Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo

Choreographer / Dancer

What We Carry

Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo is Kanien’keha:ka (Mohawk), originally from Kahnawake. She spent much of her life growing up in the Annapolis Valley and now lives in Montreal, where she is the artistic director and choreographer for A’nó:wara Dance Theatre. Award-winning choreographer and performer for over 30 years, she creates dance pieces to bring Indigenous themes, stories, and perspectives to light. She takes pride in sharing her culture and performs across Canada and internationally. Her show, Sky Dancers, won Outstanding Touring Production in the Dora Mavor Awards 2022 and her piece My Urban Nature won Choreography of an Outdoor Show in Festival Quartiers Danses in 2019. She was also the winner of the Prix de la danse de Montréal for most notable dancer of 2021. She has been featured on several TV shows, including Revolution (TVA) and Pulse (APTN). Barbara also collaborates with several organizations with whom she helps educate populations, create “safe spaces” and support Indigenous artists around the world. As her Indigenous culture taught her, Barbara performs and creates for generations to come, to honour others, for her ancestors, for a sense of community, for those who cannot dance, to inspire, to communicate, to encourage cultural pride, and to uplift spirits.