Sandra Laronde is the recipient of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement in Dance, a multiple Dora Mavor Moore Award winner, and one of Canada’s leading cultural leaders. She is also an accomplished playwright, director, choreographer, and producer.

As the Founding Artistic Director of Red Sky Performance, she has transformed contemporary performance through bold artistic vision, original works, and international collaboration.

A member of the Teme-Augama Anishinaabe, she grew up in Temagami, Ontario, and holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto.

Building What Does Not Yet Exist

Throughout her career, Sandra has created organizations, initiatives, and opportunities that have helped shape the landscape of Indigenous contemporary arts in Canada and beyond. She founded Red Sky Performance, Native Women in the Arts, the Temagami Artistic Collective, REDTalks, and the Associate Artist Program, creating platforms for artistic excellence, leadership development, cultural exchange, and the next generation of Indigenous leadership.

Artistic Innovation

As the founding artistic director of Red Sky Performance, Canada’s leading Indigenous contemporary performance company, Sandra has forged new approaches to storytelling through innovative collaborations in dance, theatre, music, and multimedia. Under her leadership, Red Sky has presented nearly 4,000 performances in 24 countries across four continents, bringing Indigenous stories, perspectives, and artistic innovation to audiences around the world.

Global Leadership and Collaboration

Sandra’s work extends beyond artistic creation to cultural diplomacy, institutional leadership, and cross-sector collaboration. She has represented Canada on prestigious international stages and at influential global gatherings, including the Venice Biennale, Canadian Heritage’s inaugural Creative Industries Trade Mission to China, a Trade Mission to Europe, two Cultural Olympiads (Beijing and Vancouver), and the ASSITEJ World Congress in Soweto, South Africa.

Through collaborations with organizations such as the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Jacob’s Pillow, Columbia University, and the University of Kansas, Sandra has helped advance new approaches to artistic creation, Indigenous leadership, and cross-cultural engagement.

From 2007 to 2016, Sandra served as Director of Indigenous Arts at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, where she provided artistic and strategic leadership during a transformative period of growth and innovation. Her work expanded opportunities for artists, strengthened international partnerships, and helped shape a compelling future for Indigenous arts at the Centre.

Speaking and Ideas

A sought-after speaker, lecturer, curator, and thought leader, Sandra has addressed audiences at arts summits, universities, cultural institutions, and special events across Canada, the United States, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Her talks explore creativity, leadership, innovation, Indigenous worldviews, and the role of the arts in shaping stronger communities and futures.

From Page to Stage

In 2023, Sandra published her debut novel, She Holds Up the Stars (Annick Press), which received a Kirkus Star, was named one of CBC Books’ Best Canadian Books for Young Adults and won the Horace Mann Upstander Award. In 2026, she reimagined the novel for the stage in her playwriting debut. The production received eight Dora Mavor Moore Award nominations, including Outstanding Production, Outstanding Direction, and Outstanding New Play.

Honours and Recognition

Sandra’s contributions have been recognized with numerous honours, including the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement in Dance, the Governor General’s Meritorious Service Cross, the Order of Ontario, the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario Heritage Award for Excellence in Conservation, the Canada Council for the Arts Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award for Outstanding Artist in Dance, the Indspire Award, the Toronto Arts Foundation Indigenous Artist Award, the Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prize, and an honorary doctorate from Trent University.