Red Sky Performance founder Sandra Laronde celebrates another significant achievement in her artistic career. You can read about her many successes at www.redskyperformance.com.

She has received the Lifetime Artistic Achievement in Dance by the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award.

A prestigious acknowledgment indeed.

An online email conversation allowed me to chat with her for a few minutes about how she feels about this honour.

While she is deeply honoured and grateful to receive such meaningful recognition for her work in Canada and the world, the acknowledgment came as a wonderful surprise for her: "I am truly moved by this powerful vote of confidence in what I do as an artist. I am both thrilled and humbled by this incredible support."

Laronde’s growth as an artist has been shaped by a constellation of people rather than a single mentor. She calls it" "like a wonderful web than anything. It’s been a network of individuals who have informed my artistic path." She then mentioned Tomson Highway and Rene Highway. She knows Tomson in real life but has never met Rene, as he only appeared in her dreams. Yet both have strongly influenced her—Tomson in theatre and Rene in dance.

Sandra says, "it was more through osmosis than any kind of formal mentorship—just being around Tomson in the early days, socializing with him, listening, learning, and absorbing."

Laronde continues to develop and tell Indigenous stories of resilience, hope, and inspiration on the Canadian and world stages. I questioned her further about why it is important to continue spreading these messages:

“Stories of resilience and hope are powerful reminders of our capacity to adapt, grow, and create meaningful change. We artists have an extraordinary ability to ignite the human spirit. More than ever, we need stories of resilience, hope, and inspiration. The world is at a crossroads, facing growing fears about social, economic, political, and environmental challenges. Yet, this is also a time of transformation. Instead of riding waves of decline, I hope we can find creative and pragmatic solutions that consider the well-being of the next seven generations. We must never give up and continue finding ways to feel inspired — and the arts have a profound way of doing just that.”

I’m always eager to attend Indigenous theatre whenever possible. A couple of weeks ago, I had the chance to speak with another Indigenous artist. I told this individual I still have much to learn about the Indigenous community. The person responded that’s alright since the learning should never cease.

Laronde echoes what this Indigenous artist told me. Indigenous stories are compelling, exciting and unique and the learning should never cease. She makes another comment I highly respect:

"As Indigenous people, I truly believe we are the DNA of Canada; we are the heartbeat. This means that Canadians will never know who they truly are without knowing Indigenous stories, perspectives, and ethos. Our storytelling is born and inspired from this land. Our stories are not transplanted from elsewhere, they are from here. How could Canadians ever know who they are without stories from source, from its roots? Our stories are very much connected to the power of land, magic, pain, and promise."

She has also penned a debut novel ‘She Holds Up the Stars.’ Laronde says, "I penned with a single purpose: to spark a life-long love affair with stories. I craved the very stories that I now write - ones that mirrored my cultural roots, love of land, and the journey of a sensitive young individual. My hope is that this story fills a void and resonates with those who also yearn for positive stories reflecting their experiences. I simply want young people to have the stories that I did not have and to inspire a generation of young minds."

It appears the inspiration has already begun.

As a visual writer, Laronde finds that ‘She Holds Up the Stars’ naturally adapts to live stage performances.

She has also been invited to speak at numerous schools, in person and via Zoom about her book. Laronde loves engaging with young people about the novel as they ask the best questions.

As a retired Ontario English Language and Literature teacher, what Sandra told me next warmed my heart.

‘She Holds Up the Stars’ is already being taught in some Toronto classrooms, and there has been some discussion about the novel being taught as a core text in Ontario classrooms.

What another honour and privilege to have one’s work widely recognized.

And still other exciting news from Sandra about her debut novel.

‘She Holds Up the Stars’ is newly commissioned by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, in collaboration with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and TO Live. Laronde’s company, Red Sky Performance, will create a live stage adaptation of the novel featuring life-sized puppets, actors, puppeteers, and approximately 50 musicians on stage. The production will premiere in April 2026 at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall in partnership with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, followed by performances the following year with the Vancouver Symphony. The live production of the story will captivate tens of thousands of audience members between 2026-2027.

What’s next for Sandra Laronde that she hasn’t achieved?

She made a laughing emoji and replied: "I'm exhausted just thinking about it. I get incredible ideas and then turn them into fully fleshed-out lives."

Laronde also plans a documentary on Indigenous dance featuring Miigis, which Red Sky toured across North America. She also has a new dance show set to premiere at Canadian Stage in 2027.

The incubation process for a play she’d like to write is also growing to fruition.

Let’s stay tuned to see where she’s headed next.

To learn more about Sandra Laronde, visit : https://sandralaronde.com.