В Ванкувере стартовал фестиваль современного танца с постановками о любви, смерти и потере

by Hannah Haaz on September 8th, 2026 at 4:03 PM 1 of 1 2 of 1 Get the best of Vancouver in your inbox, every Tuesday and Thursday.  Sign up for our free newsletter. Sāmrasya: A Kathak Performance: September 10 @ Shadbolt Centre for the Arts Presented by the Indian Classical Music Society of Vancouver, Kathak artist Palak Dhiman brings dance and live Hindustani music together in a performance exploring a single raga through three compositions. Kathak, one of the eight major forms of Indian classical dance, combines intricate movement and narrative storytelling. Dance artist, choreographer, and educator Dhiman is joined onstage by Sunny Matharu on tabla, Akhil Jobanputra on vocals, and Pavittar Singh Namdhari on esraj. Rooted in the traditions of Hindustani classical music and dance, Sāmrasya invites audiences to experience how a raga can take shape through rhythm, gesture and movement. Byte Your Tongue: September 11– 20 @ The Nest  With Byte Your Tongue, Toronto-based dancer Kylie Thompson brings a cathartic and celebratory contemporary performance to Vancouver Fringe Festival. As movement converses with the harmonies of women’s voices, Thompson explores gender through an emotionally charged performance. With audio from Stephen Joffe and projections by Grace Sun, the intimate program follows Thompson’s rhythmic response to the raw exchanges of women’s vocals in the discovery of what exists beyond words. Balanchine’s Apollo & Other Works: September 11–12 @ Vancouver Playhouse Travel back to the world of Greek mythology as Ballet Vancouver brings George Balanchine’s Apollo to the Vancouver Playhouse. The work follows the god as a youth, exploring his encounters with the muses of poetry, mime, and dance. It also helped define the neoclassical ballet style, which principal dancers Heather Ogden of the National Ballet of Canada and Sasha de Sola and Francesco Gabriele Frola of San Francisco Ballet will showcase with a contemporary edge. Alongside  Apollo, the program features Balanchine’s version of the iconic “Black Swan Pas de Deux” from Swan Lake, before moving into the Canadian premiere of Jorma Elo’s Slice to Sharp, a contemporary work created in 2006 for the New York City Ballet’s Diamond Project. Viva la Danza: September 26 @ Vancouver Playhouse Following a sold-out performance last year, Vancouver’s Mexican Dance Ensemble under the artistic direction of Lourdes Ruiz returns to Vancouver Playhouse this September with Viva la Danza, a celebration of folkloric dance and music from Jalisco, the land of tequila and mariachi. Vancouver-based Mariachi Los Dorados and vocalist Natalia Cerecedo will set the tempo as dancers take over the Vancouver Playhouse with the quick, rhythmic footwork of jarabe tapatío, Jalisco’s regional dance tradition. Timed around Mexican Independence Day celebrations, the evening invites audiences into the joyful and romantic storytelling of Mexican traditional dance, where courtship, music, and movement come together to celebrate a vibrant culture. Cedar Woman: October 1–3 @ The Dance Centre Coast Salish artist and educator Tasha Faye Evans brings Cedar Woman to the Dance Centre this October, an intensely personal work rooted in her relationship with her Indigenous ancestry. Central to the performance are a mask carved by artist and activist Ocean Hyland and a large cedar box created by Squamish and Kwakwaka'wakw master carver Xwalacktun. Through movement and her interaction with sacred objects connecting her to powerful matriarchal ancestors, Evans transforms dance into a prayer, calling upon the lineage that has protected and guided her family for generations.  ODE: October 23–24 @ Vancouver Playhouse After two decades of using contemporary dance and movement to deconstruct social norms, Montreal choreographer Catherine Gaudet takes her work to a new scale with ODE, her first production featuring 11 performers. Coming to the Vancouver Playhouse for two evenings in October, the program follows dancers as they move in and out of synchronized formations while embarking on a collective philosophical quest for meaning. Repeating “love” mantras, the dancers attempt to find harmony as their movements gradually collapse into exhaustion and desperation. Expect an evening in which absurdity creates a surreal reflection of a seemingly doomed society. But not everything is lost: underneath the chaos lies the possibility of finding renewed faith in one another. Tzompantli: October 25 @ Annex  Tzompantli brings one of Mexico’s most recognized traditions, Day of the Dead, to the Annex through expressive storytelling and powerful performances. Presented by Nahualli Folklore Society, the program explores the power of memory and the enigmatic connection to those who came before us, allowing space for remembrance to transform into a festive collective tribute. The dancers are joined onstage by the son jarocho music collective Yollotl, Mexican singer Chela Tumbao, and the Latin American choral ensemble Canto Vivo Choir, creating a rich celebration of diverse folkloric traditions. Bodies & Voices: November 5–7  @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre To open its 40th season, Ballet BC presents Bodies & Voices, a double-bill by acclaimed Dutch choreographers Imre and Marne van Opstal. Known for challenging and theatrical choreography that explores human relationships, the van Opstal siblings return to Ballet BC following their 2022 collaboration on the fascinating Heart Drive. Dancers will bring I’m afraid to forget your smile to life, as well as a hotly awaited new work. Through the interplay of six bodies and 16 voices from the Vancouver Chamber Choir, the evening invites spectators into a journey through the vulnerability and complexities of the human experience. The Little Match Girl: November 13–14 @ Vancouver Playhouse Hans Christian Andersen’s tragic tale The Little Match Girl takes on new life through contemporary dance in Belle Spirale Dance Projects’ latest production. The story follows a young girl wandering the streets on New Year’s Eve while trying to keep warm by lighting the matches she has failed to sell. Through American choreographer Kevin O’Day’s movement, the 19th-century tale becomes a timely reflection on poverty and the indifference to others’ suffering. The choreography unfolds in the world of David Lang’s Pulitzer Prize-winning The Little Match Girl Passion, a resounding vocal and musical experience reimagining Andersen’s story. good loser: November 20–21 @ Roundhouse Community Centre Created in collaboration between Vancouver-based dance organizations New Works and Mardon + Mitsuhashi, good loser brings a dancer and a drummer into an improvised dialogue shaped by the universal experience of loss. Choreographer and performer Alexa Solveig Mardon shares the stage with Vancouver-based drummer, writer, and educator Jen Yakamovich in this duet, as movement and rhythm strive to maintain a conversation, searching for ways to stay grounded when life inevitably doesn’t go as planned.