TRACE

Red Sky Performance

https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/25710

In-person event

We are traceable to the very beginning of the universe. Our ancestral origins stretch across the Milky Way, from the stars to the atoms burning brightly inside of us here on Earth. Through highly kinetic contemporary dance, TRACE maps Anishinaabe sky and star stories into being on the stage, offering us a rare glimpse into our origin as well as our future evolution. TRACE promises explosive contemporary Indigenous performance. Red Sky Performance is a leading company of contemporary...

October 19 - 23, 2021

Azrieli Studio 1 Elgin Street Ottawa Canada

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TRACE

Oct 19 - 23, 2021

Azrieli Studio

Red Sky Performance, TRACE © Marc J. Chalifoux

Indigenous arts Theatre Dance Contemporary Cross-disciplinary Storytelling

In-person event
≈ 55 minutes · No intermission

We are traceable to the very beginning of the universe. Our ancestral origins stretch across the Milky Way, from the stars to the atoms burning brightly inside of us here on Earth. Through highly kinetic contemporary dance, TRACE maps Anishinaabe sky and star stories into being on the stage, offering us a rare glimpse into our origin as well as our future evolution. TRACE promises explosive contemporary Indigenous performance.

Red Sky Performance is a leading company of contemporary Indigenous performance led by Sandra Laronde of the Teme-Augama Anishinaabe. They have performed worldwide but maintain their grassroots level by performing regularly for urban, rural and reserve communities across Turtle Island.

TRACE is choreographed by Jera Wolfe. The seven dancers who perform the piece are accompanied by live musicians performing a rich original score by Eliot Britton.

Learn more in the program notes ›

Artists

Director & Concept Sandra Laronde

Director & Concept Sandra Laronde

A highly accomplished arts leader, creator, and innovator, Sandra Laronde plays a pivotal role in the ongoing Indigenous cultural resurgence of Canada.

The vision of Red Sky Performance derives from founder Sandra Laronde (Misko Kizhigoo Migizii Kwe which means “Red Sky Eagle Woman” in the Anishinaabemowin (Ojibway) language) from the Teme-Augama Anishinaabe (People of the Deep Water). Her vision is dedicated to expanding and elevating the ecology of contemporary performance informed by Indigenous worldview and culture.

Laronde has created an extraordinary body of work with celebrated collaborators that has led to powerful, transformational arts experiences. Laronde’s concept of performance explores the relationship between movement, live music, theatricality, media, and image. Her engagement in these disciplines involves collaborations with dancers, musicians, composers, choreographers, visual artists, actors, writers, designers, researchers, and culture keepers which is integral to Red Sky Performance’s distinct productions.

The recipient of numerous awards for artistic excellence and leadership, Laronde has garnered the Celebration of Cultural Life Award from the Toronto Arts Foundation, Victor Martyn Staunch-Lynch Award for Outstanding Artist in Dance from Canada Council, Expressive Arts Award from the Smithsonian Institute, and Paul D. Fleck Fellowship in the Arts (Banff Centre), among other recognitions.

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Choreographer Jera Wolfe

Choreographer Jera Wolfe

Jera Wolfe is a dancer, choreographer and Associate Artist with Red Sky Performance. His choreographic works have been presented by Canadian Stage, Fall for Dance North, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, and the Venice Biennale. In January 2020, Jera toured with Red Sky performing in Backbone in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, and Poland. His choreographic work will include new creations for Canada’s National Ballet School, Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet School and Company, Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre, School of Contemporary Dancers, and Tulsa Ballet Centre for Dance Education. Jera won the 2019 Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Choreographer for Trace.

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Composer & Sound Designer Eliot Britton

Composer & Sound Designer Eliot Britton

Eliot Britton integrates electronic and instrumental music through an energetic and colorful personal language. His creative output expresses an eclectic musical experience from gramophones to video games, drum machines, orchestra to electronic chamber music. A proud member of the Manitoba Métis Federation, Eliot recently completed his PhD at Schulich School of Music at McGill University. He is the recipient of numerous prizes, including the SSHRC Bombardier Scholarship, Louis Riel Scholarship, and the Hugh Le Caine and Serge Garant SOCAN awards. Eliot is the composer of Adizokan, a TSO Commission in partnership with Red Sky Performance, and is currently an assistant professor of composition at the University of Toronto and co-director of the Cluster New Music and Integrated Arts Festival. Eliot won a 2019 Dora Mavor Moore for Outstanding Sound Design & Composition for Trace (Red Sky) and a 2020 Dora Mavor Moore for AF (Red Sky).

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Lighting Designer Alexis Bowles

Lighting Designer Alexis Bowles

Born in Montreal, Alexis Bowles has mastered both lighting design and music production, a symbiosis of ambiance, texture, rhythm, and timing. Always in search of new media and technologies, his range of production is vast. He has worked with Daniele Finzi Pasca since 2003 as Lighting Director for Rain, Nebbia, Donka and Icaro. He was the lighting designer with Daniele Finzi Pasca on many Operas, including L’Amour de loin, Pagliacci, Verdi’s Aïda and Requiem. Alexis was nominated for a 2019 Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Lighting Design for Trace.

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Lighting Director Chris Malkowski

Lighting Director Chris Malkowski

Chris Malkowski is a professional lighting designer and director based in Toronto. He designs lighting for dance, drama, opera, musical theatre and live events across Canada and around the world. Selected credits include: The Black Drum (Lighting Designer, Soulpepper/Deaf Culture Centre 2019), Backbone European Tour (Lighting Director, Red Sky Performance 2019) AF (Lighting Designer, Red Sky Performance), AMAL, Last 15 Seconds (Associate Design, Tunisia/Egypt Tour 2019), Middletown (Associate Design, Crows Theatre 2018), Master Harold and the Boys International Tour (Associate Design, Shaw Festival), In The Continuum (Black Ink Collective 2017), ANTIGONE, Pantalone’s Palace (Brock U), Come Down From Up River (TNB, Foster Festival 2018), Director’s Project (Shaw Festival), Far Away (Best of Fringe 2016). Chris is a graduate of Ryerson University’s Performance Production Program and is an associate member of the Associated Designers of Canada.

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Creative Video Director/Screen Manager Marcella Grimaux

Creative Video Director/Screen Manager Marcella Grimaux

Marcella Grimaux, originally from Montreal, grew up in New York City and attended the University of Southern California in Los Angeles where she majored in Theatre. In 2009, she assisted Dominic Champagne (Cirque du Soleil’s Love) in Las Vegas on his multimedia theatrical presentation of Paradis Perdu. She has worked for international artists Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Katy Perry, The Backstreet Boys, One Direction and Pink, among others. In 2016, she became an Associate Content Producer for the Montreal studio 4U2C and was responsible for screen producing the creative video content for the Kevin Hart: What Now show. She co-directed and oversaw the artistic direction of the video scenography for Jean Leloup’s Le Fantôme de Paradis City, which won awards for Best Show and Best Lighting Design at that year’s ADISQ awards.

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Head Motion Designer Daniel Faubert

Head Motion Designer Daniel Faubert

Born in Outaouais, Quebec, Daniel Faubert lives and works in Montreal. He has a Bachelor of Arts and Design from the University of Quebec. He directed his first animated short “Scène Primitive” which has won numerous prizes in festivals. Video designer, director and animator, he joined the Geodezik team as a senior motion designer in 2013. Since then, Daniel has collaborated with numerous teams on large scale productions including Cirque du Soleil shows and tours for Pink, Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, and Cher to name a few.

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Costume Designer Kinoo Arcentales

Costume Designer Kinoo Arcentales

Kinoo Arcentales is of South American Indigenous (Kichwa) and Mestizo heritage. Born into a family of artists, Kinoo was exposed to arts from an early age. His main role models are his grandmothers on both sides of his family- one being a hotel business owner and the other a retired fashion designer. Living a semi-nomadic lifestyle for most of his life, he has travelled throughout Canada and Ecuador which has inspired most of his work. Kinoo has worked with Red Sky Performance as the costume designer for Trace and as associate costume designer for Miigis.

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Dancer Sarah Di Iorio

Dancer Sarah Di Iorio

Sarah Di Iorio received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2018 from Ryerson University’s Performance Dance Program. Sarah was chosen to create two ten- minute pieces that were showcased at Ryerson’s first ever Springworks show. In her final year, she was the recipient of the Nadia Potts Heart and Soul Scholarship Award. Sarah recently had the opportunity to showcase her choreography in the Fall for Dance North 2018 Festival, Cawthra Parks 2019 Springfest show, Ryerson University’s performance of The Penelopiad, and at the premiere of Impromptu at the 2019 Parodos Festival. As a dancer, Sarah has performed in work created by well-known choreographers in Toronto as well as on the Greek islands. She is one of three principal dancers in a film that will premiere in Toronto’s 2020 Luminato Festival. Sarah had the privilege of performing with Red Sky at the Canadian Museum of History and is now grateful to also take part in the company’s performance of Trace.

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Dancer Miyeko Ferguson

Dancer Miyeko Ferguson

Miyeko Ferguson is a Tkaronto (Toronto) based dance artist. In 2016, she received her BFA degree in Performance Dance from Ryerson University. Since graduation, Miyeko has had the pleasure of working with choreographers such as Naishi Wang, Jera Wolfe, Kate Hilliard and Allen Kaeja. She has also attended professional training programs with Springboard Danse Montréal, Adelheid and Peggy Baker Dance Projects where she performed the works of Ohad Naharin and Chuck Wilt, and worked closely with Jessie Garon and Peggy Baker. Miyeko is an active member of Nostos Collectives. She has performed in Canada and the United States with Red Sky Performance and in early 2020, she was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award for her performance in Red Sky’s production, AF, a part of Canadian Stage’s 2019-2020 season.

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Dancer Lindsay Harpham

Dancer Lindsay Harpham

Lindsay Harpham began training in Saskatchewan where she was inspired to further her development at Harbour Dance Centre’s Intensive Training Program in British Columbia. Lindsay completed The Conteur Academy’s two-year training program in Toronto where she worked with distinguished artists Eryn Waltman, Shoena Bell, Kelly Shaw and Ryan Lee. She joined Red Sky Performance for the world premiere of Backbone at Canadian Stage in Toronto and then toured with the company to the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, and Poland and at the Danse Danse Festival in Montreal. Lindsay performed in Gadfly’s production of “UNBXBL 2” and represented Canada alongside Saskatchewan Dance Projects dancers at the International Dance Congress in Adelaide, Australia. She is currently training alongside Larchaud Dance artists as an apprentice and is very grateful to be a part of Red Sky Performance for Trace.

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Dancer Tyler Layton-Olson

Dancer Tyler Layton-Olson

Tyler Layton-Olson was born in Nipawin, Saskatchewan and is currently based in Vancouver, BC. He trained in various styles growing up and moved to Vancouver to train with Arts Umbrella's pre-professional program and then with Modus Operandi: School of Contemporary Dance. He has had the honour of performing and touring with Shay Kubler: Radical System Art, 605 Collective, Wen Wei Dance, and other dance companies. Tyler loves creation and expression in other art forms including acting, acrylic/mixed media painting, and music production.

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Dancer Jessica Mak

Dancer Jessica Mak

Jessica Mak holds a BFA from Ryerson University’s School of Performance. She is a company member with Red Sky Performance and is excited to be touring the company’s performance of Trace on this North American tour. Through her continuous search for chances to learn, grow and develop, she has had the opportunity to participate in intensives such as Springboard Danse Montreal, B12 Festival, Domaine Forget, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance Summer Intensive and more. She is humbled by the opportunities she has been given to work with renown artists who generously share their knowledge, greatly influencing her progression and life as a dancer. Jessica is currently interested in exploring movement-based concepts to research the human experience.

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Dancer Connor Mitton

Dancer Connor Mitton

Connor Mitton is a graduate of Ryerson University’s Performance Dance Program and a 2018 Dora Mavor Moore Award Nominee for Outstanding Performance, Ensemble, for Jusqu’à Vimy (choreographed by Laurence Lemieux). Originally from Ottawa, Ontario, Connor has toured with ProArteDanza, Citadel & Compangnie, Human body expressions and has performed in James Kudelka’s Fifteen Heterosexual Duets, Elvis and the Man in Black and Romeo and Juliet before Parting. Recognized by Now Magazine as one of 2017’s breakthrough Toronto stage artists, Connor has had the privilege of working with renowned choreographers and artists William Yong, Hanna Kiel, Kate Hilliard, Heidi Strauss, Apolonia Valesquez and Ofilio Portillo, Robert Glumbek, Roberto Campanella, Release Dance Project, ACE Dance Theatre, Zata Omm Dance Projects, Avinoam Silverman and Allan Kaeja. Connor’s passion for dance has taken him to SpringBoard Danse Montreal where he had the opportunity to work with Victor Quijada and members of RUBBERBAND.

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Production Stage Manager Sarah Miller

Production Stage Manager Sarah Miller

Sarah Miller is a Toronto-based freelance stage manager for live theatre and events. She’s worked with arts organizations across the country including City of Toronto Cultural Events, Shaw Festival, Stratford Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more. Select credits include: I Send You This Cadmium Red (Art of Time); A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline (Capitol Theatre); What Makes a Man (Canadian Stage/Necessary Angel); MixTape (Crow’s Theatre/Grand Theatre); Bang Bang, The Crackwalker (Factory Theatre); The Runner (Human Cargo/ Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre); Monday Nights (Luminato/Theatre Centre); Of Mice and Morro and Jasp (Manitoba Theatre for Young People); Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Mirvish); Lil’ Red Robin Hood (Ross Petty Productions); Sisters, Innocence Lost, Of Human Bondage, Spoon River, A Christmas Carol, Hosanna, The Heidi Chronicles, Angels in America (Soulpepper Theatre); Forever Plaid (Starvox Entertainment); Orestes, Yaga (Tarragon Theatre); The De Chardin Project (Theatre Passe Muraille) and Freedom Singer (Project Humanity). Sarah is a mentor and instructor of Stage Management and has worked with students at Toronto Metropolitan University and Humber College.

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Collaborator, Vocalist and Musician (recorded) Ora Barlow-Tukaki
Vocalist (recorded) Nelson Tagoona
Musician Ian De Souza
Musician Nadene Pita
Collaborator, Musician Rick Sacks
Technical Designer Alexandre Barette

Creator & Producer Red Sky Performance
Director & Concept Sandra Laronde
Choreographer Jera Wolfe
Dancers Sarah Di Iorio, Miyeko Ferguson, Lindsay Harpham, Tyler Layton-Olson, Jessica Mak and Connor Mitton
Composer & Sound Designer Eliot Britton
Musicians Rick Sacks, Ian De Souza and Nadene Pita
Recorded Vocals Ora Barlow-Tukaki and Nelson Tagoona
Creative Video Director Marcella Grimaux
Costumes Kinoo Arcentales
Lighting Designer Alexis Bowles
Lighting Director Chris Malkowski
Head Motion Designer Daniel Faubert
Production Stage Manager Sarah Miller
Production Manager Pip Bradford
AZRIELI STUDIO TEAM Stéphane Boyer - Head Technician; Leigh Uttley - Assistant Head Technician; Linda Dufresne - Wardrobe; Phil Arcand- Video; Projectionists, Wardrobe Mistresses, Masters and Attendants are members of International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 471.

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