Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo Receives The 2025 Clifford E. Lee Choreography Award

Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity has announced that Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo, the Montreal-based award-winning dancer, choreographer, and artistic director, is the recipient of the 2025 Clifford E. Lee Choreography Award.

Established in 1978 by the Clifford E. Lee Foundation, the biennial award was created to encourage the development of Canadian choreographers or companies exploring new voices, ideas, and approaches to dance.

As the 2025 recipient, Diabo will receive a cash prize of $14,000 CAD to commission a new work, along with two fully supported residencies at Banff Centre: one for creative research and development (taking place in December 2025), and another dedicated to production and performance (taking place at a date to be determined in 2026). Both residencies include accommodation, meals, and technical support, and the final residency will conclude with a public performance at a Banff Centre venue.

“I'm very excited to work with Banff Centre to create my new work, I Dream in Wampum, an Indigenous futurism piece that will combine three of my passions: dance, science fiction, and my Kanien'keha:ka culture,” says Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo. “It will allow us to imagine our powerful place in the stars, the place of our origins, which will also reflect on the strength of our people here.”

Originally from Kahnawake, Barabara Kaneratonni Diabo is Kanienkeha:ka of mixed heritage. Classically trained in ballet, Diabo moved to Montreal at 18 to study at Concordia University. She has spent many years creating dances that highlight her Indigenous culture. Her work often combines powwow, Haudenosaunee, and contemporary dance styles, creating a unique artistic fusion that appeals to a wide range of audiences. She is the Artistic Director and Choreographer of A'nó:wara Dance Theatre, an Indigenous-run dance company that has presented award-winning works such as Sky Dancers, My Urban Nature, Smudge, and What We Carry. In 2021, Diabo was the first Indigenous dancer to win the Prix de la Danse de Montréal for most notable dancer of the year.

“Barbara's new work feels so unique and truly inspiring, with ideas leading us into the future of dance,” says Amiel Gladstone, Director, Theatre Arts at Banff Centre. “I was constantly surprised and delighted by the ideas and images. It promises to be a stunning joyous piece, and we are so looking forward to hosting her second big production.”

The most recent recipient of the Clifford E. Lee Award was Daina Ashbee (2022). Past recipients include Crazy Smooth (2020), Andrea Peña, Allen Kaeja, Andrew Giday, Bengt Jörgen, Benjamin Hatcher, Christopher House, Constantine Patsalis, Crystal Pite, D.A. Hoskins, David Earle, Donald Sales, Edward Hillyer, Gabrielle Lamb, Gaetan Gingras, Gioconda Barbuto, Heather Myer, Howard Richard, Jennifer Mascall, Joe Laughlin, Judith Marcuse, Lola MacLaughlin, Mark Godden, Martine Epoque, Mauryne Allan, Michael Downing, Peter Quanz, Randy Glynn, Renald Rabu, Robert Glumbek, Robert Stephen, Sabrina Matthews, Shaun Hounsell, Simone Orlando, Stephanie Ballard, and Wen Wei Wang.