DANCE — Articles

In The Brutal Joy, Justine A. Chambers channels the overwhelming beauty of Black living

With staging that evokes a Chicago jazz bar, the Dance Centre and PuSh Festival co-presentation draws on matrilineal fashion and line dancing

Ballet BC highlights masterful choreographers Crystal Pite and Jiří Kylián with INFINITY, February 26 to 28

Program features Pite’s Frontier, a deep dive into the unknown, and Kylián’s 27’52”, an exploration of theoretical elements

DANCEStir VancouverJanuary 26, 2026Partner Content, Ballet BC, BALLET BC

Dance review: JEZEBEL challenges the stereotype of the booty-poppin’ backup dancer

In a riveting PuSh Festival and New Works copresentation, Belgium’s Cherish Menzo plays with repetition, chopped-and-screwed music, and flashing dental grillz

DANCE, FESTSJanet SmithJanuary 23, 2026New Works, PuSh Festival

Review: Liquid limbs and mesmerizing visual magic at Recirquel’s Paradisum

In DanceHouse and The Cultch co-presentation, the Hungarian company is full of flowing bodies and rippling fabric

DANCE, THEATREJanet SmithJanuary 22, 2026DANCEHOUSE, DanceHouse, The Cultch, THE CULTCH, Vancouver Civic Theatres

At PuSh, Alan Lake Factori(e)’s mythologically driven Orpheus paints a visceral picture of loss

In the deeply moving production, dancers embody the ancient tale of death and longing by tapping into their own experiences of tragedy

Stir Cheat Sheet: 5 shows to startle and spellbind at PuSh International Performing Arts Festival

Productions that “push” forms include dance works that play with props and stereotypes, as well as ethereal odes to nature and the northern lights

Recirquel’s postapocalyptic Paradisum conjures visual worlds out of fabric and light

Producer Natália Fábics says the Hungarian work, co-presented by DanceHouse and The Cultch, is as much a contemporary artwork and philosophical epic as a fusion of circus and dance

DANCEJanet SmithJanuary 14, 2026DANCEHOUSE, DanceHouse, The Cultch, THE CULTCH, circus, Vancouver Civic Theatres, Homepage feature

The Dance Centre and PuSh Festival present Justine A. Chambers in The Brutal Joy, February 5 and 6

Choreographer’s latest creation is a dazzling blend of dance, lighting, and sound that draws on her Black matrilineal heritage

Dozens of musicians and dancers take the stage for Celebrate Africa! at BlueShore at CapU, January 30

Big bands play West African music with guests Dawn Pemberton, Khari McClelland, and others

Cherish Menzo's JEZEBEL lands at PuSh Festival in copresentation with New Works, January 22 and 23

Electrifying performance reclaims hyper-sexualized “video vixen” of hip hop’s golden era

DANCE, FESTSStir VancouverJanuary 9, 2026Partner Content, New Works, Cherish Menzo

Matriarchs Uprising spotlights stunning contemporary dance by Indigenous women, February 16 to 21

Festival brings live performances, conversations, and community workshops to the Scotiabank Dance Centre and Morrow

FESTS, DANCEStir VancouverJanuary 7, 2026Partner Content, Matriarchs Uprising, O.Dela Arts

At interplay_2026, artists blur the lines between digital and physical realms

Chimerik 似不像 and New Works XR partner to continue the online festival with new artistic producer Caroline Chien-MacCaull

FESTS, DANCEJanet SmithJanuary 6, 2026interplay_, chimerik, Chimerik Collective, Chimerik, Sammy Chien

Year in review: Looking back on a few standout moments in Vancouver’s theatre and dance scenes in 2025

Provocatively reimagined endings to opera and Shakespeare were among the random scenes that stuck with us from the year onstage

Ballet BC announces artistic director Medhi Walerski to step down in June 2027

Having steered the company toward full houses and extensive touring, French-born dance artist will leave after 40th-anniversary season

DANCE, NEWSJanet SmithDecember 18, 2025BALLET BC, Ballet BC, Medhi Walerski

New Ballet Jörgen production A Midsummer Night's Dream tours to Massey Theatre, February 7

Set to a score by Mendelssohn, whimsical show puts a Northern Canadian twist on Shakespeare’s timeless comedy

DANCEStir VancouverDecember 16, 2025Partner Content, Massey Theatre, Ballet Jorgen, Ballet Jörgen

The Nutcracker at Wethersfield follows New York City Ballet to a wintry estate, to December 28 at VIFF Centre

The Leading Ladies bring to life Duke Ellington’s swingy twist on Tchaikovsky score at December 14 screening

SCREEN, DANCEJanet SmithDecember 11, 2025VIFF, VIFF Centre, Holiday 2025

Goh Ballet fosters young talent and holiday cheer with 15th edition of The Nutcracker

Amid tulle tutus and fleecey lambs, director Chan Hon Goh reflects on the history of the “feel-good production”

DANCEJanet SmithDecember 11, 2025Holiday 2025, Goh Ballet

DanceHouse and The Cultch present the North American premiere of Recirquel’s Paradisum, January 21 to 24

Hungarian dance-circus company invites audiences to witness a visceral, mesmerizing spectacle set in the aftermath of a destroyed world

DANCEStir VancouverDecember 8, 2025Partner Content, DanceHouse, DANCEHOUSE, the Cultch, THE CULTCH, The Cultch

Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Nutcracker inhabits a snow-dusted Canada, at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, December 12 to 14

Pond hockey, RCMP battles, and polar bears bring this unique rendition home—with classic Russian touches, of course

DANCE, WHAT'S STIRRING, HOLIDAY25Janet SmithDecember 4, 2025Ballet BC, BALLET BC, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Holiday 2025

Arts Umbrella’s dancers rise to the challenge of learning every part in Mixed Nuts

Company’s annual holiday twist on The Nutcracker features a flavoursome assortment of styles, from classical ballet to hip hop to ’60s swing

DANCEJanet SmithDecember 3, 2025Mixed Nuts, Arts Umbrella, ARTS UMBRELLA, Nutcracker, Holiday 2025

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