Dance with the stars: Toronto’s Fall For Dance North returns with in-person shows, audience pleasers and watch-from-home options

After two pandemic-restricted seasons of mostly virtual programming, Fall For Dance North (FFDN),Toronto’s annual international celebration of dance in all its many forms, is back for its eighth edition at full in-person capacity.

There will be live ticketed performances at indoor venues including Meridian Hall (1 Front St. E.) and the Theatre at The Creative School of Toronto Metropolitan University, (43 Gerrard St. E.; formerly Ryerson Theatre), and pay-what-you-can community-oriented events such as a series of outdoor “Heirloom” performances. These family-friendly shows are primarily designed to introduce the festival to audiences outside the GTA. They began in St. Catharines on the weekend and continue with performances in Orillia, Sep. 22, and Peterborough, Sep. 25. This year’s “Heirloom” production features the whimsical, dance-meets-juggling choreographic duo of Montrealers Zack Martel and Santiago Rivera.

Another popular event is sure to be “The Big Social” at Union Station on Sept. 24 — a chance to learn some new steps and strut your stuff. This is not the only chance for audiences to get involved. Two companies, one local, Holla Jazz, the other, Decidedly Jazz Danceworks from Calgary, share a double bill, “Margarita & Family of Jazz,” titled after the works they’ll be performing at the Theatre at The Creative School, Sep. 30 to Oct. 2. At the end of each show audience members will be invited on stage to find their groove alongside the performers and musicians.

Natasha Powell and Kimberley Cooper, respectively artistic directors of the two troupes, are FFDN artists-in-residence and leaders in a resurgence of interest in the jazz-dance form. Powell’s Holla Jazz has a robust local reputation, Decidedly Jazz Danceworks less so. Ibrahimof is eager to correct that.

“The company doesn’t get enough credit for what they do and don’t tour as much as I feel they should,” he explained. “There is a small group of presenters attending the festival so hopefully this show can give the company a little bit of a push.”

FFDN, modelled on a long-established event in New York, has always considered Meridian Hall its home. That’s where its eclectic and diverse “Signature” series is presented. This year’s show, “Arise,” runs Oct. 6 to 8, and is co-presented with To Live. The four-part show includes the premiere of a festival-commissioned work, “Softly Losing, Softly Gaining,” by local tap-dance artist Dianne Montgomery and “Kau Hea A Hiiaka,” a mesmerizing display of traditional Hawaiian Hula led by Kaleo Trinidad of Honolulu. The second part of the evening features “Zipangu,” a short film by Indigenous Canadian actor, dancer, choreographer, director and educator Michael Greyeyes with live music by a 13-member string orchestra, courtesy of co-presenter, Toronto’s Soundstreams. The grand finale is a restaging of the evening’s title work. Jera Wolfe’s “Arise” is a mammoth work involving 110 students from its original commissioning organization, the National Ballet School.

Indigenous dance gets its own special place in the festival with the Canadian debut of Phoenix, Arizona-based company Indigenous Enterprise, (Theatre at The Creative School; Oct. 7 and 8).

The show, “Indigenous Liberation,” combining dance, music, video and traditional costumes, is choreographed and performed by seven different Indigenous artists and highlights a diverse array of pow wow dances.

Said Ibrahimof: “I saw the show at the Joyce Theatre in New York in November. It’s a truly amazing show. I just loved it.”

Pulling together such a range of performances involves a great deal of co-operation.

“We are a festival of partnerships,” said Ibrahimof. “Everything is co-presented.” Among these partners is Citadel and Company (304 Parliament St.) where, Sep. 29 to Oct. 2, night owls can choose from three different 10 p.m. shows collectively featuring nine brand new works by emerging artists from a diverse range of artistic and cultural backgrounds.

FFDN’s managers recognize that a portion of their pre-pandemic audience is simply not yet ready to return to live performances. Thus FFDN 2022 is a partially hybrid festival that allows those who prefer to hold off from in-person events to still feel involved.

For example, you can be part of the in-person audience at the Betty Oliphant Theatre (404 Jarvis St.) on Sep. 23 or at the Sandra Faire and Ivan Fecan Theatre, York University, on Sep. 24 for “8-Count,” a cinema screening of eight dance shorts. Or you can have the films streamed into your home.

A stand-alone Oct. 3 screening at Meridian Hall features the Toronto premiere of a new documentary about the National Ballet of Canada’s acclaimed production of “Angels’ Atlas,” commissioned by the company from internationally celebrated Canadian choreographer Crystal Pite. The film, directed by Chelsea McMullan, includes the full ballet as well as a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the lead-up to the work’s November 2021 revival.

The current festival also marks the third season of FFDN’s podcast, “Mambo,” in which Ibrahimof and Turn Out Radio’s Nicole Inica Hamilton offer behind-the-scenes dance encounters and conversations with FFDN artists and beyond. Each weekly edition features different guests and remains on the FFDN website for later listening.

Despite rising costs FFDN is maintaining its long-running $15 per ticket pricing. Buying a multi-show package gets you a 15 per cent discount. As an added bonus, FFDN’s official streaming partner, Marquee TV, is offering two-months of free trial access to its huge, high-quality performing arts catalogue to all festival ticket buyers. Ibrahimof also shared with The Star the news that, following this year’s event, FFDN will be licensing five of its previous HD-video productions to be added to the Marquee TV streaming library.

Said Ibrahimof: “It brings Toronto and our festival to a global audience.”

“Fall For Dance North 2022” runs until Oct. 8 at multiple venues. Go to ffdnorth.com for more information.

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