From ballet studios in Alberta to Trent University’s Nozhem: First Peoples Performance Space, Sandra Lamouche ’08 (Traill College) has been on a lifelong journey of cultural rediscovery and artistic achievement. As a child, she loved tap and ballet, unaware that her Cree heritage also held rich dance traditions. That changed in high school when she saw an Indigenous dance performance that sparked her passion for storytelling through movement. 

Determined to deepen her understanding, Sandra pursued her Master of Arts in Indigenous Studies and Canadian Studies at Trent University, which is home to Canada’s only publicly funded Indigenous performance space. Nozhem became a place of learning, connection, and growth. Through performances like hoop dancing and Jingle Dress Dance, she found a sense of belonging, forming lifelong friendships with fellow Indigenous artists. 

“Nozhem helped me find that sense of community as an Indigenous artist that I didn’t feel like I had before—it became a home away from home,” says Sandra, a Nehiyaw Iskwew from Bigstone Cree Nation in Alberta. 

Since graduating, Sandra has become an internationally recognized multidisciplinary artist, champion hoop dancer, award-winning children’s book author, and well-respected Indigenous education leader. She continues to perform worldwide and returned to Trent in Fall 2024 for the world premiere of Out of Wounds, a contemporary dance she created and performed at Nozhem. 

SHIFT IN DIRECTION LEADS TO TRENT

Born in High Prairie, Alberta, Sandra was raised in a family connected to Cree traditions through storytelling, hunting, and beadwork. Although she initially pursued Indigenous Studies to become a teacher, learning about Indigenous history reshaped her goals and she chose instead to become an artist to share these lessons with a broader audience. 

At Trent, Sandra was inspired by renowned Indigenous performers and educators. She gained valuable experience working with companies like Dancing Earth and performing alongside celebrated Métis choreographer Yvonne Chartrand. She also cherished learning from distinguished and award-winning Indigenous Trent professors such as David Newhouse, who taught research methods through an Indigenous lens. 

A profound shift in Sandra’s life came with motherhood. Her son’s experience at a Peterborough daycare - where powwow music helped him find a sense of belonging -inspired her award-winning children’s book We Belong to the Drum. 

Now residing in Fort Macleod, Alberta, Sandra continues to consult with arts organizations, speak globally on Indigenous education, and teach a university course on Indigenous Dance Forms. Returning to Trent a decade later to perform in Nozhem felt deeply meaningful. 

“Performing in a space where I learned so much feels like coming home,” she says, holding back tears. “This is one of the only places in the world that feels like that.” 

Read the full story in the winter 2025 edition of TRENT Magazine.  

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