Fall for Dance North Returns Next Month

Fall for Dance North (FFDN), Toronto’s premier international dance festival, will bring its diverse line-up of national and international dancemakers to venues across Toronto, from Sept. 26 to Oct. 7, 2023 – with all tickets (still!) priced at just $15. The 2023 edition of FFDN returns to its roots with two signature programmes showcasing an innovative range of contemporary dance by emerging and established choreographers hailing from across the globe. The 9th annual festival also includes a diverse series of live and digital offerings including a full-length presentation of Ohad Naharin’s inventive KAMUYOT; the inaugural, Indigenous-led dance competition, Tkaronto Open, presented on Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation; FFDN’s second annual dance film series; the sneak preview of a CBC docuseries in partnership with The National Ballet of Canada; and the return of the late night series Night/Shift, in support of Ontario-based dancemakers.
 

“We are thrilled to present this year’s exceptional roster of inimitable local and international dancemakers at the 9th annual Fall for Dance North festival, which includes the choreographic talents of rising stars such as Tony Award-winning Sonya Tayeh and Olivier Award-winning Mthuthuzeli November, among many others,” says Ilter Ibrahimof, FFDN Artistic Director. “This year’s programme represents a cultivated blend of emerging and established creators – many of whom will be making their Toronto debuts – whose authentic voices help expand our worldview towards a more inclusive and equitable future full of love, beauty, and resilience.”
 

FFDN features Toronto premieres from four internationally revered ensembles that push the boundaries of professional dance – from the UK, Cassa Pancho’s Ballet Black, which celebrates dancers of Black and Asian descent, and Candoco, the world’s leading company at the forefront of conversation around dance and disability; the US’s Charlotte Ballet, whose new Artistic Director Alejandro Cerrudo builds upon its mission of an inclusive and collaborative company; and Gibney Company of New York City, who is redefining what a 21st century contemporary dance ensemble looks like. 

FFDN 2023 presents the highly anticipated return of two Signature Programmes, at Meridian Hall from Oct. 4-7. HEARTBEATS: Signature Programme 1, co-presented with TO Live on Oct 4 & 5, will showcase a commissioned solo work with live music from Toronto-based Pulga Muchochoma; the Toronto company debuts from New York City’s Gibney Company, performing Swedish choreographer Johan Inger’s beloved piece Bliss (first created on Italy’s Aterballetto) and London’s Candoco with a new work by British dancemaker Jamaal Burkmar; plus the Toronto premiere of the work Heart Drive by Dutch siblings Imre and Marne van Opstal performed by Ballet BC. 

UNBOWED: Signature Programme 2 on Oct 6 & 7, will feature a work created by Gibney Company associate artist Jesse Obremski, Light-Print, performed by recent graduates of TMU School of Performance; the highly anticipated in-person premiere of My Mother’s Son from brothers Mthuthuzeli and Siphesihle November (first presented virtually at FFDN’s 2021 festival); a second work from Gibney Company, Oh Courage! by Tony Award-winning choreographer Sonya Tayeh performed with live music by The Bengsons from Brooklyn, and the Toronto company debut of London’s Cassa Pancho’s Ballet Black with NINA: By Whatever Means, also created by Mthuthuzeli November, highlighting the music and activism of the late Nina Simone. 

Festival highlights also include the presentation of Ohad Naharin’s KAMUYOT, performed in-the-round by Charlotte Ballet (Sept. 26-30) in two different venues (The Theatre at The Creative School and Holy Blossom Temple); the return of the short dance film series, 8-Count (Sept. 27 & 28) with two live screenings at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema and York University’s Sandra Faire and Ivan Fecan Theatre followed by online streaming; and a sneak preview screening of Swan Song, co-presented with TO Live, a CBC original documentary series that follows the creation of Karen Kain’s Swan Lake for The National Ballet of Canada (Oct. 3) before the series premiere on CBC Gem and CBC TV on Nov. 22, 2023. The Meridian Hall event will feature an artist chat with Kain and select featured dancers, as well as a short live performance of excerpts from Swan Lake, in partnership with The National Ballet of Canada. 

Together with Union Station, the festival will also co-present the inaugural, Indigenous-led Tkaronto Open, a contemporary dance competition at Union Station’s West Wing on Sept. 30, Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Under the leadership of Freddy Gipp, member of the Apache Tribe of Oklahoma and champion powwow dancer, and Thunder Jack, a Knowledge Keeper, singer, dancer and member of the Oneida Nation of the Thames, the dance contest will honour and celebrate Indigenous heritage, community, and identity. Registration for this inaugural competition is open for women-identifying, Indigenous performers in the Jingle Dress category. Dancers will compete for the chance to receive cash prizes, with all proceeds donated to the Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto. Spectators are invited to watch the competition for free.

FFDN’s fan favourite series, Night/Shift, will also return, in partnership with Citadel + Compagnie. Nine Ontario-based dancemakers will present new works live at The Citadel from Oct. 5-7, as well as live streamed for home audiences on both FFDN and The Citadel websites. 

A variety of free in-person and digital ancillary events will be offered throughout the festival, including the return of Open Studio at Union Station’s West Wing; the fourth season of FFDN’s in-house podcast Mambo; excerpt performances of various works in partnership with Canadian Opera Company; dance workshops including Gaga classes for both professional dancers and the general public by a guest teacher from New York, artist talks and more.

For FFDN tickets and information, visit: ffdnorth.com

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