Toronto’s premier international dance festival, Fall for Dance North (FFDN), is in full swing with a beautiful range of live performances that include local, national and international artists.
From Sept. 26 to Oct. 7, the ninth annual festival will showcase seven mainstage programs along with a diverse collection of choreographic voices. Stellar acts include members of UK’s Ballet Black, the UK’s Candoco, and NYC’s Gibney Company.
General Manager of Fall for Dance North Aviva Fleising says this is their biggest festival post the COVID-19 pandemic where performances will be held in a variety of theatres across the city. She outlines some of the exciting events participants can attend throughout this year’s festival.
“At Daniel Spectrum and the Ada Slaight Hall, we have Kamuyot choreographed by Ohad Naharin performed by Charlotte Ballet, which is just a very energizing performance. And we have 11 shows that have this exciting performance at Daniel Spectrum. And then, we have the eight count series that span at Hot Docs Cinema as well as York University which is a dance on film,” she said in an interview with Now Toronto.
Next week, the dance festival is unveiling two signature programs at Meridian Hall. The first is called HEARTBEATS: Signature Programme 1 on Oct. 4 and 5, which is described as a “thoughtful curation of pieces that revolve around one simple, yet commanding theme, human connection.”
The second is UNBOWED: Signature Programme 2 on Oct. 6 and 7, which is about “a journey of dance that encompasses the spirit of unwavering resistance, tireless love, and promise of evolution through activism and vigor.”
Fleising says the event is inspired by the Fall for Dance Festival in New York City. Fall for Dance North Artistic Director Ilter Ibrahimof had a vision to bring the dance festival to Toronto with an affordable ticket price and a mix of artists of different forms to pique the curiosity of audience members.
“When the season first started in 2015, with its first festival, it really built a lot of excitement in the city. We really felt the energy and enthusiasm from the community, from the artists, from the audience and it’s really just been growing ever since. And it’s been such a home and such a family for all these years and really keeps on building each year,” Fleising said.
Single tickets for Fall for Dance North are $15 each.
