New Works brings Pop Up Dances Festival to Granville Island and Vancouver Public Library, September 20 to 22
The outdoor site-specific series offers dance in unconventional spaces like public stairwells and storefronts
Kelly McInnes.
New Works presents Pop Up Dances Festival at Vancouver Public Library and Granville Island, September 20 to 22
NEW WORKS IS BRINGING back its Pop Up Dances Festival this year for a three-day outdoor event across Granville Island and at Vancouver Public Library’s downtown location. The popular series features dance in all sorts of atypical locations like stairwells, tunnels, shopfronts, and more.
Day One, on September 20, stars Kelly McInnes and Carla Alcántara on the eighth floor of the Vancouver Public Library. That’s followed by a panel discussion with the two artists as well as Erika Mitsuhashi and New Works’ program director Amber Funk Barton.
Performances take place across Granville Island on September 21 at 3:30 pm, 4:45 pm, and 6 pm and on September 22 at 11:30 am, 12:45 pm, and 2 pm. The shows feature six artists at six different venues in a roving performance: host Joylyn Secunda at Ocean Artworks; Cristina Bucci at the future Arts and Innovation Hub breezeway; Nyla Bedard on the steps at Ron Basford Park; Nasiv Kaur Sall at Railspur Park; Alyssa Favero at IE Creative; and Punit at Chain & Forge’s FLEET Studio.
Secunda will guide viewers throughout Granville Island to each of the sites; the entire route takes about 60 minutes and covers one kilometre. Audiences can also attend single shows or come and go as they please. The Granville Island production is accessible for wheelchairs and strollers, and there is very limited seating at each venue. ![]()
Carla Alcántara.
Gail Johnson is cofounder of Stir. She is a Vancouver-based journalist who has earned local and national nominations and awards for her work. She is a certified Gladue Report writer via Indigenous Perspectives Society in partnership with Royal Roads University and is a member of a judging panel for top Vancouver restaurants.
Related Articles
In this PuSh Fest, Music on Main, and Dance Centre premiere, humming songs, whispered words, and hypnotic movement bring a sense of serenity and connection to a chaotic world
With staging that evokes a Chicago jazz bar, the Dance Centre and PuSh Festival co-presentation draws on matrilineal fashion and line dancing
Program features Pite’s Frontier, a deep dive into the unknown, and Kylián’s 27’52”, an exploration of theoretical elements
In a riveting PuSh Festival and New Works copresentation, Belgium’s Cherish Menzo plays with repetition, chopped-and-screwed music, and flashing dental grillz
In DanceHouse and The Cultch co-presentation, the Hungarian company is full of flowing bodies and rippling fabric
In the deeply moving production, dancers embody the ancient tale of death and longing by tapping into their own experiences of tragedy
Productions that “push” forms include dance works that play with props and stereotypes, as well as ethereal odes to nature and the northern lights
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
Choreographer’s latest creation is a dazzling blend of dance, lighting, and sound that draws on her Black matrilineal heritage
Big bands play West African music with guests Dawn Pemberton, Khari McClelland, and others
Electrifying performance reclaims hyper-sexualized “video vixen” of hip hop’s golden era
Festival brings live performances, conversations, and community workshops to the Scotiabank Dance Centre and Morrow
Chimerik 似不像 and New Works XR partner to continue the online festival with new artistic producer Caroline Chien-MacCaull
Provocatively reimagined endings to opera and Shakespeare were among the random scenes that stuck with us from the year onstage
Having steered the company toward full houses and extensive touring, French-born dance artist will leave after 40th-anniversary season
Set to a score by Mendelssohn, whimsical show puts a Northern Canadian twist on Shakespeare’s timeless comedy
The Leading Ladies bring to life Duke Ellington’s swingy twist on Tchaikovsky score at December 14 screening
Amid tulle tutus and fleecey lambs, director Chan Hon Goh reflects on the history of the “feel-good production”
Hungarian dance-circus company invites audiences to witness a visceral, mesmerizing spectacle set in the aftermath of a destroyed world
Pond hockey, RCMP battles, and polar bears bring this unique rendition home—with classic Russian touches, of course
Company’s annual holiday twist on The Nutcracker features a flavoursome assortment of styles, from classical ballet to hip hop to ’60s swing
