Nov 2 – 12 , 2017 berkeley street Theatre
backbone A RED SK Y PERFORMANCE PRODUCTION IN ASSOCIATION WITH CANADIAN STAGe
17.18 Season Sponsor
Co n c e iv e d a n d Di r ec te d by Sa n d r a L a ro n d e
Proud Sponsor 17.18 Berkeley Season
Dance Programming Supporter Hal Jackman Foundation
da n c e r S
Co n c e pt/Di r ec tio n
Ageer Eddie Elliott Lonii Garnons-Williams Samantha Halas Lindsay Harpham Philippe Larouche Julie Pham Joshua St. John Jera Wolfe
Sandra Laronde
Run time: 50 minutes (no intermission) MEDIA SPONSORS
Cho r eog r a phy
Jera Wolfe with choreographic excerpts by
Thomas Fonua Sandra Laronde Ageer Compositio n & M usi c
Rick Sacks Throat-boxer vocals (recorded)
Nelson Tagoona Cree translation/voice
Tyrone Tootoosis Additional recordings: The Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Dr. Becky Sjare recording on Dundas Island
Costum e D e sig n
Jeff Chief Vi d eo D e sig n
Co-produced and originally commissioned by Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Red Sky gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Canadian Stage, the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, the Ontario Arts Council, the Toronto Arts Council, Creative New Zealand and the Hohhot National Performing Arts Group Inc.
Andy Moro Lighti n g D e sig n
Michel Charbonneau Make-Up
Alice Norton Tec h n i c a l a n d Compa n y M a n ag e r
Red Sky Performance is Canadian Stage’s Berkeley Street Downstairs Theatre Company-in-Residence for the 17.18 and 18.19 seasons.
Canadian Stage would like to acknowledge that we are situated on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and the Huron-Wendat. We recognize the enduring presence of Indigenous people on and of this land, and are grateful to have the opportunity to perform on their territory.
Carla Ritchie #csBackbone
FREE TALK
Red Sky Performance presents:
REDTalk: Indigenous Ways of Knowing Land & Culture Guests: Sandra Laronde (Red Sky Performance), Cowboy Smithx (REDx Talks & Iiniistsi Treaty Arts Society), Gerald McMaster (OCAD University)
Nov 10, 5:30-6:30PM | Berkeley Upstairs Theatre
cast + creative
Sandra Laronde
Jera Wolfe
Thomas Fonua
Rick Sacks
Tyrone Tootoosis
Nelson Tagoona
Andy Moro
Michel Charbonneau
Jeff Chief
Alice Norton
Carla Ritchie
Ageer
Eddie Elliott
Lonii Garnons-Williams
Samantha Halas
Lindsay Harpham
Phillippe Larouche
Julie Pham
Joshua St. John
artistic & general director’s note Dance has always played an essential role in Indigenous cultures across the globe - a deeply authentic and celebratory means of connecting to the land, to one’s roots and spirit. No one understands this better, nor has found a more engaging way of bringing this tradition into the contemporary world of performance, than Sandra Laronde. For many years, Sandra has been exploring world Indigenous cultures, as a director, choreographer, and as an active promoter of artistic exchange and collaboration. Backbone continues this exploration, plunging us deep into the primal forces that run through the land which we inhabit, resurrecting the vertebrae which give us body and shape and the ability to push ourselves ever onwards. It is the contemporary expression of an age-old tradition, the artistic landscape of a timeless relationship between humankind and the territory upon which we roam. It is dance for today. A warm welcome and chi-miigwetch to Sandra and her team, in this first year of their two-year residency at Canadian Stage. Matthew Jocelyn Artistic & General Director, Canadian Stage
creator’s note It is my utmost pleasure to welcome you to this performance of Backbone. The idea that there is a ‘spine’ to our continents is an Indigenous concept as old as living memory; it reveals our way of perceiving land as alive, sentient, and intact. Through dance and music, I wanted to show that the rocky spine of the Americas has life, circuitry, electricity, and dynamic impulses - much like the human spine. For us, there is a strong connection between the earth’s backbone and a human one. We are inseparable. Tonight’s dance and live music creation explores mapping and cartographic truths. If you were to look at a Western map of the Americas, you would see a series of mountain ranges depicted – the Canadian Rockies, the American Rockies, and the Andes – each separated by political borders and boundaries. Now, imagine this same map through an Indigenous lens, that would see this same chain of mountains as a spinal column – continuous, intact and fluid with no borders as such, with its own life force or spirit. It’s a completely different way of seeing land, and reveals a different relationship to our terrain. All maps are reflective of how we perceive and relate to our environment; they are also a blueprint for how we navigate our own inner landscape. Indigenous mapping often follows the natural contours of our ancestral lands. Whereas a colonial map would often superimpose a grid on to the natural world as a tool of land measure. It begs the questions: who gets to name places, create borders and political boundaries; in whose language are maps made, and whose agenda do map-makers serve? I believe that we have the potential to re-map our natural world to create a singular relationship and experience of land, water, and mountains for generations to come. A re-mapping would allow us to see with new eyes, establish a new relationship between human and nature, and realize that the earth is ‘the Mother of All’, comprised of ecosystems and living beings. As our Elders say, she is our ‘real’ Mother. With this worldview in our sights, it’s easier to care for the land, and harder to take more than what we need. A huge thank you to Canadian Stage, Matthew Jocelyn, Sherrie Johnson, and the incredible staff for having us as a Company-in-Residence for two seasons. A special thank you to the Banff Centre for believing in Backbone, and for their original commission. Chi-miigwetch to the Artists involved in the creative process, and for their generosity of spirit, dance and music. Chi-miigwetch to Wisdom Keeper and Elder Tom Crane Bear as I watched him look at the mountains with such an embodied experience of connection, and respect for the mountains, it moved me enormously and inspired the beginnings of Backbone. Tonight, we promise to send a shiver up your spine. Sandra Laronde Teme-Augama Anishinaabe, Artistic Director, Red Sky Performance
SANDRA LARONDE Concept + Director Sandra Laronde is of the Teme-Augama Anishinaabe (People of the Deep Water) and an award-winning arts innovator and cultural leader in Canada. Her mission in life is to reveal the hope, promise, and vibrancy of Indigenous peoples through the expression and dissemination of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit artistry. As an arts leader, Sandra creates, choreographs, produces, directs, and disseminates world-renowned Canadian works of artistic value and significance. As the founder of Red Sky Performance in 2000, Sandra’s exceptional artistry and programming contribute to building vibrant Indigenous communities across Ontario, Canada, and worldwide. Because of her mentoring and leadership, there has been substantial growth in place-based culture and innovative new approaches to programming that has raised the artistic ceiling of contemporary Indigenous artistry in Canada and throughout the world. Sandra was also the Director of Indigenous Arts at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity from 2007 to 2016. During her 9-year tenure as director, she realized her vision to create exceptional cutting-edge programming informed by Indigenous cultures and world-views, and excelled at bringing world-class faculty to the Centre. Substantial growth for Indigenous Arts at the Banff Centre was achieved under her leadership involving hundreds of Indigenous artists across Canada and from around the globe.
JERA WOLFE Choreography + Dancer As an Associate Artist, Jera Wolfe is a Choreographer and Dancer with Red Sky Performance. He is a graduate of Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet School and since then has focused on contemporary dance. Over the past eight years, he has performed as a guest artist for iDance convention, Ballet Kelowna, Kahawi: Dance Theatre, The Chimera Project, and Gauthier Dance. He was also a finalist on CTV’s So You Think You Can Dance Canada, and spent a year in Germany as a
first cast dancer for Disney’s Tarzan Musical. Jera was a dancer and faculty member at the Indigenous Dance Residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Since 2013, Jera has adjudicated for 5678 Showtime dance competitions. He is the choreographer of Miigis (Red Sky Performance), and two excerpts of his work were performed in Red Sky’s Adizokan with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Recently, Jera also choreographed Reminiscence for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School’s annual Professional showcase, and a work for the School of Contemporary Dancers.
THOMAS FONUA Choreography (Excerpts) Thomas Fonua participated in the first phase of Backbone as a collaborative choreographer and dancer. Born and raised in New Zealand, Thomas began dancing at the age of seven. After training with Black Grace Dance Company for two years, Thomas danced with the company full time from 2008 to 2016 as a leading performer. He has been touring internationally since the age of 16. As an Associate Artist with Red Sky Performance, he participated in Red Sky’s six-month cultural exchange mentorship program, and performed in Migration, inSIGNia, and Backbone. Thomas is the recipient of the 2014 Pacific Arts Award in the Arts and Creativity category sponsored by Creative New Zealand. Currently, he is based in Australia performing with the Australian Dance Theatre. Thomas has worked with artists such as Sandra Laronde, Garry Stewart, Neil Ieremia, Rafael Bonachela, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Jock Soto, Douglas Wright, Raewyn Hill, and Ross McCormack. Thomas was also a merit dancer and faculty member with the Indigenous Dance Residency at the Banff Centre for three years under Sandra Laronde’s direction.
RICK SACKS Composition + Music Rick Sacks began as a child actor in Summerstock and eventually received his Master’s Degree in Music. He has performed at Carnegie Recital, NY Shakespeare Theatre
and Alice Tully Hall as a percussionist and taught at Bennington College, Vermont. In 1980, Rick moved to Toronto to play in an Art Rock Band. His work in theatre for young people has resulted in continuous performances throughout Europe and North America. He also performed worldwide with Red Sky Performance at the Vancouver and Beijing Olympics, Shanghai World Expo and the State Theatre of Ballet & Opera in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. His symphony for the Victoria Symphony utilized remote controlled flying fish and a deep-sea diver costume complete with bubbles. Rick’s music, in collaboration with three musicians from Mongolia received a Dora Award for Red Sky Performance’s Tono. From 2011 to 2016, he was Artistic Director of Array Music and continues to freelance as a percussionist, sound designer and composer.
NELSON TAGOONA Vocals (Recorded) Nelson Tagoona improvises with traditional throat singing and beat-boxing, developing a technique that has been recently termed as “throat-boxing”. This unique performance has garnered Tagoona high praise throughout Canada, including being awarded at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, and named one of the ‘Top 10 Canadian Artists under 20’ by CBC Music. Nelson performed during the opening of the Northern Scene Festival at the National Arts Centre, Pan Am Games, and at numerous other festivals and events Canadawide. Most recently, he performed in Red Sky Performance’s Adizokan with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra at Roy Thomson Hall.
TYRONE TOOTOOSIS Vocals (Recorded) Proud of his Cree Assiniboine identity, the late Tyrone Tootoosis was a multifaceted man who made enormous contributions to his community as an actor, storykeeper, linguist, activist, dancer, cultural interpreter and rancher. For his whole life, Tyrone has been on a cultural mission, whether he was gathering his people’s oral history or sharing stories through his writing and performing. Tyrone was instrumental as a Cree translator and advisor for Red Sky Performance’s family production Mistatim which has toured extensively across Canada, USA and China.
ANDY MORO Video Design Andy Moro is of European and Mushkegowuk Cree descent. He is a highly-acclaimed set, lighting, projection and sound designer, and has twice been named among NOW Magazine’s top 10 theatre artists. Andy has collaborated with Red Sky Performance on Adizokan, Mistatim, and Migration, and is the cofounder of ARTICLE 11, which presented the multidisciplinary performative installation, DECLARATION, at the National Arts Centre, the Royal Ontario Museum, and most recently, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland.
MICHEL CHARBONNEAU Lighting Design Michel Charbonneau is Anishinaabe, and has designed more than a hundred productions and was nominated nominated for six Dora Mavor Moore Awards (Toronto), one Sterling Award (Edmonton), and one Leon Rabin Award (Dallas). His work has been seen or heard throughout the USA, France, Haiti, and Brazil, and extensively with numerous prominent theatre companies across Canada. For Red Sky Performance, Michel collaborated on Adizokan in October 2017.
JEFF CHIEF Costume Design Jeff Chief is Plains Cree from Saskatchewan. Costume designs include: Le Wild West Show de Gabriel Dumont (National Arts Centre); Ipperwash (Blyth Festival); In Care (Gordon Tootoosis Nikaniwin Theatre); Popcorn Elder (Saskatchewan Native Theatre Co./ Dancing Sky Theatre); Dreary and Izzy (Theatre North West); Othello (Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan); Where the Blood Mixes (Western Canada Theatre/Theatre Aquarius/Theatre Network); Migration (Red Sky/Black Grace); Indigenous Dance Residencies (Banff Centre); A Man A Fish, God of Carnage, The Berlin Blues (Persephone Theatre). Jeff has also built costumes at the Stratford Festival, Citadel Theatre, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Banff Centre’s Summer Arts Festival and Globe Theatre.
ALICE NORTON
EDDIE ELLIOTT
Make-up Alice Norton has worked in the Trinidadian Carnival tradition, helping to design and build masquerade (“mas”) bands in Port of Spain and Toronto. This experience and knowledge is complemented by more formal schooling and more traditional theatre settings such as Video Cabaret: The History of the Village of Small Huts, among others.
Dancer Eddie Elliott is currently on a cultural exchange as part of Red Sky Performance’s Associate Artist Program. Eddie is of Maori descent from Tainui, New Zealand. He discovered hip-hop in Wellington, where he trained in contemporary dance. A graduate of UNITEC in 2013, he was nominated for the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative and the 2014 “I Am Auckland Awards” which won him the Youth Active Award. Eddie has worked with leading dance companies in New Zealand, including Black Grace, Atamira, Okareka Dance Company, Douglas Wright Dance, New Zealand Dance Company, and with Red Sky Performance. He is the 2017 recipient of the Ellen Norris Scholarship and Creative New Zealand’s Toi tipu Toi rea grant.
CARLA RITCHIE Technical + Company Manager Carla Ritchie is thrilled to be a part of Backbone, her fifth show with Red Sky Performance and first time working with Canadian Stage. Carla has worked as a Stage/Production Manager, Designer, Writer, Director, and Technician and is currently the Technical Director for Artscape, overseeing five venues. Carla has lived and worked across Canada, including Regina, Calgary, and Manitoulin Island, and has toured to the US and China. Some favourite company credits include: Ghost River Theatre, Theatre Calgary, Alberta Theatre Projects, One Yellow Rabbit, The Only Animal, Debajehmujig Storytellers, and National Arts Centre.
AGEER Dancer + Choreography (Excerpt) Ageer is a guest artist with Red Sky Performance from Inner Mongolia. He studied dance performance at the Art Institute of Inner Mongolia University from 2006 to 2008. Since 2009, he has been a principal dancer with the Hohhot Performing Arts Group in Inner Mongolia. In 2014, Ageer performed in Red Sky’s Tono at the China Shanghai International Arts Festival. He was a lead performer at the Inner Mongolia New Year Gala and Inner Mongolia Zhao Jun Cultural Festival. In 2012, Ageer was the composer and principal performer in Grandpa which won a gold prize in the 11th Lotus Award, and a Gold Medal Performance in 2nd International Mongolia dance competition. He won a Performance Excellence Award at the National Dance Competition, and a Best Performer Award in a dance drama called KUBUQI at the Prairie Culture Festival in Inner Mongolia.
LONII GARNONS-WILLIAMS Dancer Lonii Garnons-Williams was born in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, until she moved at age 15 to pursue her growing passion in dance. She began her full-time training at Queensland Dance School of Excellence in Brisbane, and graduated with a Certificate in Dance, having received the Contemporary Dancer Scholarship. She furthered her training in Perth at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). Lonii joined Australian Dance Theatre (ADT) as a full-time ensemble member, premiering Beginning of Nature and Habitus, for which she was nominated at the Helpmann Awards for Best Female Dancer in a Dance or Physical Theatre Production. Lonii recently joined Red Sky Performance and made her Toronto debut with Miigis and Adizokan.
LINDSAY HARPHAM Dancer Lindsay Harpham began her training in Saskatchewan where she became inspired to further her development in Vancouver at Harbour Dance Centre’s Intensive Training Program. She spent time with The Aviary Company where she danced in several productions such as IYI Dance Inspired and VanCity Projects. Lindsay graduated from The Conteur Academy’s two-year
training program where she worked closely with such distinguished Toronto artists as Eryn Waltman, Shoena Bell and Ryan Lee. Her strong technical abilities and consistency make her an asset to the industry. Lindsay is thrilled to be a part of Red Sky Performance’s 2017-18 season.
SAMANTHA HALAS Performer Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Samantha Halas studied contortion arts in Beijing International Art School, San Francisco’s Circus Center, Mongolia’s Contortion Angels, and across Canada. She has performed for circuses including Luna Caballera’s equestrian circus, the Underground Circus of Vancouver, Chile’s company En La Cuerda, and has appeared as a featured performer with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. She also teaches social circus, using circus as a medium for social change as well as producing her own shows in Winnipeg as Frostbite Circus.
PHILIPPE LAROUCHE Dancer Phillippe Larouche is a dancer, choreographer and repetiteur who hails from Laval, Québec, and is currently based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. As an apprentice with Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet for two seasons, he danced many classical and contemporary works on stages in China and across Canada and the US. During this time, he was also a company member of QDance, directed by Peter Quanz. He recently created Better Together, a duet which was performed at the Canada Games Opening Ceremonies and had the opportunity of performing Freya Olafson’s CPA in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. He is currently commissioned by the Royal Winnipeg Ballet to create a piece which will be performed in May 2018.
JULIE PHAM Dancer Born and raised in Prince Rupert, BC, Julie Pham is a graduate of the Arts Umbrella’s Professional Dance Program in Vancouver. She has worked under the direction of teachers Artemis Gordon, Marquita Lester, Lynn Sheppard, and Curtis Foley. For three years, Julie also danced and toured professionally with Ballet
Kelowna and has performed with numerous choreographers. She continues her dance endeavours with Red Sky Performance under the tutelage of Sandra Laronde.
JOSHUA ST. JOHN
Dancer Josh St. John received dance training from Canada’s National Ballet School, where he studied Ballet, Modern, and Contemporary movement. His most notable performances include: Azure Barton’s Come In at the Holland Dance Festival, John Neumier’s Yondering, and most recently, in Red Sky Performance’s Adizokan with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Josh also participated in Pro Arte Danza’s Summer Intensive 2017, performing in Roberto Campanella’s Figures and Robert Glumbek’s Alpha Female. Josh looks forward to his debut in Backbone with Red Sky Performance.
ABOUT RED SKY PERFORMANCE Internationally renowned, Red Sky Performance is a leading company of contemporary Indigenous performance in Canada and worldwide. This multiaward-winning company founded in 2000 by Artistic Director Sandra Laronde of the Teme-Augama Anishinaabe (People of the Deep Water). Red Sky’s mandate is to create inspiring experiences of contemporary Indigenous arts and culture. The company creates, produces and disseminates new creations and events that illuminate themes, aesthetics, and values of importance to Indigenous peoples. Touring since 2003, Red Sky Performance has delivered over 2,253 performances across Canada and internationally in 12 countries on four continents, including at two Cultural Olympiads (Beijing and Vancouver), opened for Canada at Expo 2010 in Shanghai, and recently returned from Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in the USA. Red Sky is the recipient of five Dora Mavor Moore Awards and nominations; two Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards, and the Smithsonian Expressive Award, among other recognitions. Red Sky continues to significantly influence the artistic evolution of contemporary Indigenous performing arts in Canada and worldwide. redskyperformance.com
Also in residence at the Berkeley Street Theatre…
★★★★★
Njo Kong Kie (Music Picnic)
picnic ın the cemetery
“(A) euphoric assault on the senses... must experience” - British Theatre Guide
Luisa Ferreira
Presented in partnership with Canadian Stage
A whimsical concert-theatre performance combining the original music of Toronto composer Njo Kong Kie (Mr. Shi and His Lover) and an evocative journey through the passage of time.
APR 26 – MAY 6 Berkeley Street Theatre canadianstage.com 416.368.3110