been with our children's shows. They do extremely well and we love coming to Vancouver! We feel thrilled, stoked, and excited to perform here and to be part of DanceHouse's stellar season.

How does Trace differ from previous productions Red Sky has done? What was the inspiration behind Trace?

Sandra: The inspiration for TRACE is Indigenous sky and star stories, notably Anishinaabe. The inspiration is to share essential sky and star stories with audiences everywhere we go.

What is your favourite part/ aspect of Trace?

Sandra: I just love the music, personally.

As the artistic director for Red Sky, what kinds of projects do you have in store for the future?

Sandra: We have a lot on the go! We have another tour of TRACE coming up in the spring of 2022 that will continue across Turtle Island. We have a new show going up in February 2022 at the Canadian Stage. Right after Vancouver, I am off to work with the Regina Symphony Orchestra. There's so much happening and we are most definitely chock-a-block.

For more information about Red Sky Performance's TRACE, please visit: https://dancehouse.ca/event/red-sky-performance/

Photo Credit: Paula Wilson