Indigenous Artist Sandra Laronde to Deliver Lenfest Center Series Keynote Address at W&L An authentic Indigenous dinner will accompany Laronde’s talk on Oct. 7 and is part of the Lenfest Center’s Outreach & Engagement Series.
The Lenfest Center at Washington and Lee University is pleased to welcome Sandra Laronde, creator and artistic director of Red Sky Performance, to campus to deliver a keynote presentation for its Outreach & Engagement (O&E) Series on Oct. 7 at 5:30 p.m. in Evans Dining Hall. Doors will open at 5 p.m.
Tickets are required and available online or in person at the Lenfest Box Office. Tickets must be purchased in advance, and ticket sales for this event will conclude Sept. 30.
Laronde’s keynote, titled “Arts of Mesoamerica and the Andes,” will be accompanied by an authentic chef-prepared Indigenous dinner, and attendees will have the opportunity to interact with the dancers of Red Sky Performance, a leading company in contemporary Indigenous performance. Red Sky will also perform at W&L on Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m. in the Keller Theatre.
Sandra Laronde (Misko Kizhigoo Migizii Kwe, which means “Red Sky Eagle Woman” in the Anishinaabemowin [Ojibway] language) stands at the forefront of the ongoing Indigenous cultural resurgence of Canada. A highly accomplished arts innovator, multidisciplinary artist and visionary leader, Laronde is from the Teme-Auguma Anishinaabe (the People of the Deep Water) in Temagami, northern Ontario, and is currently based in Toronto.
At the heart of Laronde’s work — which encompasses dance, theater, music and media — lies a commitment to storytelling and ongoing exploration and experimentation. Laronde aims to grow and elevate the Indigenous canon and has created powerful and transformational experiences across Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia. She actively engages in diplomacy through the arts, forging stronger ties by representing the nation at prominent international delegations, events and platforms.
Laronde’s accolades include the 2023 Indspire Award for the Arts, the 2023 Indigenous Artist Award from the Toronto Arts Foundation, the 2023 Horace Mann Upstander Award, the 2021 Order of Ontario, the 2021 Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prize and the 2020 Celebration of Cultural Life Award from the Toronto Arts Foundation. Red Sky has received 17 Dora Mavor Moore awards and nominations and two Indigenous Music Awards, among other notable recognitions. Laronde is also the author of “She Holds Up the Stars,” published by Annick Press in August 2022. The novel received the Kirkus Star, which marks books of exceptional merit, was named one of the Best Canadian Books for Young Adults by CBC Books in 2022, and was nominated for the 2024 Manitoba Young People’s Choice Awards.
Laronde’s keynote event is sponsored in part by the Class of 1964 Performing Arts Fund, W&L’s Native American Indigenous Cohort within the Office of Inclusion and Engagement, the Department of Art and Art History, the Department of Theater, Dance, and Film Studies, the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program, the Museums at W&L and the Pauline B. and Paul D. Pickens Fund for the Performing Arts.
Order your tickets online today or call the Lenfest Center box office at 540-458-8000 for ticket purchase information. Box office hours are Monda-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. The cost for all tickets is $36.73 and includes the keynote address and dinner.
For a full list of this season’s events and performances, visit the Lenfest Center’s website.
The Lenfest Center for the Arts, home of the Department of Theater, Dance, and Film Studies and the Department of Music and Department of Art and Art History is a multi-use facility designed and equipped to accommodate a broad spectrum of the performing arts, including theater, musical theater, opera and operetta, choral and band music, dance and performance art in one energizing complex.
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