Sandra Laronde (photo by V. Tony Hauser)
Sandra Laronde recognized with Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award (Dance)
Published: March 20, 2025
Sandra Laronde, an alum of the University of Toronto's Innis College, has been recognized with a 2025 Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award (Dance), part of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards (GGPAA).
Recognized as Canada’s highest accolades in the performing arts, Lifetime Artistic Achievement Awards honour artists for their outstanding and enduring contribution to culture in Canada and abroad.
Laronde is the founder and executive and artistic director of Red Sky Performance, an Indigenous performing arts company named after her Anishinaabemowin name, Misko Kizhigoo Migizii Kwe – meaning Red Sky Eagle Woman. She is recognized for her pivotal role in the resurgence of Indigenous culture across Canada through works that explore story and cultural identity, expand the Indigenous canon and awaken a wider relationship with nature.
“As someone who has devoted her life to bringing Indigenous stories of resilience, hope and inspiration to the stage, this recognition is profoundly meaningful to me," Laronde said in a press release. "I am honoured and grateful to be included among such extraordinary individuals.
“My deepest passion is helping people feel connected and at home in this world, and I have always believed that storytelling is one of the most powerful ways in which to achieve this. It is incredibly rewarding to know that my body of work, created alongside brilliant collaborators, has resonated with audiences across my cherished homeland of Canada.”
