b'PERFORMING ARTSthe world. She has taken part in Canadian Heritages first Creative Industries Trade Mission to China, the Trade Mission to Europe in 2022, the Canadian High Commission in Mongolia, Global Affairs Canada to Sweden, and as an official delegate at the ASSITEJ (Association Internationale du Thtre pour lEnfance et la Jeunesse/International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People) World Congress in South Africa.Laronde actively rejects the typical Canadian-style cultural diplomacy in favour of incorporating Indigenous principles. Cultural diplomacy plays a very important role. Thats what weve always done as Indigenous peoplebuild rela-tionships and forge connectionsand Im following the way we do things, she says. Red Skys current dance and live music production, Miigis: Underwater Panther, continues to sell out shows in Toronto, Montreal and Washington, and will soon get a second North American tour as well as new life as a film. Red Sky Performance is also in the process of creating another film exploring Indigenous dance that will highlight the history of banning Indigenous dancing across North America. Find shelter and support807-346-HELPbeendigen.comWere also creating a new digitalSymphony Orchestra at Roy Thomson platform to digitally populate workHall in 2024-2025. and stories relating to the resurgence of Indigenous arts in Canada,Twenty years since Red Sky was founded, explains Laronde. Its a big projectfunding for arts-based international and a very exciting one. Look outcollaborative projects is now much more for a multimedia, digital experiencecommon, opening new opportunities for involving film, animation and AI, allIndigenous arts initiatives and amplifying captured on film. Indigenous voices. Its wonderful to see The project Laronde is most excitedso many Indigenous artists telling stories about, however, is her first novel forusing dance, theatre, music, literary young adults, She Holds Up the Stars.storytelling, visual art, digital media, new Published by Annick Press in 2022,media and film. These stories are coun-it was named one of the Best Bookstering the harmful and false narratives for Kids and Young Adults by CBCthat people are wrestling with, Laronde Books and was McNally Robinsonssays. Our people and the mainstream bestseller for an entire month.are hungry for our stories and the way The book will also be transformedwe tell them. Its a very exciting time to into both an audiobook and abe an Indigenous artist in Canada and in libretto performed by the Torontothe world at large. 16Fall/Winter 2023'