The 38th Annual Dancing on the Edge Festival (DOTE) brings another dynamic lineup of more than 30 trailblazing performances from established and emerging dancemakers. On stage from June 4 to 13, the works take flight at various Vancouver venues, including the Firehall Arts Centre, SFU Woodward’s, and The Dance Centre.
Spotlighting a wide range of world and Western Canadian premieres from local, national, and international artists, the festival offers four mixed programs featuring interdisciplinary works, improvisational choreography, and contemporary dance over its 10-day run of performances.
“We’re delighted to present another festival of imaginative, multi-layered and virtuosic works exploring countless universal themes such as memory and relationships, knowledge sharing and the impact of environmental change, identity and its erasure, communal restoration and intergenerational trauma and grief, and the power of ancestry and love,” says Donna Spencer, DOTE Artistic Producer. “As populist culture and online entertainment increases, it has become increasingly difficult for contemporary dance artists to develop and share their work. This festival’s survival reflects the tenacity of dance artists to continue creating and stimulating imagination, reflection, and provocation through their work. Dance has a way of telling stories in a manner that reaches into our hearts and bodies and transforms our thinking, connecting kinetically with our own physicality.”
Some featured highlights are
- Microphone Controller, from Lukas Malkowski, a member of the CODA community who reimagines the rock concert for both Deaf and hearing audiences
- The world premiere of Char from Prince George’s Method Dance about the evolving reality of wildfire in Central and Northern BC
- A world premiere of the heart of it from Vancouver’s own beloved Joe Laughlin of Joe Ink about the human heart.
- A world premiere double bill KIN & DOVES from Vancouver’s Belle Spirale Dance Projects, in collaboration with Ballet BC dancer Sid Chuckas
The full 2026 Dancing on the Edge festival lineup includes:
EDGE 1: June 4 at 7pm & June 5 at 9pm @ Firehall Arts Centre
Tahanan/Home by Starr Muranko/Co.ERASGA (Vancouver)
the heart of it by Joe Ink (Vancouver) – Work in Progress
Lighthouse by Company 605 (Vancouver) – Work in Progress
June 5 at 7pm & June 6 at 9pm @ The Dance Centre
Imago by Corpo Imago (Vancouver) – Western Canadian Premiere
EDGE 2: June 5 at 8:30pm & June 7 at 3pm @ SFU Woodward’s
Casseiopia by All Bodies Dance (Vancouver)
Laborious Song by Daina Ashbee (Gabriola Island) – Western Canadian Premiere
Eighty Years by Jennifer Aoki (Vancouver) – Work in Progress
EDGE 3: June 6 at 7pm & June 7 at 7pm @ Firehall Arts Centre
Missing. Gone. Chuppi. by Vidya Kotamraju (Vancouver) – World Premiere
Char by Method Dance (Prince George) – World Premiere
June 8 at 7pm & June 9 at 9pm @ Firehall Arts Centre
Microphone Controller by Lukas Malkowski (Germany/Canada) – Western Canadian Premiere
June 9 at 7pm & June 10 at 7pm @ Firehall Arts Centre
Anne by Compagnie de la Citadelle (Toronto) – Western Canadian Premiere
June 11 at 7pm & June 12 at 9pm @ Firehall Arts Centre
Where You Go by O.Dela Arts x musica intima (Vancouver)
EDGE 4: June 11 at 9pm & June 13 at 9pm @ Firehall Arts Centre
Wound by Modus Operandi (Vancouver)
Soft Animals by Dance//Novella (North Vancouver)
June 12 at 7pm & June 13 at 7pm @ Firehall Arts Centre
KIN & DOVES by Belle Spirale Dance Projects | Sid Chuckas (Vancouver) – World Premiere
The 38th Annual Dancing on the Edge Festival runs June 4-13, 2026 at various stages around the city. For detailed programming information and to purchase tickets visit dancingontheedge.org