Welcome to a week (or two) chockful of dance!

Wednesday, October 25 (Preview performance) to Saturday, October 28 DanceHouse continues the season (did you experience season opener Compañía Rocío Molina  – wow!) with the World Premiere of Kidd Pivot‘s Assembly Hall, created by Crystal Pite and Jonathon Young. “Pite is an image-maker of rare distinction.” – The Australian. In Assembly Hall, a group of medieval re-enactors have come together for an Annual General Meeting in their local community hall. As the Board of Directors, they oversee an event called “Quest Fest” that has fallen on hard times: membership is dwindling, debt is mounting, and the hall is falling apart. Unless something drastic happens, the Directors of this venerable order will be facing dissolution. As the meeting progresses, the line between real and re-enactment begins to blur, ancient forces are awoken, and it soon becomes clear that there is something much more at stake here than a mock medieval tournament. Many of you are familiar with Kidd Pivot’s previous works, including the past DanceHouse presentation of Betroffenheit in 2016, and Revisor in 2022, and Assembly Hall was created with the same artistic team as these past two works – sure to be popular, so get your tickets now! At the Vancouver Playhouse, 8 pm

On Saturday, October 7, Our Voices, Ourselves Youth Hip Hop Dance is a place for youth to explore creative improvised dance workshops with Kevin Shazam Li and Lance Lim! This event is organized by The Pigeon Den Collective whose mission is to invite collaboration between different artists to create works that invite social, and cultural change, and that support community-based art in all forms. Part of Culture Days. At the RayCam Co-operative Centre. For more info and to register

Friday, October 13th to Sunday, October 15th, Inverso Productions presents their new work, Borrowed Time, choreographed by Lesley Telford in collaboration with the artists. In this piece, a 50-year range of ages joins in an exploration of strength and vulnerability through different phases of their lives. This intergenerational project is a special one for Inverso, bringing together professional and community dancers from 26-76 years old – check out the cast here! How do our relationships across generations allow us to give in, grow and rebuild? How do the constellations of our families shift as the weight of care teeters over time? The artists have shared some magical moments in the studio and look forward to sharing their creative experience together in these upcoming performances. The group of collaborators includes the artists: Daria Mikhaylyuk, Marisa Gold, Justin Calvadores, Kerstin Luettich and Barbara Karmazyn. This piece is dedicated to Lesley’s mother, who inspired her advocacy and artistic path. Friday/Saturday 8 pm, and Sunday 2 pm, 298 Alexander St. Tix

On Friday, October 13, Dance West Network invites you to join Re-Centering/Margins Creative Residency artists (2022/23) Sidney Chuckas, Mohammed Rashead and Ana Sosa in a showing of their works created during the 8 month residency – check out a teaser here. At KW Studios, 8 pm. (free, but limited number remaining – reserve here)

October 15, as part of the LIVE BIENNALE 2023, Joshua Ongcol presents his work The Energy Never Dies (The E.N.D.), an interdisciplinary collaboration of dance and music, aimed at exploring the concept of “cypher” within dance communities. This term refers to the openness and generosity that exists within the circular dance formation that energizes the communal flow state. This conduction of energy is characterized by the exchange of creativity and movement between individuals both inside and outside the circle. The Energy Never Dies meditates on patterns, cycles and rhythms formed between dancers, community and onlookers to further investigate energy and movement as a state of being that tethers and connects us to one another both socially and culturally. At the Russian Hall, 7 pm. By donation

Dancers, teachers of dance, movers – check this out: Beginning on October 15 2023 through April 2024, New Works In Practice, presented by New Works with The Dance Centre, is a workshop series for continued education, peer-to-peer exchange, and knowledge sharing for dance teachers and leaders. This season, the series will include six workshops. In Practice is a space for dancing humans to gather around topics of teaching, leadership, and facilitation. The work we’re diving into is applicable across so many fields of teaching and facilitation and many participants have joined in who don’t identify as dance teachers. Each workshop is led by different artists/professionals in their fields, who guide the conversations and questions. Each workshop will complement the others but are completely different. You are welcome to join for the full series of conversations/workshops or a selection. Some of the facilitators include Lara Barclay, Tara Cheyenne Freidenberg + Matt Clarke and Ralph Escamillan. For more information

Also from New Works, in partnership with the Roundhouse Community Centre, Dancing Through the Decades is a day of free, community dance workshops in celebration of their 30th Anniversary Season! 
Everyone is invited to join in for a free dance workshop featuring V’ni Dansi, Co. Erasga’s Alvin Tolentino (supported by Rainbow Refugees) and OURO Collective’s Cristina Bucci (supported by Dance West Networks). Limited capacity. Reserve your spot today!