Toronto Dance Theatre Announces Vibrant And Eclectic 2022/23 Season

Toronto Dance Theatre has unveiled a robust season of creative programming under the Artistic Direction of Andrew Tay who was appointed to the position in August 2020.

From a picnic in the park fusing culinary and dance expressions, to a duet of contemporary works that puts Bharatanatyam alongside Vogue and Ballroom styles, this season offers an exhilarating program of work that finds points of intersection between dance, community, and a broad palette of artistic expression.

"This season's programming invites us to consider different artistic practices and the ways that they intersect - how can they be in dialogue and relate to each other, when the ways we create or the forms that we express ourselves through can seem so different?" comments Tay. "By supporting works that explore the relationship between divergent dance forms, projects that stimulate conversations between communities, and events that put dance into a conversation with other mediums (even food!), we hope to simultaneously celebrate our points of connection as well as the distinct perspectives of the artists involved in this ambitious season! We are also really excited to be collaborating with many new guest dancers this year, including those never seen before in TDT productions. I hope you will join us with curiosity and in the spirt of discovery!"

Bringing a characteristically fresh program for 2022/23, the season begins this September with DISKO PIKNIK, a free, one-day outdoor event in Earl Bales Park that celebrates food, dance, and creative exchange with the community. Offering a curated four-course meal, with each dish inspired by a choreographic work, DISKO PIKNIK will feature performances by Laurence Lemieux and Andrew Tay, Tanveer Alam, Matthew "Snoopy" Cuff, and the dance collective Flvr Squad. Details about the guest chef are coming soon.


In February, TDT presents a new premiere production featuring the TDT ensemble with choreographer Ashley Colours Perez and local music duo LAL (Rosina Kazi and Nicholas Murray) in conversation with TDT's artistic director Andrew Tay, THE MAGIC OF ASSEMBLY. Taking an experimental approach, the work will emerge from provocations between Tay and the invited artists.

In March, contemporary dance collides with Bharatanatyam, Vogue, and Ballroom for a captivating double bill, CONVERGENT DIVERGENCY, featuring new work by Atri Nundy and Danah Rosales.

Continuing their legacy of nurturing creative exploration and development, TDT's residency and creation projects continue this season. Leelee Oluwatoyosi Eko Davis will be continuing their expressive residency at TDT to further their project, Ease + Agita (soft place to land). Initiated during the 2021/22 Season, Leelee returns to spend dedicated research weeks collaborating with the TDT company and selected guest artists as they continue to develop this new creation.

The Pilot Episodes residency program returns for a third iteration, in which six choreographers or creators will have their first experience collaborating with TDT company dancers. Consisting of an immersive, one-week residency in the spring for each creator to experiment in the studio, Pilot Episodes creates an open space for artistic risk-taking without the pressure of producing a finished work. Each week culminates with a community sharing, as part of TDT's effort to generate engaging discussions around working methods and choreographic processes. A Call for Artists will be issued in Fall 2022.

Lastly, throughout the 2022/23 season TDT will be collaborating with fellow performance companies and collectives to help bring unique public activations, movement workshops and more to the Toronto community. Partner companies will include Art Spin, dance Immersion, RT Collective, and the Toronto Dance Community Love-In, with new details of the upcoming collaborations coming soon.

Free tickets to Disko Piknik are now available and tickets for the remainder of the 2022/23 programming will launch on later determined dates. For more information, visit www.tdt.org or call 416-967-1365, x123.

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