René Highway

René Highway (November 6, 1954 – October 19, 1990) was an Indigenous Canadian dancer and actor of Cree descent from Brochet, Manitoba. He was the brother of playwright Tomson Highway, with whom he frequently collaborated during their time at Native Earth Performing Arts in Toronto, and the partner of actor and singer Micah Barnes.

Highway studied dance at the Toronto Dance Theatre, at the in Denmark, and at the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto. Highway helped to create the role of Nanabush in his brother's play The Rez Sisters (1986), and was the choreographer for Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing (1989).

He died of AIDS-related causes in Toronto in 1990. His partner was singer Micah Barnes.

Native Earth Performing Arts started the René Highway Foundation in his memory.

Further reading

Scudeler, J. ' Fed by Spirits: Mamâhtâwisiwin in René Highway's New Song... New Dance' in Native American and Indigenous Studies, Vol. 3, No. 1 (2016), pp. 1–23, available at: https://www.academia.edu/32593127/Fed_by_Spirits_Mama_hta_wisiwin_in_Rene_Highways_New_Song_New_Dance.

References

External links

1954 births

1990 deaths

First Nations male actors

Canadian male stage actors

First Nations dancers

Canadian gay actors

AIDS-related deaths in Canada

People from Northern Region, Manitoba

Cree people

Male actors from Saskatchewan

Gay dancers

LGBT First Nations people

20th-century Canadian male actors

Male actors from Manitoba

20th-century Canadian dancers

20th-century Canadian LGBT people