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Tono at Arden

For most of us the Olympics are a far off world we watch strictly through the eye of television. But this time around we won’t have to leave town to enjoy an official cultural event.

For most of us the Olympics are a far off world we watch strictly through the eye of television. But this time around we won’t have to leave town to enjoy an official cultural event.

Red Sky Performance, a Toronto-based company dedicated to shaping contemporary world indigenous shows, makes a two-day stop at the Arden on Feb. 2 and 3. The much-lauded Tono is on a tour of western Canada before opening Feb. 11 as a featured highlight at the Cultural Olympiad of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games.

Although making its first appearance at the Arden, Red Sky burst onto the theatrical music/dance scene exactly a decade ago under the leadership of artistic director Sandra Laronde. This dance wunderkind dubbed as “a force of nature” by fans, hails from Teme-Augama-Anishnaabe (People of the Deep Water) in Temagami, northern Ontario.

In the past 10 years, Laronde has partnered with a series of aboriginal luminaries to bring indigenous culture to the forefront of Canadian culture. For Tono, she partnered with Montreal co-choreographer Roger Sinha to weave a visionary contemporary dance themed around shamanism and the horse culture of Mongolia, China and Canada.

In a brief telephone call to Toronto, Laronde recalled how the idea for Tono germinated back in 2007 when Red Sky was touring a Muslim part of China with Caribou Song, an earlier work.

“I noticed we had shared indigenous themes — grasslands and horses. The idea of the percussive nature of horses was appealing,” Laronde said.

Unlike Europeans who used horses as beasts of burden, she added, the indigenous cultures respected these grand creatures and recognized their assistance in helping shape civilization in a significant way — as partners in war, transportation and the hunt.

“They are known for their big hearts. They’re very generous and patient with humankind. The fact they’re majestic, graceful, elegant and wild. We love all those qualities and draw inspiration from them.”

Another thread of commonality the three cultures shared was the importance of shamanism as a portal to the world. “It comes with a phenomenal wealth of ancestors’ memories and it comes at a time when the world needs hope.”

Throughout the 50-minute dance, five musician/singers and six dancers conjure an audacious world of mystery and magic built around extreme athleticism and acrobatic lifts, spins and splits.

Adding a touch of the exotic will be Mongolian long song singers Batmend Bassankhuu, Tuvshiniargal Damdinjav and Morin Khurr along with throat singer Bat-Orshikh Bazarvaani.

As Laronde describes it, long song is the traditional Mongolian style of singing an entire song in a breath. On the other hand, throat singing is Inuit traditional song often performed by women that emulates and is inspired by nature. “It’s our first time at the Arden, and we can promise you a tremendous show.”

Preview

Tono<br />Red Sky Performance<br />Feb. 2 and 3 at 8 p.m.<br />Arden Theatre<br />Tickets: $32.50/adults; $25/students, seniors<br />Call 780-459-1542 or visit www.ticketmaster.ca

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