Fall For Dance North Announces In-Theatre Screening Of Signature Program At Meridian Hall

Fall for Dance North (FFDN), in partnership with TO Live, announces a special, in-theatre film screening of FFDN's 2021 Signature Program dance film at Meridian Hall (1 Front St. E) on Oct. 14 at 7pm, in strict compliance with public health protocols and seating capacity limitations. An innovative three-part global dance film, the digital presentation features three stunning performances shot on location in India, Cuba, and London (UK) and directed by award-winning Indo-Canadian filmmaker Vikram Dasgupta. The 70-minute film will be followed by a live, in-person artist talk with Dasgupta.

The first presentation of its kind in FFDN history, the film captures the world premieres of Bloom from Canadian choreographer Aszure Barton performed by Cuba's Malpaso Dance Company, filmed in Havana; and My Mother's Son by South African choreographer Mthuthuzeli November (Ballet Black) performed with his brother and one of The National Ballet of Canada's newest principal dancers, Siphe November, in their first-ever duet, filmed at the Battersea Arts Centre in London, UK; as well as a transcendent performance of Lavita Lavanga by the Nrityagram Dance Ensemble, filmed in Bangalore in the dynamic dance community, Nrityagram Dance Village, where dance is a way of life.

"We are overjoyed to safely come together to celebrate the premiere of this dazzling display of artistry and global connection," says Ilter Ibrahimof, FFDN Artistic Director. "It is thrilling to have the opportunity to not only share this highly anticipated dance film with the world virtually but also in person with our beloved community of supporters and dance enthusiasts. This film is the first project of its kind for FFDN and one that has been years in the making, further complicated by the many obstacles of producing an international dance film in the middle of a global pandemic. I am incredibly proud of this film and am so grateful to have the opportunity to showcase some of the world's brightest dance luminaries to our FFDN audience, both at home and in-theatre, thanks to our many collaborators, including co-presenter TO Live."

Clyde Wagner, CEO and President, and Josephine Ridge, VP Programming for TO Live added, "It is with excitement and quite a bit of emotion, that we will finally be welcoming back audiences to Meridian Hall for the first time since March 2020. It is wonderful that this milestone will be with our long standing friends, Fall For Dance North, when we co-present the three exceptional films that make-up the 2021 Signature Program."

The 2021 Signature Program will premiere at ffdnorth.com on Oct. 13 at 7pm and stream on demand until Oct. 19 for single ticket holders and Nov. 5 for Livestream Pass holders. Tickets to the Meridian Hall screening of the dance film will be $15 at TO Live / Ticketmaster. Audience members who have already purchased a FFDN Livestream Pass or single ticket for the 2021 Signature Program are eligible to purchase an in-theatre ticket for $7.50.

At the same time, FFDN will make its world premiere on Marquee TV, an international streaming subscription service featuring the world's best dance, opera, theatre, and music, including such esteemed companies as New York City Ballet, The Royal Ballet, and Bolshoi Ballet. From Oct. 13-19, Marquee TV subscribers will have the opportunity to purchase the 2021 Signature Program as a special add-on performance to their subscription package. FFDN is proud to be the first Canadian festival to be partnering with Marquee TV and providing high-quality, original content on their service.

In addition to the 2021 Signature Program, the FFDN Livestream Collection includes:

• The Ontario premiere of the full-length work +(dix) from Côté Danse, choreographed by Guillaume Côté and directed by Vikram Dasgupta, live streamed from Harbourfront Centre Theatre on Sept. 23;
• The late-night livestream series Night Shift, featuring five Toronto-based dancers performing over four consecutive evenings at The Citadel: Ross Centre for Dance, directed by Barbara Willis Sweete. Dancers include Olga Barrios (Sept. 29), Kean Buffalo and River Waterhen (Sept. 30), Sashar Zarif (Oct. 1), and BaKari Ifasegun Lindsay (Oct. 2);
• A double bill presentation directed by William Yong, featuring a world premiere dance film from Toronto choreographer Sara Porter and world premiere performance by Danah Rosales with The House of Siriano, live streamed from The Citadel: Ross Centre for Dance on Oct. 7;
• The Canadian premiere of More Forever from U.S. collaborative duo, tap and jazz dancer Caleb Teicher and contemporary pianist and composer Conrad Tao, live streamed from Fleck Dance Theatre on Oct. 20.

Also premiering this week is the world premiere of Together Again, choreographed by FFDN 2021/22 John and Claudine Bailey Artist-in-Residence Natasha Powell and performed by 11 students from Performance Dance at The Creative School, Ryerson University* (*renaming in process) at Yonge-Dundas Square on Sept. 24 at 5pm. Developed as part of a two-week isolated residency at the Orillia Centre for Arts + Culture in early September, the creation of the work is the focus of a short documentary Body and Soul by filmmaker Jeremy Mimnagh, available to watch at ffdnorth.com. Additional pop-up performances will be posted online throughout the festival. Follow FFDN on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter and subscribe to the FFDN newsletter, FOXTROT, for further updates.

FFDN continues to offer a variety of high-quality, free programming, including her body as words by Peggy Baker Dance Projects, a dance film directed by Jeremy Mimnagh and projected nightly at Yonge-Dundas Square until Sept. 30; Jazz in Motion: Portraits of Syncopated Souls, an exhibition curated by FFDN Artists-in-Residence Powell and Kimberley Cooper and on display at Union Station until Oct. 17 (digital edition premieres Oct. 1); and the second season of the FFDN podcast Mambo co-hosted by Ilter Ibrahimof and Nicole Inica Hamilton and streaming at ffdnorth.com. The first set of three episodes are currently available, with the second set of three episodes premiering on Sept. 25.

Single tickets and festival passes are available at ffdnorth.com. Festival passes provide unlimited access to FFDN's full line-up of five livestream and filmed presentation events. Single tickets are $15 per livestream and filmed presentation event.

Developed in strict compliance with current public health recommendations, FFDN's 7th Edition offers audiences performance options for all comfort and accessibility levels, through socially-distanced outdoor live performances as well as livestream and filmed presentations.

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