Red Sky Performance - Backbone

A driving force in contemporary Indigenous arts in Canada and internationally, Red Sky Performance lights up the stage in a tribute to the human landscape, multiple and limitless. Backbone is a crashing wave of raw energy.

For 20 years, this Toronto-based company directed by Sandra Laronde has been the bold proponent of a living and contemporary art form steeped in the cultures and visions of Indigenous peoples from around the world. Inspired by the chain of mountain ranges stretching from the Rockies to the Andes, and known as the “spine of the Americas”, Backbone conveys an electrical and physical connection to the land. The powerful, compelling musical score enwraps the performers’ bodies; percussion, throat singing and layers of sound interweave to create a rhythmic backdrop. In highly physical, almost acrobatic solos, duets, and ensembles, the dancers—hailing from Canada, New Zealand and Mongolia—interpret nature’s spine and landscapes, and embody mapping and cartography. A veritable seismic tremor, Backbone pulsates to a visceral and universal momentum that is irresistibly hypnotic Partenaire de la série Créateurs and spellbinding.

Red Sky Performance
Director - Sandra Laronde
Choreographers - Jera Wolfe, Sandra Laronde, Ageer