She Holds Up The Stars
The TSO is thrilled to unveil a newly commissioned work based on Sandra Laronde’s award-winning début novel, She Holds Up the Stars. This new creation combines a contemporary original story with life-sized puppets, dance, storytelling, visual art, screen design, and orchestral music. Enter the world of an adolescent Indigenous girl navigating the challenges stacked against her amid a mesmerizing natural landscape. Her life undergoes a dramatic transformation upon encountering a wild horse, cruelly broken by a local rancher and his son. Tensions flare, causing ongoing discord within the rez and on the ranch. As she unexpectedly bonds with the horse, she discovers a strength within herself that reshapes her connection to home, land, and heart.
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Performers
Red Sky Performance
Trevor Wilson
Red Sky Performance is a leading company of contemporary Indigenous performance in Canada and worldwide.
Since its creation in 2000, Red Sky’s vision has been to lead in the creation, elevation, and evolution of contemporary Indigenous performance and make a significant contribution to the vibrancy of Canada and the world.
Now in our 23rd year of performance (dance, theatre, music, and media), we continue to be guided by our mission to create inspiring experiences of contemporary Indigenous arts and culture that transform society in meaningful ways.
We are an Indigenous-led company. The vision of Red Sky Performance derives from its creator, Sandra Laronde—Misko Kizhigoo Migizii Kwe, which means “Red Sky Eagle Woman” in Anishinaabemowin (Ojibway) language—from the Teme-Augama Anishinaabe (People of the Deep Water). Her vision is to elevate and expand contemporary performance informed by Indigenous worldview and culture. Laronde plays a pivotal role in the ongoing cultural resurgence and shines a light on Indigenous ingenuity, beauty, and powerful new work.
Laronde’s concept of performance explores the relationship between movement, live music, theatricality, and image. Her engagement in these disciplines involves collaborations with dancers, musicians, composers, choreographers, visual artists, actors, writers, designers, researchers, and culture keepers who are integral to Red Sky Performance’s distinct productions. “Story” is paramount to Red Sky because Laronde sees stories as the embodiment of Indigenous voice and ethos, and key to empowerment.
We provide unparalleled opportunities for emerging and established artists as they hone their artistic practice through a collaborative Indigenous process, offering unique opportunities for these practitioners to thrive creatively and professionally.
Touring since 2003, we have delivered close to 3,000 performances across Canada and internationally in 21 countries on four continents, including at two Cultural Olympiads (Beijing and Vancouver), the World Expo in Shanghai, the Venice Biennale, Jacob’s Pillow, and the Kennedy Center, among others. At the same time, we remain deeply rooted and regularly perform in urban, rural, and reserve communities across Turtle Island.
We are the recipient of 17 Dora Mavor Moore Awards and nominations, two Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards, three International Youth Drama Awards from Shenzhen, China, and the Smithsonian Expressive Award, among other recognitions.
More than Dance, We Are a Movement.