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Inspiration includes:
Artists
acCessibilIty
Is the venue wheelchair accessible?
Yes, the venue is wheelchair accessible including ramps into the building, elevators and wheelchair accessible washrooms.
Will the event be ASL Interpreted?
All live events will offer ASL interpretation (upon request). Please contact us to request ASL Interpretation.
Will the event be described for Blind and low vision audiences?
This performance does not include audio description.
How can we creatively grow audiences for dance and live performance audiences that include the Blind and Low Vision community?
Dancemakers Guest Curators Arts Assembly hosted an introductory workshop for dancers and embodied performance artists to familiarize themselves with the foundations of audio descriptions for dance & movement practices.
Participants practised their new found skills as a whisper guide for performances in the Summerworks Festival in August 2025.
Inspiration for this includes:
Artists
Arts Assembly
Arts Assembly is a not-for-profit, community-centric arts organization that emphasizes artistic collaboration.
Amy Amantea
Amy Amantea (she/her) is a white settler on the stolen lands of the Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-waututh first peoples.
Annemarie Cabri
Annemarie Cabri is a Senior Teaching Artist for the National Ballet of Canada and Canadian Opera Company, along with performing and creating opportunities for the growing Silver Swans® community as a licensee through the Royal Academy of Dance.
acCessibilIty
Is the venue wheelchair accessible?
Yes, the venue is wheelchair accessible including ramps into the building, elevators and wheelchair accessible washrooms.
Will the event be ASL Interpreted?
All live events will offer ASL interpretation (upon request). Please contact us to request ASL Interpretation.
Will the event be described for Blind and low vision audiences?
This workshop will teach participants how to described dance for Blind and low vision audience members (but the workshop will not be audio described).
In partnership with
“I can’t understand how it worked….
Maybe there is magic around the word, the term ‘Dancemakers’. I mean serious magic”
– Grant McDaniel
Mairéad Filgate interviewed 10 dancers from the early years of Dancemakers history:
Andraya Ciel Smith
Pat Fraser
Carol Anderson
Marcy Radler
David Langer
Peggy Baker
Mark Hammond
Pat Minor
Anna Blewchamp
Grant McDaniel
In 2024, Dancemakers turned 50 years old.
This was a time of crucial and critical looking back for Dancemakers. As a way to commemorate this anniversary, we worked with Artist Researchers to read “against the grain” of our archive, which is housed at Dance Collection Danse (DCD) located at 2 Carlton St Unit 1303 in Tkaranto.
Each artist researcher was given a one-week (paid) Writing Residency at Dance Collection Danse (or remotely using DCD’s digital archives) with the intention to produce content that will permanently live on Dancemakers’ website.
Artists
Mairéad Filgate
Mairéad Filgate (Montreal/Toronto) is a Dora Mavor Moore Award winning performer (Ensemble – Public Recordings) and choreographer (with Throwdown Collective), and a K.M. Hunter and Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prize nominee.
Carol Anderson
Carol Anderson was a founding member of Dancemakers in 1974 and she performed with the company for 15 years.
acCessibilIty
Is the venue wheelchair accessible?
Yes, the venue is wheelchair accessible including ramps into the building, elevators and wheelchair accessible washrooms.
Will the event be ASL Interpreted?
All live events will offer ASL interpretation (upon request). Please contact us to request ASL Interpretation.
Will the event be described for Blind and low vision audiences?
This performance does not include audio description.
In partnership with
Freedom of Movement revisits Dancemakers’ 1976 tour of prisons across Southwestern Ontario. Featuring narration and reflection by Andraya Ciel Smith, the audio story, interactive animation, and accompanying video artwork document strategies for community-engaged art using expression as a form of resistance. While recognizing possibilities for exchange and care, this work highlights the absurdity of the carceral state and the limitations of working within the confines of oppressive systems.
Video art and audio story by Tamara Jones
Commissioned by Dancemakers
Narration by Andraya Ciel Smith
Diary of a Prison Tour written by Andraya Ceil Smith
Published by Dance In Canada Magazine Issue #8 Spring 1976.
Featuring Remembered Music (1984)
Choreographed by Carol Anderson
Dancers: Susan McKenzie and Conrad Alexanderoweicz
Costumes: Julia Tribe
Original score by Henry Kucharzyk for Walking The Line (1984)
Material courtesy of Dance Collection Danse
In 2024, Dancemakers turned 50 years old.
This was a time of crucial and critical looking back for Dancemakers. As a way to commemorate this anniversary, we worked with Artist Researchers to read “against the grain” of our archive, which is housed at Dance Collection Danse (DCD) located at 2 Carlton St Unit 1303 in Tkaranto.
Each artist researcher was given a one-week (paid) Writing Residency at Dance Collection Danse (or remotely using DCD’s digital archives) with the intention to produce content that will permanently live on Dancemakers’ website.
Inspiration includes:
Artists
Tamara Jones
Tamara Jones’ practice uses experimental video and site-specific performance to explore bureaucratic architecture, urban choreography, and the politics of public space.
Carol Anderson
Carol Anderson was a founding member of Dancemakers in 1974 and she performed with the company for 15 years.
acCessibilIty
Is the venue wheelchair accessible?
Yes, the venue is wheelchair accessible including ramps into the building, elevators and wheelchair accessible washrooms.
Will the event be ASL Interpreted?
All live events will offer ASL interpretation (upon request). Please contact us to request ASL Interpretation.
Will the event be described for Blind and low vision audiences?
This performance does not include audio description.
In partnership with
Arts administrators hold a unique and interesting perspective.
Roxy’s interest for the Archival Project was in the stories of those “behind the scenes”, in particular Arts Administration. She delves deep into the many figures in Dancemakers history who may not have ever received the credit they were due.
Too often, we as a dance community (and society at large) focus on the end result or the performance, only sometimes appreciating the many talents that help bring an idea to the stage. To be fair, this narrative has been changing over the last couple of decades.
Initially, my thoughts were that Arts administrators hold a unique and interesting perspective; there is a vast amount of knowledge about the numerous individuals they work directly with, answer to, and collaborate with, as well as an in-depth understanding of the systems in place for funding opportunities, paperwork, trends, and what else is happening in the dance community.
They tend to have the “inside scoop” on the finances, temperaments, gossip, generated ideas that never made it to fruition, and their own interpretation of a piece and all that entailed for it to get onstage. In many cases, successful art would never have been successful without them.
New questions arise—is this absence of division in Toronto due to a lack of funding or a lack of knowledge in integrating the arts with administration at the time (between 35 and 50 years ago)?
This research has opened my eyes to the immense fortitude of the Dancemakers’ founders and a few key individuals.
While sifting through boxes of Dancemakers files, which one might imagine being tedious, there were definitely moments of humour that showcased personality and intriguing stories.
In 2024, Dancemakers turned 50 years old.
This was a time of crucial and critical looking back for Dancemakers. As a way to commemorate this anniversary, we worked with Artist Researchers to read “against the grain” of our archive, which is housed at Dance Collection Danse (DCD) located at 2 Carlton St Unit 1303 in Tkaranto.
Each artist researcher was given a one-week (paid) Writing Residency at Dance Collection Danse (or remotely using DCD’s digital archives) with the intention to produce content that will permanently live on Dancemakers’ website.
Artists
acCessibilIty
Is the venue wheelchair accessible?
Yes, the venue is wheelchair accessible including ramps into the building, elevators and wheelchair accessible washrooms.
Will the event be ASL Interpreted?
All live events will offer ASL interpretation (upon request). Please contact us to request ASL Interpretation.
Will the event be described for Blind and low vision audiences?
This performance does not include audio description.
In partnership with
Initially, I had a subject that I wanted to explore, but as I delved deeper into the material and reflected on my life changes, my research shifted.
For Dancemakers’ 50th anniversary Archival Project in 2024, Raymundo Moreno wrote a profile about the legacy of Serge Bennathan who was Artistic Director of Dancemakers from 1990-2006.
In 2024, Dancemakers turned 50 years old.
This was a time of crucial and critical looking back for Dancemakers. As a way to commemorate this anniversary, we worked with Artist Researchers to read “against the grain” of our archive, which is housed at Dance Collection Danse (DCD) located at 2 Carlton St Unit 1303 in Tkaranto.
Each artist researcher was given a one-week (paid) Writing Residency at Dance Collection Danse (or remotely using DCD’s digital archives) with the intention to produce content that will permanently live on Dancemakers’ website.
Artists
acCessibilIty
Is the venue wheelchair accessible?
Yes, the venue is wheelchair accessible including ramps into the building, elevators and wheelchair accessible washrooms.
Will the event be ASL Interpreted?
All live events will offer ASL interpretation (upon request). Please contact us to request ASL Interpretation.
Will the event be described for Blind and low vision audiences?
This performance does not include audio description.
In partnership with
“Because our conceptual systems grow out of our bodies, meaning is grounded in and through our bodies.”
Dancemakers supported Lucy Rupert in revisiting one of Dancemakers’ most well-documented works: Serge Bennathan’s “Chronicles of a Simple Life” as part of our 50th Anniversary
In 2024, Dancemakers turned 50 years old.
This was a time of crucial and critical looking back for Dancemakers. As a way to commemorate this anniversary, we worked with Artist Researchers to read “against the grain” of our archive, which is housed at Dance Collection Danse (DCD) located at 2 Carlton St Unit 1303 in Tkaranto.
Each artist researcher was given a one-week (paid) Writing Residency at Dance Collection Danse (or remotely using DCD’s digital archives) with the intention to produce content that will permanently live on Dancemakers’ website.
Artists
acCessibilIty
Is the venue wheelchair accessible?
Yes, the venue is wheelchair accessible including ramps into the building, elevators and wheelchair accessible washrooms.
Will the event be ASL Interpreted?
All live events will offer ASL interpretation (upon request). Please contact us to request ASL Interpretation.
Will the event be described for Blind and low vision audiences?
This performance does not include audio description.
In partnership with
Katie Adams Gossage reflects on her own experiences while reading the ‘Yearbook Survey of Dance’ filled out by Dancemakers in 1976.
Katie Adams Gossage reflects on her own experiences of being an independent dancer while reading the responses from the ‘Yearbook Survey of Dance’ filled out by Dancemakers in 1976
In 2024, Dancemakers turned 50 years old.
This was a time of crucial and critical looking back for Dancemakers. As a way to commemorate this anniversary, we worked with Artist Researchers to read “against the grain” of our archive, which is housed at Dance Collection Danse (DCD) located at 2 Carlton St Unit 1303 in Tkaranto.
Each artist researcher was given a one-week (paid) Writing Residency at Dance Collection Danse (or remotely using DCD’s digital archives) with the intention to produce content that will permanently live on Dancemakers’ website.
Artists
acCessibilIty
Is the venue wheelchair accessible?
Yes, the venue is wheelchair accessible including ramps into the building, elevators and wheelchair accessible washrooms.
Will the event be ASL Interpreted?
All live events will offer ASL interpretation (upon request). Please contact us to request ASL Interpretation.
Will the event be described for Blind and low vision audiences?
This performance does not include audio description.
In partnership with
Four Scythe scoured Dance Collection Danse for ‘undocumented’ costumes from Dancemakers’ past.
This virtual quilt was created with the desire to give undocumented costumes a permanent virtual home. Each patch was crafted using a section of a costume, clicking on a patch, reveals the original costume used in a show.
This quilt is also a tribute to all the people working behind the scenes, celebrating their unseen efforts, dedication and hardwork that bring performances to life.
In 2024, Dancemakers turned 50 years old.
This was a time of crucial and critical looking back for Dancemakers. As a way to commemorate this anniversary, we worked with Artist Researchers to read “against the grain” of our archive, which is housed at Dance Collection Danse (DCD) located at 2 Carlton St Unit 1303 in Tkaranto.
Each artist researcher was given a one-week (paid) Writing Residency at Dance Collection Danse (or remotely using DCD’s digital archives) with the intention to produce content that will permanently live on Dancemakers’ website.
Artists
acCessibilIty
Is the venue wheelchair accessible?
Yes, the venue is wheelchair accessible including ramps into the building, elevators and wheelchair accessible washrooms.
Will the event be ASL Interpreted?
All live events will offer ASL interpretation (upon request). Please contact us to request ASL Interpretation.
Will the event be described for Blind and low vision audiences?
This performance does not include audio description.
In partnership with
Carol Anderson was a founding member of Dancemakers in 1974.
She performed with the modern dance company for 15 years. She acted as the company’s artistic director from 1985-1988 and choreographed notable works such as Windhover (1983) and Polyhymnia Muses (1988).
Anderson started her performing career with Judy Jarvis’s first company; she has also collaborated with Toronto Independent Dance Enterprise, and she continues to choreograph for the Canadian Children’s Dance Theatre.
In 2024, Dancemakers turned 50 years old.
This was a time of crucial and critical looking back for Dancemakers. As a way to commemorate this anniversary, we worked with Artist Researchers to read “against the grain” of our archive, which is housed at Dance Collection Danse (DCD) located at 2 Carlton St Unit 1303 in Tkaranto.
Each artist researcher was given a one-week (paid) Writing Residency at Dance Collection Danse (or remotely using DCD’s digital archives) with the intention to produce content that will permanently live on Dancemakers’ website.
Artists
acCessibilIty
Is the venue wheelchair accessible?
Yes, the venue is wheelchair accessible including ramps into the building, elevators and wheelchair accessible washrooms.
Will the event be ASL Interpreted?
All live events will offer ASL interpretation (upon request). Please contact us to request ASL Interpretation.
Will the event be described for Blind and low vision audiences?
This performance does not include audio description.
In partnership with