Calgary
Fluid Fest is Calgary’s largest festival of dance, movement and art. It celebrates contemporary creation until Nov. 8. www.springboardperformance.com
Alberta Ballet unveils an all-new Nutcracker, reinvented by Artistic Director Francesco Ventriglia, with fresh choreography, new sets and costumes (Calgary, Dec. 3-7; Edmonton, Dec. 12-24). www.albertaballet.com
Curated by Artistic Director Blake Brooker, the High Performance Rodeo is a three-week-long festival that has made Calgary a destination of arts and culture for four decades (Jan. 12-Feb. 1). www.oyr.org
Edmonton
Dedicated to experimentation, collaborative and new creative process, the Brian Webb Dance Company engages the audience in authentic dancing experiences. The new season features Action at a Distance, the influential contemporary choreographer and dancer Peggy Baker, Molly McDermott, and Beth Graham & Brian Webb. www.bwdc.ca
Northern Light Theatre (NLT) celebrates its 50th anniversary. A comedy directed by Trevor Schmidt and a performance played by 17 actors from the past 50 years of NLT history, ranging in age from their 20s to their 80s, are not to be missed. Take advantage of the Pay What You Can Preview nights. www.northernlighttheatre.com
The programming of Mile Zero Dance (MZD) is worth looking at. Anishinaabe playwright, producer and storyteller Josh Languedoc curates Connections//Collisions, ambitious and unpredictable Mile Zero Dance Cabaret series of shows that welcome both experimental and emerging artis. The Zero Lab initiative features local artists who present their new work in process. Don’t miss Spatial Pull, a free performance that will take place at the City Hall. MZD will also feature Ian Mozdzen and Alida Kendell, Molly McDermott, Grand Poney and Justine Chambers. www.milezerodance.com
Vancouver
Ballet BC opens its season with Trilogy, featuring the world premiere of Florence-based choreographer Sofia Nappi’s first creation for Canadian audiences. A revival of Sway, by Ballet BC’s Artistic Director Medhi Walerski, and the return of Bolero X by Shahar Binyamini with its 50 dancers complete the program (Nov. 6-8). www.balletbc.com
The Transform Festival returns for its sixth year, empowering Indigenous artists and encouraging collaboration with non-Indigenous artists in a variety of performance styles including theatre, music, drag, circus, comedy (Vancouver Playhouse, Nov. 6-15). www.transformfestival.ca
The Mush Hole is a heart-opening dance theatre performance about Canada’s first Indian residential school, The Mohawk Institute. This show by Santee Smith won five Dora Mavor Moore Awards (Nov. 14-16). www.thecultch.com
In Burnout Paradise, the four Australian performers of Pony Cam mount treadmills, cook pasta, brush their teeth, quote Shakespeare and take the stage in the most unconventional way (Nov. 20-Dec. 7). www.thecultch.com
A West Van crew. An East Van gang. East Van Panto: West Van Story is a wild holiday romance in the middle of a dance battle and a housing crisis. Music by the great Veda Hille (Nov. 19-Jan. 4). www.thecultch.com
Royal Winnipeg Ballet is back with its iconic production of Nutcracker. Set to the famous Tchaikovsky score, the classic story follows the adventures of Clara, her Nutcracker Prince, the Sugar Plum Fairy as they discover the wonder of a distinctly Canadian holiday—hockey rink and all (Dec. 12-14). www.balletbc.com
Infinity features two of the world’s leading choreographic voices. Crystal Pite’s Frontier is back after its unforgettable 2024 Ballet BC debut. Czech choreographer Jiří Kylián makes a triumphant return with the visionary 27’52”, a piece about existence, love, and death (Feb. 26-28). www.balletbc.com
In Red Like Fruit, Governor General’s Award-winning playwright and Finalist of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize Hannah Moscovitch crafts a fascinating, provocative work about power and memory in the post-#MeToo era (Feb. 18–22). www.thecultch.com
Since 1974, Théâtre la Seizième has been creating, producing, and presenting theatre. Its programming aims at francophones and francophiles of all ages, notably through their public and youth season. If your French is not perfect, the plays are subtitled. This year, a company of neurodivergent professional interpreters Joe Jack and John (Montreal) visit and address a myriad of ethical principles. The season will also see two women exploring the traumas associated with childhood memories, questioning with humour the paralyzing anxiety of our times. A pair of former teachers who scrutinize academic success, prejudices we hold regarding language, and the sacred writing system complete the season. www.seizieme.ca
Winnipeg
Inspired by the well-known fairy tale, The Sleeping Beauty blends Tchaikovsky’s famous score with the choreography of Marius Petipa, adapted by the new artistic director of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet of Canada, Christopher Stowell. Shorter performances are available during a community morning (March 12-15). www.rwb.org
The Four Seasons & Other Works is a triple bill that features the return of James Kudelka’s masterpiece The Four Seasons and the Winnipeg debut of Indigenous choreographer Cameron sinkʷə Fraser-Monroe’s šɛgatəm (pronounced shAY-ga-tum), a piece that highlights the resilience and the strength of the Tla’amin Nation. The highly anticipated world premiere of the new work by contemporary choreographer Dwight Rhoden will complete the program (April 30- May 3). www.rwb.org
With its 100 years of history, the Théâtre Cercle Molière offers plays in French with English subtitles. www.cerclemoliere.com
