Articles — Stir

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, WHAT'S STIRRING, 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, Nutcracker, Homepage feature

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, Homepage feature

Dance review: In Birdy, Hung Dance makes endless, artful play with feathered headpieces of Chinese opera

Dreamlike Taiwanese show explores freedom and oppression, with Ling Zi becoming everything from spiky weapons to shivering life forces all their own

DANCEJanet SmithNovember 29, 2025DANCEHOUSE, DanceHouse, Taiwan

Stir Q&A: Lai Hung-Chung’s Birdy explores freedom through feathers

Presented by DanceHouse, Taiwan’s Hung Dance draws on the headpieces of Chinese opera to conjure calligraphy, weapons, and birds in flight

DANCE, CULTUREJanet SmithNovember 19, 2025DANCEHOUSE, DanceHouse, Vancouver Civic Theatres

Holiday shows 2025: Stir’s ultimate guide to Vancouver’s merriest performances and events

The local arts and culture scene has bright gifts in store this season, from music by candlelight to wintry ballets

Movement meets multi-laser projections as Eric Cheung premieres Contra at Scotiabank Dance Centre, November 28 and 29

New production comes as a result of the street dancer’s Iris Garland Emerging Choreographer Award win earlier this year

Arts Umbrella's festive Mixed Nuts returns to the Vancouver Playhouse, December 12 to 14

This spin on Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker features a flavoursome assortment of styles, ranging from classical ballet to hip hop

DANCEStir VancouverNovember 14, 2025Partner Content, Arts Umbrella, ARTS UMBRELLA, Mixed Nuts, Holiday 2025

MOSAÏCO unites diverse dance and cultural backgrounds with kaleidoscopic projections

Quebecois choreographer Audrey Gaussiran’s work tours to Alliance Française Vancouver’s V-Unframed and the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts

Stir Q&A: At the Chutzpah! Festival, Australian duo’s Common Place taps into the magic of partnerwork

Dancers Omer Backley-Astrachan and Jana Castillo explore the importance of connection and trust

DANCE, FESTSJanet SmithNovember 10, 2025chutzpah! festival, Chutzpah! Festival, Chutzpah Festival

Dance review: Stunning group work drives Ballet BC’s high-energy TRILOGY

Company looks sharp across opening program of eclectic, full-throttle LILA, mysterious SWAY, and epic BOLERO X

DANCEJanet SmithNovember 9, 2025BALLET BC, Ballet BC, Arts Umbrella, ARTS UMBRELLA, Vancouver Civic Theatres

Created with survivor testimonials, The Mush Hole tells the truth about Canada’s longest-running residential school

Renowned Indigenous choreographer Santee Smith brings her haunting yet hopeful piece to The Cultch and Urban Ink’s TRANSFORM Festival

DANCE, FESTSJanet SmithNovember 7, 2025the Cultch, THE CULTCH, The Cultch, Urban Ink Theatre, Transform Festival, Santee Smith

Goh Ballet's The Nutcracker brings magic and merriment to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, December 18 to 21

Presented by RBC, production features more than 250 performers and a live Tchaikovsky score played by members of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra

DANCEStir VancouverNovember 6, 2025Partner Content, Goh Ballet, Nutcracker, Holiday 2025

Alliance Française Vancouver hosts Audrey Gaussiran’s vibrant MOSAÏCO, November 20

Production explores identity as the dancers’ movements influence a highly reactive digital projection onstage

From contortion to krumping, OUROFEST shines a spotlight on form-pushing street dance

OURO Collective’s second annual festival features mainstage performances at Massey Theatre by the likes of TARANTISM and RubberLegz

DANCE, FESTSJanet SmithNovember 4, 2025Ouro Collective, OUROFEST, Massey Theatre, Homepage feature

Royal Winnipeg Ballet's distinctly Canadian Nutcracker returns to Vancouver, December 12 to 14

Presented by Ballet BC at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, the production puts a fantastical twist on the classic story, all set to Tchaikovsky’s score

DANCEStir VancouverOctober 31, 2025Partner Content, Ballet BC, BALLET BC, Nutcracker, Holiday 2025, Royal Winnipeg Ballet

Movement and emotion fuse with wide-ranging influences in rising dance artist Sofia Nappi’s unique style

Ahead of a premiere at Ballet BC’s TRILOGY, the fast-rising Italian-born choreographer reflects on a creative journey that began locally and led her around the globe

DANCEJanet SmithOctober 30, 2025BALLET BC, Ballet BC