The Dance Centre to Present International Dance Day Events in Vancouver

The Dance Centre will present a lineup of events for International Dance Day, with an outdoor Vogue workshop, a boundary‑pushing choreography walk, and studio showings of exciting new works in development.

These public events are complemented by The Dance Centre's Power of Dance workshops in partner schools across Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, and Coquitlam, engaging elementary and secondary students - as well as immigrant and refugee youth - in the transformative experience of dance.

Initiated in 1982 by UNESCO, International Dance Day is marked annually on April 29 with events across Canada and around the world. The date commemorates the birthday of Jean-Georges Noverre (1727-1810), regarded as the founder of modern ballet.

Choreography Walk | Justine A. Chambers and Alla Gerecke with Lee Su-Feh, Simran Sachar and Jill Jarin

The Choreography Walk invites the public to engage with the social choreographies of the everyday in a specially created guided walk through the neighbourhood. Participants will encounter unexpected choreographic happenings along the way. They will be prompted to consider their own bodies and how they move in relationship with other bodies and structures around them. This unique project decentralizes the choreographer and places emphasis on the gaze and somatic experience of the participant.

Concept by Justine A. Chambers; created in collaboration with Alana Gerecke, with choreography by Lee Su Feh, Simran Sachar and Jill Jarin.

12 noon-1pm
Starting at The Dance Centre, 677 Davie St
Tickets: $30 | Very limited capacity | thedancecentre.ca

Justine A. Chambers is an Associate Artist with The Dance Centre

Vogue Femme Workshop with Posh Gvasalia Basquiat | Vancouver Ballroom Arts

Vancouver Ballroom Arts (formerly Van Vogue Jam) founder Ralph Escamillan, AKA Vancouver Legend and Founding Kiki Mother Posh Gvasalia/Canadian Mother Posh Basquiat, leads an introduction to elements of Vogue Femme. Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing, pants that cover the knees, and sneakers or heeled boots. All welcome.

1-1.30pm
800 Robson Plaza (Vancouver Art Gallery south plaza)
Free

Ralph Escamillan is an Associate Artist with The Dance Centre

Studio Showing | Reverence for the Rebels | soma anima arts

Reverence for the Rebels is an interdisciplinary dance research project choreographed by soma anima Artistic Director Rachel Helten, in collaboration with dance artists Alyssa Amarshi, Kelly McIness, and Carla Alcántara; musicians and composers Ben Helten and Kofi Obiri-Yeboah; digital artist Ezequiel Peralta; and poet Tawahum Bige. It honours ancestral and contemporary rebels, souls who have resisted oppression, spoken truth to power, and inspired transformation. Through contemporary dance, spoken word, music, and digital projection, the work challenges conformity while revering the legacies of those who reckon with injustice. In this informal studio showing, the artists will share and discuss work in progress.

3-4pm
The Dance Centre, 677 Davie St
Free

Supported through The Dance Centre's DanceLab interdisciplinary research program

MO 2026 Showing | Modus Operandi

This showing offers a sneak peek at excerpts from the upcoming year-end performances by the students of Modus Operandi - a unique contemporary dance training program renowned for nurturing some of Vancouver's most exciting emerging artists.

4-5pm
The Dance Centre, 677 Davie St
Tickets: Sliding scale $0/$15/$25 at thedancecentre.ca

Studio Salon Series | Co.ERASGA

Co.ERASGA's Studio Salon Series features works in progress by Kay Huang, Simran Sachar and Helen Walkley.

5-6pm
What Lab, 1814 Pandora St
Free | Limited capacity, register at companyerasgadance.ca

Presented by Co.ERASGA

Exhibit | MY HOUSE: Vancouver Ballroom | FakeKnot

Leading up to the world premiere of FakeKnot's new contemporary-Ballroom work MY HOUSE in June, and curated by Artistic Director Ralph Escamillan, this exhibit features costumes/effects, awards, and video archives, showcasing the last nine years of the Vancouver Ballroom Scene.