Laura C. Harris Series

Maura Garcia and Ahyoka Youngdeer 
Ꮟ ᎠᏂᏬᏂ They Are Still Talking
February 4 (Friday), 7:00 PM
Sharon Martin Hall, Eisner Center for Performing Arts

Artist Residency: Feb 1-5 (Tues-Sat), 2021

Maura Garcia (non-enrolled Cherokee/Mattamuskeet) is a dancer, a choreographer and the artistic director of Maura Garcia Dance (MGD). Her work is powered by a desire to perpetuate ancestral knowledge, actively respect the living earth and further social justice. Maura’s artistic creations reflect the power of stories to form and change our realities. Through narrative driven choreography she seeks to form connections, empower Indigenous cultural values and explore the rhythms of the natural world. As a fellow in the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian’s 2016 Artist Leadership Program, she worked with members of the Kansas City Indian Center and local Indigenous artists to realize an 8-month arts project exploring ancient and contemporary urban Indian identity. Maura is dedicated to collaborating within Indigenous communities to celebrate group narratives through dance and other art forms. Ahyoka Youngdeer is a Cherokee Life-ways Consultant and LGBTQ community organizer. 

Ꮟ ᎠᏂᏬᏂ They Are Still Talking is a Maura Garcia Dance Cherokee cultural reclamation project focusing on the roles and rights of women and two-spirit people. At its core the project is an ancestral invocation, featuring an Indigenous foods feast, movement-based Cherokee language classes, small-group talks and culminating in a multimedia dance performance.
 

Red Sky Performance
Trace
April 2 (Saturday), 7:00 PM
Sharon Martin Hall, Eisner Center for Performing Arts

A Collaboration with the Dance Department
Artist residency: March 30-April 2 (Tues-Sat), 2022

Red Sky Performance is a leading company of contemporary Indigenous performance in Canada and worldwide. Red Sky’s mission is to create inspiring experiences of contemporary Indigenous arts and culture that transform society. 

The vision of Red Sky Performance derives from its creator Sandra Laronde (Misko Kizhigoo Migizii Kwe) which means “Red Sky Eagle Woman” in Anishinaabemowin (Ojibway) language from the Teme-Augama Anishinaabe (People of the Deep Water). Her vision is dedicated to expanding and elevating the ecology of contemporary performance informed by Indigenous worldview and culture.

Touring since 2003, Red Sky Performance has delivered over 2,755 performances across Canada including international performances in 17 countries on four continents, including two Cultural Olympiads (Beijing and Vancouver), World Expo in Shanghai, Venice Biennale, and Jacob’s Pillow, among others. At the same time, Red Sky Performance remains deeply rooted and invested on a grassroots level and regularly performs in urban, rural, and reserve communities across Turtle Island. Red Sky Performance is the recipient of 16 Dora Mavor Moore awards and nominations, two Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards, three International Youth Drama Awards from Shenzhen, China, and the Smithsonian Expressive Award. More than Dance, Red Sky Performance is a Movement.

Trace is a highly kinetic dance about all things traceable. Trace maps the Anishinaabe sky and star stories, offering a glimpse into our origin and future evolution.