Coming up fast on November 23 to 26, in celebration of the 15th Anniversary season, DanceHouse presents Louise Lecavalier/Fou glorieux (Montreal) 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. “This piece is yet a further attempt to renew the primitive experience called dance,”—Louise Lecavalier. Check out a teaser of the work and then go on over to buy your tix!

Available until November 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 speaking about DanceHouse, have you checked out the artists coming to the DanceHouse stage for the 2023 Anniversary season? It is going to be a fantastic spring with works from Circa (Australia), Gregory Maqoma | Thuthuka Sibisi (South Africa), Bboyizm (Gatineau) and ending the season in May, Dada Masilo (South Africa)! There is still time to subscribe to the full season, so you don’t miss any of these fantastic shows!

On Thursday, November 17 join the 17th annual Louis Riel Day Celebration with V’ni Dansi! Join them for an event filled with dance, culture and fun for the whole family. We are very fortunate this year to have the honour of welcoming Maria Campbell and Winston Wuttunee as our guest artists! Be sure to come down and celebrate the history of the great Métis leader of the Red River Resistance. At the Annex, 7 pm. Tix

Taking place November 17-19 as part of the Dance Centre’s Global Dance Connections Series, check out Throe, an exciting world premiere by aerial dance company Corporeal Imago. Throe, choreographed by Cirque du Soleil alumni Gabrielle Martin and Jeremiah Hughes, explores our interdependence in an inhospitable world through a stunning intersection of aerial acrobatics, contemporary dance, and visual theatre. Throe explores our interdependence in an inhospitable world where our existence is at the mercy of external circumstance. Featuring six powerful performers, three aerial ropes, and a soundscape of cosmic noise, this new work underscores our vulnerability in a universe of chaos, while highlighting the resilience and hope in collectivity. Throe continues to push the boundaries of aerial dance, blurring the space between floor- and air-based movement to create a compellingly kinetic and visually arresting world. Check out the mesmerizing trailer here! At the Scotiabank Dance Centre, 8 pm. Tix

Friday November 18-Saturday November 26, F-O-R-M Festival comes back for the 7th year (!) for the first time in live + digital! Here’s what they have to say about this year’s Festival: “Mirroring many events in our lives, F-O-R-M has been shifting and transforming over the past couple of years. Slowly and steadily, our ongoing adaptations have taught us the beauty of growing pains. As we grow—welcoming new team members, programs, visions, and dreams—we begin to draw together these pieces. A hybrid of what we used to be, and what we want to become. This year, we are excited to bring to you a festival that comes to life in multiple spaces. The festival now exists in both digital and in-person worlds. We invite artists and audiences alike to connect, collaborate, and take pride in their pursuit of an art form that is open to endless interpretations and possibilities. There are many ways to experience the world of movement-on-screen—interact with our programming in theatres, outside, online or on Instagram.” Check out all the wonderful offerings here.

November 21-22, the 2022 Chutzpah! Festival offers a double bill with two fantastic works in one evening! Echo Chamber is the newest work from Action at a Distance, created by Vanessa Goodman in collaboration with performing artist Ileanna Cheladyn, with original sound by Loscil and arresting lighting by James Proudfoot. Ileanna transports her audience to a hauntingly beautiful world thick with visceral physicality and full of soft, tender vulnerability. Ghost Scripts, Pg. 1 is a new project by Internationally renowned choreographer and dancer Shay Kuebler, along with Radical System Art, his ensemble of dancers, exploring the language of dreams. Created in collaboration with James Proudfoot. At the Norman Rothstein Theatre, 8 pm. Tix

Matriarchs Uprising has a Call for films created by Indigenous Women & Non-Binary artists to be presented at @odela_arts 5th annual Matriarchs Uprising Festival from February 13-19, 2023. Matriarchs Uprising brings together Indigenous women who are both nurturing and advancing the art of contemporary dance. This year’s theme is ‘Indigenous Futurism – Stories of Transformation’. They are seeking short films that are completed or in post-production. Films will be hosted online for the duration of the festival. The Artist fee is $750 and the deadline to apply: December 9th 2022 at 11:59PM PST. Click here to apply!

Call for artists: EXQUISITE PRESSURE 2022. What Lab’s Exquisite Pressure is a chance to give artists working in performance a platform to try something new—and have community support in celebrating ideas that aren’t yet fully formed, but still worthy of exploration. ExP is a performance residency culminating in a public showcase. Each artist, company, or collective is given 25 hours of studio time and a paid stipend to create a 15-20 minute work-in-progress piece, to be shared at a public showing. Each round of ExP is hosted by a different local company or collective, and we excited to announce our next program is hosted by the wonderful New(to)Town collective! With Avyen von Waldenburg taking the lead, these folks will provide artistic support and help shape the process with each selected artist, bolstering community and care in a creative process. Applications close November 13th at 11:59pm. Go here for guidelines and application.

For dance artists interested in working with immersive technology and the body, November 13 – December 18, check out the FakeKnot Learning Series: HOLD_xyz. HOLD_xyz takes the form of 5 seminars for a new learning exchange between artists Nancy Lee, Ian Nakamoto, Emmalena Fredriksson and FK Director Ralph Escamillan. The intention of these seminars is to build meaningful discourse on how we should approach dance and technological integration, and gain historic and political insights into our choreographic habits. All seminars will be available to a max of 10 participants, with priorities to queer and racialized professionals interested in working with immersive technology and the body. Please let us know if you can’t make it 48h in advance. Light refreshments and snacks will be provided each session. If you are interested to learn more please contact ralph@fakeknot.com. More info on Eventbrite