JOAT Festival, Teac Damsa, and More Set For Danse Danse 29th Season
The season will kick off in September 2026.
Danse Danse has announced the 10 performances that will make up its 29th season, by top choreographers and incredible international dance companies from Greece, Cuba, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Brazil, along with a strong local presence featuring four productions from Quebec. The JOAT International Street Dance Festival will also be making its return for a 5th edition.
Audiences are invited to immerse themselves in a rich range of choreographic styles through bold and visually striking works. Danse Danse is delighted to welcome an Irish company for the first time, Teaċ Daṁsa, presenting MÁM, a powerful fusion of traditional Irish dance and contemporary movement. Danse Danse also hosts a Greek company for the first time, featuring choreographer Christos Papadopoulos' My Fierce Ignorant Step, inspired by the sonic memories of his childhood in Greece. This marks the company's Canadian debut. Finally, after touring 17 countries and 96 cities, Ballet Jazz Montréal's acclaimed Dance Me returns to Danse Danse for a final series of performances. Marking ten years since his passing, the company pays tribute to Leonard Cohen with this deeply resonant work set to his music.
Danse Danse continues to expand its initiatives to make dance more accessible to the public. The Discovery subscription now includes a matinée option and features four performances. The “30 years or under” offer has also been extended to include audiences up to age 34. The organization further enhances accessibility by welcoming blind and partially sighted audiences through its audiodescription program. Building on their success, the Échos de danse, presented before each Thursday performance at 7:15PM, will return for a second year, offering both new and loyal audiences valuable insights to better appreciate each work.
SEPTEMBER 2026
JOAT Festival international de street dance
September 1 to 7
Place des Arts + Club Soda
For its fifth edition, the JOAT Festival international de street dance will captivate audiences in the Quartier des Spectacles and the Esplanade de la Place des Arts. Lead by Handy Yacinthe, recipient of the Jury Prize of the Grand Prix du Conseil des arts de Montréal 2023 and major player in both the Canadian and international street dance scene, the Festival celebrates street dance culture as a cultural and social factor. Immerse yourselves in the world of street dance, with an unbeatable program for the whole family. Experience the art of dance battle, krump, hip hop, and many other techniques that will give you a new appreciation for Afro-American community dances.
OCTOBER 2026
Teaċ Daṁsa
September 30 to October 3, 8PM and October 4, 3PM
Théâtre Maisonneuve, Place des Arts
Rooted in Irish traditions, mysterious and full of passion, MÁM casts a powerful spell. A wild celebration where feet pound the floor, bodies ignite, and ritual turns into jubilation. The work is deeply grounded in the landscapes of the Dingle Peninsula, home territory of choreographer Michael Keegan-Dolan, where the Irish language and its legends remain vividly alive. Inspired by the image of a mountain pass—a threshold to the unknown and the wondrous —the work blends the raw power of traditional Irish dance with the fluidity of contemporary movement. Through the gaze of a young girl, a vibrant ceremony unfolds, bringing together a dozen performers and the seven members of Berlin-based s t a r g a z e ensemble, alongside virtuoso concertina player Cormac Begley.
Christos Papadopolous
October 28 to 30, 8PM
Théâtre Maisonneuve, Place des Arts
Relentless pulsations, synchronized energies. At once dynamic and meditative, My Fierce Ignorant Step unfolds as an ecstatic soundscape, bursting with the contagious bliss of being alive. Exploring the unison and cohesion of the group, Greek choreographer Christos Papadopoulos captivates audiences with works where bodies move as one, vibrating with intensity. A rising presence on the European scene, he fascinates with the precision of his choral compositions. My Fierce Ignorant Step draws its initial spark from the sonic memories of his childhood in Greece. How do we recapture that youthful sense of invincibility? The dancers pulse with fearless joy, guided by collective memories of a time when everything felt possible.
NOVEMBER 2026
Ballets Jazz Montréal
November 25 to 27, 8PM and November 28, 3PM + 8PM
Théâtre Maisonneuve, Place des Arts
After touring 96 cities across 17 countries, Dance Me – Music by Leonard Cohen returns to Montreal one last time. A unique opportunity to experience—or rediscover—this powerful work that has moved audiences around the world. No one quite like Leonard Cohen, who passed away ten years ago, could shed light on the human soul with such rare lucidity. Sixteen songs—from the iconic Suzanne, So Long, Marianne, Famous Blue Raincoat, Hallelujah, and Dance Me to the End of Love, to more recent titles—weave a seamless journey through his body of work, unfolding in a spellbinding “dance concert”. The result of a creative collaboration between choreographers Andonis Foniadakis, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Ihsan Rustem, and dramaturg Eric Jean, Dance Me is based on an original idea by Louis Robitaille. For its final curtain call, Dance Me sweeps us far, far away. So Long, Dance Me!
DECEMBER 2026
Compagnie Marie Chouinard
December 16 to 19, 8PM
Salle Ludger-Duvernay, Monument-National
Marie Chouinard brings us a selection of solos and duets, followed by her dazzling Henri Michaux : Mouvements. A rare alchemy between ink and gesture. A total artist, vibrant and radically alive, Marie Chouinard brings the intimate into dialogue with the monumental. From S.T.A.B. to Lascia ch'io pianga, via OUCH!, Rires-Pleurs and En conversations*, the choreographer presents a curated selection of emblematic solos and duets from her repertoire. In the second half, the stage becomes a blank page. The book Mouvements (1951) by poet and painter Henri Michaux—comprising a long poem and 64 India ink drawings inspired by Asian art—becomes a score for the creator. Supple bodies, coursing with the relentless music of Louis Dufort, echo the projected drawings.
*Selected pieces subject to change
FEBRUARY 2027
Morin/Leroux - Arts vivants
February 2 to 6, 7PM
Espace Orange, Édifice Wilder
Raw energy, spatial geometries, and electronic pulses. In the intimate setting of Agora de la danse, the Morin/Leroux duo delivers a physical performance in which five dancers search for the tipping point between exhilaration and transcendence. The duo formed by dancer and choreographer Alexandre Morin, and author, dramaturg, and stage director Mathieu Leroux has cultivated a language where movement and dramaturgy are closely intertwined. Rooted in contemporary dance, their practice reaches across disciplines and reflects a strong penchant for experimentation. Euphoric Thresholds, their eighth collaboration—the first under the Morin/Leroux · Arts vivants banner—explores group momentum and the thresholds of euphoria. In co-presentation with Agora de la Danse.
Danza Contemporánea de Cuba
February 23 to 27, 8PM
Théâtre Maisonneuve, Place des Arts
Hailed throughout the world, Danza Contemporánea de Cuba galvanizes audiences with the rhythms of contemporary Cuban dance. In a dazzling two-part choreographic display, the contagious energy of some 20 performers ignites the stage. A grand celebration! Founded in 1959, Danza Contemporánea de Cuba is known for its unique style, a skilful blend of mambo, Afro-Caribbean traditions, classical ballet and contemporary influences. For their Quebec debut, two of the company's choreographers infuse the dancers’ bodies with their signature vision. Annabelle Lopez Ochoa (Reversible) and George Céspedes (Katharsis Morphé) explore notions of identity, creative effervescence, and the social climate of their island.
MARCH 2027
Charles Brecard X 7Starr
March 9 to 13, 8 PM
Cinquième Salle, Place des Arts
With SKLTR*, krump steps out of the streets and bursts onto the stage, merging two singular voices shaped by radically different paths. The result is a striking, cathartic aesthetic collision. Vladimir “7Starr” Laurore, a driving force within the discipline of krump, and Charles “Brøken” Brecard bring together their respective practices—7Skopez and FLUIDIFY—to create SKLTR, grounded in a world inspired by dark fantasy. Five performers, leading figures in krump, unleash a dense, surging energy carried by continuous currents of movement. Set to an original score by Tomas Furey, a hypnotic choreographic texture takes shape—one where fury is forged into a transformative force.
*Pronounced [skul-tur]
Company Wayne McGregor
March 30 to April 3, 8PM
Théâtre Maisonneuve, Place des Arts
Visionary choreographer Wayne McGregor explores the intersections of the body, technology, and artificial intelligence to expand the boundaries of movement. A vertiginous journey that awakens every sense. Deepstaria—a title inspired by an enigmatic species of jellyfish with a stellar-sounding name—is a highly sensory, meditative pure dance and sound experience which reflects on our profound relationship with the void and our own mortality.
APRIL 2027
Gauthier Dance // Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart
April 28 to 30, 8PM and May 1, 3PM + 8PM
Théâtre Maisonneuve, Place des Arts
An explosion of styles, energy, and choreographic signatures: with FireWorks, Gauthier Dance//Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart ignites an exhilarating dance celebration—a spirited collection of works by 12 leading voices in contemporary dance. To mark the 40th anniversary of its German home base, Eric Gauthier has invited a dozen renowned international choreographers to take on a bold challenge: create a work inspired by music that reflects the artistic identity of Theaterhaus Stuttgart, a venue with deep jazz roots. The evening bursts to life with Barak Marshall and culminates in a breathtaking finale: Andonis Foniadakis’ trampoline-powered Bolero +. In between, a dazzling parade of irresistible creations by Hofesh Shechter, Benjamin Millepied, Virginie Brunelle, Johan Inger, Marco Goecke, Stijn Celis, Dominique Dumais, Mauro Bigonzetti, Sofia Nappi and Eric Gauthier himself.
MAY 2027
Balé da Cidade de São Paulo
May 12 to 15, 8PM and May 16, 3PM
Théâtre Maisonneuve, Place des Arts
Electro-Brazilian rhythms, infectious energy, and the sheer pleasure of movement: this double bill by Balé da Cidade de São Paulo celebrates dance that is explosive, visceral, and boldly collective. In this compelling two-work program, Fôlego and BOCA ABISSAL, Rafaela Sahyoun’s finely honed choreographic voice resonates with the vitality of today’s Brazilian dance scene. The 18 performers trace a radiant passage set to an electro score infused with Brazilian accents, where the fearless joy of dancing together bursts forth.
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