Dance is Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo’s first and most powerful language.
“I dance when words are not enough,” the powerhouse performer and choreographer explains. “It is my vocabulary. I have learned many different styles of dance – from ballet to powwow to contemporary to hip-hop and more.”
She has “an insatiable curiosity to learn and express more through dance”. But like a writer learning and then using a new word each day, her process is purposeful, not gratuitous: “The more styles of dance I can embody, the more vocabulary I have to express what I want to communicate. Some dances express what I want to say more in a particular moment than others.”
In her more than 30 years of experience, Diabo has developed a unique artistic lexicon that blends powwow, Haudenosaunee, and contemporary dance styles. Originally from Kahnawake, and now based in Montreal, she is the artistic director of A’nó:wara Dance Theatre, and her work is deeply rooted in cultural storytelling, community, and mentorship.
Told through five scenes and video interstitials, her latest solo work, What We Carry, presented by Native Earth Performing Arts on February 6 – 9, 2025, marshalls her full dance vocabulary in an intimate and evocative exploration of identity, motherhood, Indigenous language, and ancestral connection.
The weight and beauty of What We Carry
Commissioned for Matriarchs Uprising 2024, What We Carry comes on the heels of Diabo creating several group pieces, and is powered by excitement to re-visit solo work. She had a lot to reflect on: the pandemic, her Mohawk language lessons, and her personal and cultural journey. And as she created the piece, “The title just jumped out at me. What We Carry . . . could mean so many things . . . as an individual, as a community, as a human, as an Indigenous person. Sometimes we feel all we carry are burdens: difficult things that have shaped our lives.But we also carry so many beautiful moments. All these things make us who we are, as individuals and collectively.”
Diabo’s process of creation is organic: “I usually rely on my instincts – and strong visuals that come to me – to help guide me in which direction to go with a work. The logic comes after.” The emerging work is like a quietly insistent presence: “It often feels like a story that needs to be told at this time – that it is stronger than me. Throughout the creation process, it reveals itself to me.” What We Carry revealed a work that “is both personal and universal”, and “keeping a balance between these two things helped me decide which stories and experiences to include. I include experiences that are very significant to me in life, but also integrate how it is important beyond me – in my community and culture.”
Diabo’s choreographic signature is a fusion of the various dance styles that reflect her diverse training and artistic curiosity. Because “people receive different dances in different ways”, offering a variety of ‘dance languages’ is more inclusive. Each movement style holds its own unique, ineffable power: “Some styles are deeply rooted in cultural teachings, while others allow for freer, more abstract interpretations,” she explains. “By incorporating multiple styles, I can reach more people, making sure my work remains accessible and resonant.”
The key is a fluidity in which no single movement is confined to one tradition. “I don’t see dance styles as separate,” she notes. “They all exist in the same space for me, influencing each other, and creating something new.”
Community, storytelling, and strength
For Diabo, dance is more than personal expression: it is a means of connection and community-building. “How can sharing experiences in an artistic way connect us, prompt important conversations, and help raise us up?” she asks.
To help answer these questions, her artistic journey has been deeply entwined with her role as a mentor – a responsibility she embraces with gratitude. “An elder once told me, ‘Don’t let your knowledge die with you,’” she recalls. “I get excited throughout my artistic journey, and want to share that excitement.” After all, she reasons, “If dance has been ‘good medicine’ for me, perhaps I can help others discover that, too.” But Diabo hopes to inspire others on their own creative journey, without imposing her ways on them. “If they ask me questions, I will answer what my experience is – but acknowledge that everyone has their own path. When you help inspire someone’s own creative energy, they become stronger and happier.”
Through A’nó:wara Dance Theatre and collaborations with various organizations, Diabo creates spaces where Indigenous artists can thrive. “As a community, we can create something more beautiful and powerful than if I am just working alone,” she reflects. Initially, as an independent artist, she found the experience isolating because she felt limited to seeing things only through her own eyes. “Fear of being hurt sometimes keeps us alone,” she reflects. As she herself experienced, “taking the risk of opening up and letting good people in can actually bring you to a place that is so much stronger. . . .Working in my company and with other organizations has made me realize how much stronger we are together.”
It’s also instilled a deep respect for “where I get my inspirations and from whom. It’s important to be transparent and respectful about what you share and don’t share. Being honest with myself and others keeps us . . . humble.” She feels profound gratitude “to those who helped bring me here. And I hope those people feel good about the resulting work.” The abiding lesson? “Remember to be grateful and kind”.
Good medicine
Reflecting on the emotional depth and diverse styles of What We Carry, Diablo confesses it is “hard to choose just one” favourite element or scene. Each performance is a fresh act of discovery: “It depends on what night you ask me. New things touch me every time.” Compounding this dynamic, “each audience member who talks to me after responds to a different part more strongly, depending on their life experiences.”
And this is her medicative intent – for as Diabo shares her journey on stage, she is inviting audiences to reflect on their own. “Indigenous art is such an important part of life – it is ‘good medicine,’” she says. “Everyone can benefit from it in different ways.”
Audiences can experience What We Carry at Aki Studio in Toronto from February 6-9, 2025. The piece is part of Native Earth’s Niimi’iwe Dance Series, which will next present Black Ballerina by Syreeta Hector in May. For tickets, visit nativeearth.ca.
© Arpita Ghosal, Sesaya Arts Magazine, 2025
