And the goodies just keep coming – what a feast of dance!

November 7-27 (Video-on-Demand (VOD) streaming) Digidance brings the Paris Opera Ballet‘s Play, choreographed by Alexander Ekman, to the comfort of your home! Alexander Ekman turns the historic Palais Garnier into a vast playground where every object is a plaything. Playing makes us happy, and Ekman believes we should always keep that childlike urge to jump into action, and let our imaginations run free. Play combines dance, theatre, music and song into a high-energy spectacle that explores play through the various stages of life. The 36 dancers are encouraged to improvise, to really play with the sets and objects onstage.

“I love to create worlds that we have never seen before.” — Alexander Ekman

The work was created for the Paris Opera Ballet, one of the oldest and most prestigious ballet companies in the world. Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman is known for creating spectacular visual compositions, such as the 40,000 green balls filling the orchestra pit in Play. The dancers dive into the pit, transform into forest creatures, and frolic with balls, ropes and large white boxes. Festive and mischievous, the work draws viewers into a whirlwind of invention while asking profound questions about the world. What happens to our games when we grow up? How do we rediscover that desire to play? Check out a trailer of this remarkable work! Link available for 21 days, Video-on-Demand (VOD) streaming in Canada only. Tix This Digidance livestream is an initiative of DanceHouse (Vancouver), Danse Danse (Montreal), Harbourfront Centre (Toronto), and the National Arts Centre (Ottawa).

And while we are talking about DanceHouse presentations, November 23 to 26, Louise Lecavalier/Fou glorieux (Montreal) will be coming to town with the work Stations, co-presented with SFU Woodward’s Cultural Programs. Driven by a vital impulse to dance that constantly calls her back to the stage, Louise Lecavalier—one of Canada’s most celebrated contemporary dance artists—continues her exploration of dance with Stations. This fiery solo propels her lifelong dance trajectory forward; traversing the ebb and flow of movement and examining the memories that live in the body. After the dazzling duets So Blue and Battleground, she pursues this dizzying solo odyssey in search of her own truth. Connecting four stations with her technical virtuosity, her stage presence, and her magnetic personality, she moves between precise delicacy and wild abandon, accompanied by scores from Antoine Berthiaume, Colin Stetson, Suuns and Jerusalem in My Heart, and Teho Teardo and Blixa Bargeld. Through the stories embedded in her flesh, each movement, whether grand or subtle, reflects an attempt to articulate human experience that lies beyond words. “She is offering up dance in its purest form. This is how people danced ten thousand years ago, around campfires and in caves – energetic, trance-like, incantatory and wild.” —RP Online. Check out a teaser of the work and then go on over to buy your tix!

You can still watch online two beautiful works by Amber Barton, MEDITATION and IN-MEDITATION on The Cultch’s RE/PLAY Page. MEDITATION – a reflection on what was, what is and what is to come, created by Amber Barton is an autobiographical dance piece about an artist saying goodbye to a career that has defined their last twenty years. Created and performed by award-winning dance artist Amber Barton, this solo performance and accompanying documentary offer a rare glimpse into an artist’s journey of moving forward to the next significant chapter in their life.  For more info on the work, and tix are available here (Pay what you can $0 – $20).

October 28, 29 November 4, and 5, you still have time to catch EDAM‘s Fall Choreographic Series with an evening of three works. IN:TO:IT, choreographed by Nayana Fielkov, is a contemplation on instinct and intuition in the modern landscape. How do we access our innate knowing and traverse the interruptions that arise? From Worms and other invertebrates to fine dining and formalities.   “We do nothing, and nothing is left undone.” -Ram Dass. Midori, created by Lisa Mariko Gelley in collaboration with Sophia Mai Wolfe and Shana Ai Wolfe is new research about the ways in which we meet, connect, and love, from distant places. Midori is a relative of Furusato, a duet between Lisa and her grandmother, Lily Tamoto. This collection of research is rooted in a practice of instinct, how our bodies are exquisite containers of knowledge, and what might not be fully understood, can still be accessed and embodied. Midori creates a space for the complexities and depth of familial and sibling love, sweet memories, and impossible distances. In this place, we offer, we connect, we receive, we play, and are held, in rhythmic ritual.And finally, EDAM’s Artistic Director Peter Bingham brings to the stage a directed dance improvisation,  which gives space for the strange, peripheral, vulnerable, and playful to unfold. Building on the ensemble’s research into associative vocal interjections and supported by EDAM’s creative grounds in Contact Improvisation, seven dancers navigate spatial and sensorial parameters. Above all, the work underscores the intrinsic care, trust, and commitment between the eight adept performers At the EDAM studio, 8 pm and a 2 pm matinee on November 5. Tix

On November 1, as part of the Heart of the City Festival, Matriarchs Uprising invites you to gather with the DTES Grandmothers Collective for a gentle sharing circle and artist-talk around the theme of hope and how we gather our stories and share our passions. Join Sharon Jinkerson-Brass, Dalannah Gail Bowen, Rosemary Georgeson and Savannah Walling with host Olivia C Davies of @odela_arts to share experience of creative collaboration and neo-Indigenous ways of (re)creating ceremony. Witnesses are invited to sit in this virtual circle with the artists as they speak to each other with open hearts and open minds. The conversation will be followed by a Q&A with guests. The event is free of cost though registration is necessary. To register and receive a zoom link, contact lalia.hotcf@gmail.com

Next weekend, Friday and Saturday November 4 and 5, don’t miss Shion Skye Carter in Residuals (住み・墨). This work draws visual, sonic, and physical influences from Japanese calligraphy. Dynamic brushstrokes inform Carter’s movement as she dances among sheets of translucent paper, evoking an abstracted memory of her Japanese grandparents’ rural home. Reliving these memories sparks a journey of self-discovery, where the layers of her identity begin to unfurl. The performance also includes the premiere of a short solo, choreographed by Ziyian Kwan, commissioned and performed by emerging dance artist Juolin Lee. At the Scotiabank Dance Centre, 8 pm. Tix

Saturday and Sunday, November 5 and 6, check out Ne. Sans Opera & Dance in their new work, Hourglass, as part of the 2022 Chutzpah! Festival.  Hourglass is a dance performance and concert creation set to the complete Piano Études of the celebrated Jewish composer Philip Glass, one of the most innovative and influential composers of the late 20th century, and choreographed by Israeli director Idan Cohen. This series of miniature études comprises 20 spectacular gems hidden within Glass’ body of work, performed live by award-winning pianist Leslie Dala. Philip Glass’ ability to reflect an abstraction of time, to tell a story without narrative, while showcasing a minimalistic, crystallized approach to rhythm, is enticingly relevant. Hourglass explores the passage of time with an ensemble of dancers of ages ranging from their 20s to late 60s, with a variety of body types and backgrounds. They represent a wealth of knowledge that needs to be seen, both as a response to current times, and as a compelling elucidation of Glass’ intent. At the Norman Rothstein Theatre, 8 pm. Tix

Also part of the Chutzpah! Festival, November 9 and 10, Alexis Fletcher & Arash Khakpour present their work همه هستی من آیه تاریکیست | All my being is a dark verse (working title). The two artists undertake a project that marries the artistic disciplines of literature, visual art, and dance by reaching across dance styles, languages, and cultures in the practice of duet. The work, which is part of Chutzpah!’s programming series exploring the work of Jewish and non-Jewish artists of Persian background, is in collaboration with Canadian-Iranian visual artist Nargess Jalali Delia and inspired by the poetry of Farsi poet Forugh Farrokhzad. The piece will be paired with a program of storytelling curated by The Flame, featuring Panthea Vatandoost, an Iranian actor-director-creator for film and theatre. At the Norman Rothstein Theatre, 8 pm. Tix On November 10 a Live Stream is available On Demand.

November 10 to 24 (online) Navia Natarajan presents the world premiere of Virodhabhasa – The Paradox, commissioned and presented by Mandala Arts and Culture in partnership with The Dance Centre. This new solo, choreographed and performed by the renowned Indian Bharatanatyam artist Navia Natarajan, is inspired by paradoxes, and the idea that to better appreciate this world, we need to look more deeply at opposites and contradictions. A whirling vortex of energy and grace, Natarajan has a luminous presence on stage. She stays true to the rigours of classical technique, but injects her work with a questioning spirit, steeped in contemporary innovation. “A personal tragedy that held within it both sadness and peace led me to consider more deeply this idea of paradox. As I lived through those difficult days, my thinking about paradox began to transform and find expression in my dance. This work is my ongoing attempt to investigate the profound nature of paradox.” – Navia Natarajan. Streaming on demand, Tix

And finally, check out these amazing offerings from New Works for dancers and dance educators. Share Dance: In Practice is a new professional development series around the creative practice of teaching dance. New Works kicks off the program with a series of 4 workshops centred around building your dance teacher toolbox. How can we create more welcoming, warm, creative, and safe spaces for every body to move and play? Each workshop will be led by artist and professionals in their field who have taken this work into their own practice. Join in as we learn, question, and grow together. 

The New Works Cohort Program is a 5-month long program offering both mentorship and coaching around the business of creating dance. Up to 10 participants will have the opportunity to create individual learning strategies with the support of the New Works team and network, alongside access to monthly workshops and peer learning sessions. To learn more and apply Deadline for Applications: November 20, 11:59pm