Engaging with Dance this Summer

Toronto is soaking up the sunshine this summer! The warm weather invites a variety of dance festivals, performances and events for the public to enjoy. Here are a few to check out in the next months:

Dance Ontario DanceWeekend’22

July 16 - 17, 11:00 – 6:00 pm EDT

Fleck Dance Theatre, Harbourfront Centre

Dance Ontario presents DanceWeekend’22: a 2-day celebration of live performances, films, panels, & workshops! Featuring 300+ talented artists and a diversity of dance forms. Experience an event that reflects the diversity and beauty of dance. Join in-person at the Fleck Theatre, Harbourfront or online from anywhere in the world!

Toronto Fringe Festival

July 6 – 17

Each July, the Toronto Fringe Festival welcomes approximately 140 companies from around Canada and the world to our 30+ theatre venues in downtown Toronto. Over the course of 12 days, over 1,200 artists participate in performances across the city that include comedy, drama, musicals, improvisation, storytelling, children’s theatre, dance and much more. Visit their website for more information.

Hamilton Fringe Festival

July 20 – 31

Hamilton Fringe Festival is an action-packed performance festival that takes place every July across Hamilton. With more theatre, dance, and music than ever before, this year will feature more than 350 performances on 14 stages by 60+ artistic companies from the local, national, and international community. Visit their website for more information.

Dusk Dances 2022

Aug 7 – 14

Withrow Park

Dusk Dances is an outdoor dance festival that brings dance to public parks. As dusk descends, a theatrical host leads the audience to an array of unique dance pieces that unfold in different areas of the park. Choreographers are invited to create ten-minute pieces inspired by the park’s natural environment. Audiences are invited on a pay-what-you-can basis to an innovative site-specific festival, which is not only an artistic event but a social and cultural one as well. Check out this year’s performances here!

YENSA Festival: A Celebration of Black Women in Dance

Aug 13 – 28

Daniels Spectrum

YENSA Festival, produced by Lua Shayenne Dance Company, is an international biennial festival that celebrates the work of women in dance, from African and Afro-diasporic culture. YENSA Festival invites audiences to engage and celebrate with us the incredible evolution of Black dance, have conversations about the diversity of African Diasporic aesthetics, its histories and politics from a female perspective.