Dancing on the Edge Festival (DOTE), Canada’s oldest and longest running contemporary dance festival, kicks up its heals from July 6th to 15th in venues around Vancouver.
Festival Producer, Donna Spencer, is delighted that the festival returns for its 35th anniversary with a host of live performances both indoor and outdoor for eagerly awaiting audiences. This year’s DOTE will once again deliver high calibre, challenging and gorgeous dance delivering innovative and spell-binding works featuring World Premieres, North American and Western Canadian debuts, and works-in-progress from some of the most sought-after contemporary choreographers.
The 35th Annual DOTE Festival will present more than thirty extraordinary dance productions in live stage performances showcasing artists from across Canada. Named Dancing on the Edge because the festival rises from its location on the Edge of the Pacific and contemporary dance has been seen as an edgy artform, it celebrates the waves of motion created by the countless number of creative artists who have been in the festival over its 35 years. Starting as ripples and returning to the shore as waves in full force they have help build and sustain Canada’s oldest professional contemporary dance festival.
The 2023 Festival will include premieres of new choreographies, works-in-progress, and repertory work with guest companies from Quebec, Alberta, Nova Scotia and Ontario, along with some of BC’s finest at the Firehall Arts Centre, SFU Woodward’s, Scotiabank Dance Centre, and off-site performances at various Vancouver locations.
DOTE will bring dance in all shapes and forms to Vancouver audiences. The festival will present works from acclaimed Canadian artists/choreographers from across Canada including a collaboration between Wen Wei Wang and Italy-based choreographer Francesca Lettieri.
This year’s DOTE Festival schedule includes:
July 6
7pm Wen Wei Dance @ Firehall Arts Centre
Full-length work: Barocca Rave
9pm Edge One @ Firehall Arts Centre
Juan Villegas/Vanessa Goodman – Edictum (excerpt)
Kiera Shaw & Sophie Dow – a hidden autobiography
Ashvini Sundaram & Yui Ugai – Home l a n d
July 7
7pm Edge Two @ Firehall Arts Centre
Joe Ink – I remember…(work-in-progress)
Sarah Hin Ching U – Silent Howl
9pm Wen Wei Dance @ Firehall Arts Centre
Full-length work: Barocca Rave
July 8
6pm Isabelle Kirouac @ Scotiabank Dance Centre
Full-length work: Meta/fauna
Presented by The Dance Centre in Association with Dancing on the Edge
7pm Parts+Labour_Danse @ Firehall Arts Centre
Full-length work: A bout de bras
Presented in Association with New Works
9pm Edge One @ Firehall Arts Centre
Juan Villegas/Vanessa Goodman – Edictum (excerpt)
Kiera Shaw & Sophie Dow – a hidden autobiography
Ashvini Sundaram & Yui Ugai – Home l a n d
July 9
7pm Edge Two @ Firehall Arts Centre
Joe Ink – I remember…(work-in-progress)
Sarah Hin Ching U – Silent Howl
9pm Parts+Labour_Danse @ Firehall Arts Centre
Full-length work: A bout de bras
Presented in Association with New Works
July 10
7pm Edge Three @ Firehall Arts Centre
Meredith Kalaman – Beast Prescribed
Fila 13 Productions – Tomato Blues
July 11
4pm – 9pm MascallDance @ various locations- Privilege at Home
7pm Marc Boivin & Sarah Chase @ Scotiabank Dance Centre
Full-length work – The door opened west
Presented in Association with The Dance Centre
9pm Edge Three @ Firehall Arts Centre
Meredith Kalaman – Beast Prescribed
Fila 13 Productions – Tomato Blues
July 12
4pm – 9pm MascallDance @ various locations – Privilege at Home
7pm Marc Boivin & Sarah Chase @ Scotiabank Dance Centre
Full-length work – The door opened west
Presented in Association with The Dance Centre
7pm Emmalena Fredrikkson @ SFU Woodward’s
Full-length work – Ecdysis & Soft Palate
Co-presented with SFU Woodward’s Cultural Programs
9pm Edge Four @ Firehall Arts Centre
Mocean Dance – Utawtiwow Kijnaq – Our Mother’s Road
Method Dance Society – River Work
July 13
4pm, 5pm, 6pm plastic orchid factory @ Left of Main
GHOST (Digital Folk VR Installation)
7pm Emmalena Fredrikkson @ SFU Woodward’s
Full-length work – Ecdysis & Soft Palate
Co-presented with SFU Woodward’s Cultural Programs
9pm Edge Four @ Firehall Arts Centre
Mocean Dance – Utawtiwow Kijnaq – Our Mother’s Road
Method Dance Society – River Work
July 14
4pm, 5pm, 6pm plastic orchid factory @ Left of Main
GHOST (Digital Folk VR Installation)
7pm Edge Five @ Firehall Arts Centre
Alyssa Favero/VOLT24
Good Women Dance Collective – Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response
9pm Edge Six @ Firehall Arts Centre
Joshua Beamish/MOVETHECOMPANY – Lost Touch & Proximity
Company 605 – Lossy
July 15
9:45am Kokoro Dance @ Wreck Beach – Wreck Beach Butoh
(plus Sunday, July 16 at 10:05am)
4pm, 5pm, 6pm plastic orchid factory @ Left of Main
GHOST (Digital Folk VR Installation)
7pm Edge Five @ Firehall Arts Centre
Alyssa Favero/VOLT24
Good Women Dance Collective – Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response 9pm Edge Six @ Firehall Arts Centre
Joshua Beamish/MOVETHECOMPANY – Lost Touch & Proximity
Company 605 – Lossy
Dancing on the Edge Festival moves into Vancouver July 6 – 15, 2023 at various ticketed and free outdoor venues around Vancouver. For festival details visit dancingontheedge.org
Tickets and passes are available through the Firehall Arts Centre Box Office at 604.689.0926 or online at tickets.firehallartscentre.ca