Photo of Jossua Satinée in LABOUR. Photo by Bobby León.
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Photo of Jossua Satinée in LABOUR. Photo by Bobby León.
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Review: LABOUR (DanceWorks and Parts + Labour)
It feels impossible to articulate the full weight of women’s work: the labour of the body, of care, of reproduction, of appearance, of emotional management, of keeping things and people going, often all at once. It is physical and psychological, visible and invisible, deeply personal and structurally expected. LABOUR finds a physical language to show some of that weight.
Photos of Ping-Hsiang Wang in Retina Maneuver. Photo by Hang Su.
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SummerWorks 2026 Reviews (Part 2): Retina Maneuver (k*hole Karaoke / Ping-Hsiang Wang) and No(body) (Syreeta Hector)
Ironically, the only performance I saw at SummerWorks that was not programmed as a dance work may have been the most meticulously choreographed one. This is part two of my SummerWorks coverage, featuring two works presented at Daniels Spectrum's Aki Studio: Ping-Hsiang Wang / k*hole Karaoke's Retina Maneuver and Syreeta Hector's No(body). If you missed part one, featuring Marcus Merasty's Golden Rez Dog and Tandava (தாண்டவம்) by Nova Bhattacharya and Suvendrini Lena, you can find it here.
Photo of Marcus Merasty in Golden Rez Dog. Photo by Pablo Riquelme.
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SummerWorks 2026 Reviews (Part 1): Golden Rez Dog (Marcus Merasty) and Tandava (Nova Bhattacharya & Suvendrini Lena)
For more than three decades, SummerWorks has been a home for contemporary performance in Toronto, showcasing work by local and international artists. This year's festival features 27 live performances, all embracing the theme Fight | Flight, an invitation for artists to respond to a world shaped by uncertainty, conflict, resilience, and transformation. And boy, did this year's artists take that seriously.
Review: Armonía (Esmeralda Enrique Spanish Dance Company)
The Esmeralda Enrique Spanish Dance Company returns to the Meridian Arts Centre with Armonía, a flamenco production featuring the Toronto-based company alongside Spanish guest dancer and choreographer Jose Manuel Álvarez and singer Manuel Soto. The title, translating to “harmony,” reflects what the company does best: bringing together passionate dancers, singers, and live musicians to celebrate the beauty of flamenco.
Photo by Bruce Zinger.
![Noah Parets and Beckanne Sisk in Pinocchio. Photo by Bruce Zinger. Courtesy of The National Ballet of Canada.]( "Noah Parets and Beckanne Sisk in Pinocchio. Photo by Bruce Zinger. Courtesy of The National Ballet of Canada.")
Review: Pinocchio (The National Ballet of Canada)
The National Ballet of Canada’s Pinocchio is full of magical stagecraft: dancers fly through the air, projections bring a storybook world to life, and a puppet boy tumbles through a series of magical adventures. Few children’s stories have travelled as widely as Pinocchio, shifting over time from Carlo Collodi’s dark cautionary tale to the softer, more sentimental world popularized by Disney. This ballet, choreographed by Will Tuckett, lands somewhere between those two traditions, resulting in an inventive production, though it does occasionally stumble in its storytelling and artistic choices.
Photo by Ted Belton.
![Aidan Tully and Ben Rudisin in Flight Pattern. Courtesy of The National Ballet of Canada.]( "Aidan Tully and Ben Rudisin in Flight Pattern. Courtesy of The National Ballet of Canada.")
Review: Flight Pattern / Suite en Blanc (The National Ballet of Canada)
Playing with light and darkness, the National Ballet of Canada’s newest double bill showcases the expressive power of large ensembles. Serge Lifar’s Suite en Blanc presents light as clarity and discipline, with pure dance at the forefront, while Crystal Pite’s Flight Pattern frames darkness as a collective condition defined by loss and endurance, exploring the physical and emotional toll of the refugee crisis.
An Update from Deanne at The Dance Debrief on Coverage for 2026
Dear fellow dance enthusiasts,
I’m happy to share that I welcomed a new little one to the family this year and I am on maternity leave throughout 2026. I took a short break from writing and I am now returning, though with fewer reviews, as I focus on time with my little one this year.
Thank you to the community for all your support. I’ve received many kind emails during this time, and I truly appreciate all the well wishes!
Much love,
Deanne
I’m happy to share that I welcomed a new little one to the family this year and I am on maternity leave throughout 2026. I took a short break from writing and I am now returning, though with fewer reviews, as I focus on time with my little one this year.
Thank you to the community for all your support. I’ve received many kind emails during this time, and I truly appreciate all the well wishes!
Much love,
Deanne
Photo by Karolina Kuras.
![Isabella Kinch with Artists of the Ballet in The Winter's Tale. Photo by Karolina Kuras. Courtesy of The National Ballet of Canada.]( "Isabella Kinch with Artists of the Ballet in The Winter's Tale. Photo by Karolina Kuras. Courtesy of The National Ballet of Canada.")
Review: The Winter’s Tale (The National Ballet of Canada)
Christopher Wheeldon’s The Winter’s Tale returns to the National Ballet of Canada in a brilliant revival that showcases the company at its best and stands out as my favourite Wheeldon production to date. Adapted from Shakespeare’s play of the same name, this ballet compresses the original five acts into three, clearly establishing the tone and narrative framework of an emotionally heavy and tangled story. From the moment the curtain lifts, the production reveals a fully realized world that draws audiences in without hesitation.
Photo by Karolina Kuras.
![Connor Hamilton in Procession. Photo by Karolina Kuras. Courtesy of The National Ballet of Canada.]( "Connor Hamilton in Procession. Photo by Karolina Kuras. Courtesy of The National Ballet of Canada.")
Review: Procession (The National Ballet of Canada)
The National Ballet of Canada goes Gaga—not Lady Gaga, but the Israeli-born movement language created by Ohad Naharin. In Procession, choreographic duo Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber bring this improvisation-based approach to the company for the first time, exploring themes of procession as a universal human ritual. Performed in a black-and-white visual world with live onstage cello and soprano accompaniment, this world premiere work pushes the company into new territory.
Photo by Jeremy Mimnagh.
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Review: Fall 2025 Season (ProArteDanza)
ProArteDanza has long been one of my favourite contemporary dance companies in Toronto, but it has been a few years since I have had the chance to see them perform. Walking into the theatre after that long break felt like meeting up with an old friend, some new faces but the same unmistakable energy. With ProArteDanza, you know you are going to get a physical and technically strong show and the Fall 2025 Season showcase did not disappoint. This fall program features three new pieces by choreographers Kevin O'Day, Dominique Dumais and Artistic Director Roberto Campanella.
Photo by Kaustubh Atre.
![Photo of Chaturang ki Chaupal, choreographed by Nad-Roop.]( "Photo of Chaturang ki Chaupal, choreographed by Nad-Roop.")
Fall For Dance North - KATHAK & BALLET: Signature Programme 3
Unfortunately, due to illness, I’ll be missing the closing program of this year’s Fall for Dance North festival. Still, I wanted to share a quick preview of the final show in the series and a few thoughts on the festival overall. KATHAK & BALLET: Signature Programme 3, co-curated with Toronto-based Kathak dancer and choreographer Tanveer Alam, closes out the season following Afrofusion: Signature Programme 1 and Homegrown: Signature Programme 2. This final program continues the festival’s throughline of collaboration and exchange, but this time uniquely brings two classical traditions into conversation.
Photo by Bruce Zinger.
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Review: The Magic Flute (Opera Atelier)
It’s no surprise that Mozart’s The Magic Flute has been one of Opera Atelier’s most popular productions over the years. Now celebrating forty seasons, a remarkable milestone, the company returns with this joyful fan favourite. Staged at the stunning Elgin Theatre, the production opens the season under the direction of Marshall Pynkoski, with choreography by Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg, and is sung in Andrew Porter’s acclaimed English translation. A lively blend of comedy, romance, and fantasy, it’s a story filled with dragons, a half-bird man, and magical instruments that lead the way to love.
Photo by Dahlia Katz.
![Photo of Lua Shayenne Dance Company in Journey to the Motherland.]( "Photo of Lua Shayenne Dance Company in Journey to the Motherland.")
Review: Fall For Dance North - HOMEGROWN: Signature Programme 2
The Fall for Dance North festival continues with Homegrown: Signature Programme 2. While the first series highlighted international connections and Afro-diasporic movements, Homegrown, also curated by Esie Mensah, turns the focus to Canada’s own choreographers and artists. This was the series I was most excited for, as I love seeing our Canadian-grown artists on stage and truly believe we have some of the most talented artists in the world (biased, I know). It did not disappoint. If anything, the theme I would give it, beyond ‘homegrown,’ is a beautiful showcase of musicality and charisma.
Photo by Julien Martinez Leclerc.
![Photo of Dickson Mbi in Duende.]( "Photo of Dickson Mbi in Duende.")
Review: Fall For Dance North - AFROFUSION: Signature Programme 1
This year, Fall for Dance North arrives with a fresh sense of direction, presenting three mixed signature programmes at the Bluma Appel Theatre. Now in its 11th season, this year’s festival brings together thirty Canadian and international artists under the leadership of Co-CEOs and Festival Director Lily Sutherland and Artistic Director Robert Binet. Running from October 15th to 26th, this series is one of my favourites in the city, bringing dance in all different forms to Toronto stages for affordable prices.
Photo by Jae Yang.
![Photo of Annabelle Gillis and Tessa Kramer in BUTCH/FEMME.]( "Photo of Annabelle Gillis and Tessa Kramer in BUTCH/FEMME.")
Review: BUTCH/FEMME (Theatre Passe Muraille)
Set in a small Ontario town in the 1950s, BUTCH/FEMME follows two women as they reunite after a broken relationship, their charged conversations revealing the risks of queer love in the past, many of which still resonate today. Fresh from winning the President’s Award for Outstanding Production at the Hart House Drama Festival, this play opens Theatre Passe Muraille’s 2025/2026 season, written and directed by Emily Paterson and produced by The Green Couch Theatre Company.
Review: Common Ground Dance Festival 2025 (Toes for Dance)
The Common Ground Dance Festival, presented by Toes for Dance, is a free, outdoor, multidisciplinary program now in its fifth season, presented at Toronto’s North York Lee Lifeson Art Park. Bringing diverse professional artists together with community audiences, this festival creates a casual, public setting that is a fun and accessible addition to Toronto’s arts scene. This was my first time in attendance and I was able to catch the Friday night Mainstage Mixed Program, hosted in both English and Farsi.
REVIEW: A new Emma Donoghue musical premieres at Blyth (Intermission Magazine)
The Wind Coming Over the Sea brings a 19th-century immigration story to life through heartfelt text, spirited jigs, and traditional ballads. Written by celebrated author Emma Donoghue, the world premiere folk musical draws on real letters from the 1840s. Its epistolary narrative centres married couple Henry and Jane Johnson as they navigate separation and survival during the Irish famine. Gil Garratt has directed a touching production — one that captures a true story of hardship, humour, and the...
Photo by Francesca Chudnoff.
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Review: Sweet Ephemera (DanceWorks, Choreography by Calder White and Tavia Christina)
With a queer double bill timed to the end of Pride Month in Toronto, DanceWorks presents Sweet Ephemera, featuring two works by emerging choreographers, Calder White and Tavia Christina. While queer artists deserve support year-round, there’s still something especially meaningful about a queer double bill landing at the tail end of Pride Month. These two works aren’t feel-good dances or mainstream crowd-pleasers. Both pieces embrace experimental forms to explore intimacy, absence, connection, and desire, leaning into the complexity and discomfort of queer life in ways that feel far removed from the city’s usual rainbow spectacle.
Photo by Karolina Kuras.
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Review: Anna Karenina (The National Ballet of Canada)
Many have heard of Anna Karenina as one of literature’s great tragedies. It is the story of a woman torn between passion and social scrutiny, whose life ends in suicide. The National Ballet of Canada’s Anna Karenina closed the season with what I believe to be its strongest offering of the year. Christian Spuck’s interpretation of Tolstoy’s epic brings a modern clarity to a complex story, told with cinematic flair and some of the most compelling character-driven movement I’ve seen this year.
Photo by Jeremy Mimnagh.
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Big Moves from the Citadel: Expanding into Ada Slaight Hall
Some exciting news from one of Toronto’s favourite dance hubs: Citadel + Compagnie is expanding into a second venue for its 2025/2026 season. While its cozy home base at The Citadel: Ross Centre for Dance isn’t going anywhere, the company will now also present select performances at the larger Ada Slaight Hall inside Daniels Spectrum.
Photo by Karolina Kuras.
![Guillaume Côté and Greta Hodgkinson in Grand Mirage.]( "Guillaume Côté and Greta Hodgkinson in Grand Mirage.")
Review: Adieu (The National Ballet of Canada)
Adieu, the National Ballet of Canada’s latest program, is more than a performance—it’s a farewell to one of the country’s defining dance artists. After 26 years, Guillaume Côté takes his final bow as a principal dancer and one of the company’s first-ever Choreographic Associates. This run closes a chapter marked by passion, virtuosity, and a deep commitment to Canadian dance.
Photo by Sasha Onyshchenko.
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Burn Baby, Burn Returns and Tours: An Interview with Dancer Willem Sadler on Sweat, Style, and Urgency in Guillaume Côté’s Climate-Themed Work
Burn Baby, Burn is on the move—returning to Toronto for a remount at the Bluma Appel Theatre from June 6th to 8th, before heading to Montreal and Germany. Choreographed by Guillaume Côté and developed with the dancers of Côté Danse, this hour-long piece explores climate change and the collective urgency it provokes. International touring remains rare for Canadian dance, so this return and tour feel both welcome and noteworthy.
Forging Ahead: A New Era for the Esmeralda Enrique Spanish Dance Company
The Esmeralda Enrique Spanish Dance Company is stepping into a new chapter. This month marks their return to the stage with a fresh program of flamenco film and live performance — their first since leaving behind their long-standing home of the Fleck Dance Theatre. Now settling into the more intimate Meridian Arts Centre Studio Theatre, the company continues to push flamenco forward with the same dedication and artistry that has defined them for decades. I had the pleasure of chatting with Artistic Director Esmeralda Enrique about this new homecoming and what audiences can expect from their upcoming show.
REVIEW: Waitress blends retro charm with contemporary flair at Hamilton’s Theatre Aquarius (Intermission Magazine)
Unfaithful characters are usually hard to root for, but composer-lyricist Sara Bareilles’ 2016 musical Waitress complicates that assumption with humour and a whole lot of heart. Co-produced by Hamilton’s Theatre Aquarius and London’s Grand Theatre, this Canadian production of the Broadway show leans into the material’s messy moral dilemmas, and is unafraid to get a little steamy.At the story’s heart is Jenna (Julia McLellan), a waitress and expert pie maker working in a small-town diner in the A...
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