Between tradition and technology, the program explores the richness of Contemporary Dance
September 10, 2026
From September 2026 to May 2027, Danse Danse will make Montréal an important choreographic crossroads. This 29th season offers a journey through cultures, memories and ways of building community through movement. From Ireland to São Paulo, from Cuba to krump culture, from the graphic world of Henri Michaux to the imagined abyss of Wayne McGregor, it invites audiences to feel dance as much as to watch it.
The program explores the richness of contemporary dance through revisited traditions, urban cultures, music, memory and technology.
Ten productions, four Quebec works, Canadian debuts by Irish and Greek creators, a final Montréal run of Dance Me, and the return of the JOAT Festival: the 2026–2027 program explores the richness of contemporary dance through revisited traditions, urban cultures, music, memory and technology.
The theatre season will open with MÁM by Irish company Teaċ Daṁsa, founded by Michael Keegan-Dolan, from September 30 to October 4 at Théâtre Maisonneuve. Inspired by the Dingle Peninsula, the work brings together a dozen performers, Berlin-based musicians Stargaze and concertina player Cormac Begley. Irish dance becomes contemporary material, driven by live music and a powerful sense of community.
From October 28 to 30, Greek choreographer Christos Papadopoulos will make his Canadian debut with My Fierce Ignorant Step. Drawing on the sonic memories of his childhood, the piece offers a precise, vibrant group composition centred on collective pulse and the momentum associated with childhood.
Les Ballets Jazz Montréal will present Dance Me – Music by Leonard Cohen from November 25 to 28 for its final Montréal run. Built around 16 Cohen songs, including Suzanne, Hallelujah and Dance Me to the End of Love, the production brings together choreography by Andonis Foniadakis, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and Ihsan Rustem. Its return coincides with the 10th anniversary of the Montréal musician’s death.
In December, Marie Chouinard will present a two-part evening at the Monument-National. Solos and duets from her repertoire will precede Henri Michaux: Mouvements, a stage adaptation of Michaux’s book, in which projections and bodies extend the lines and tensions of his ink drawings.
Danza Contemporánea de Cuba will then make its Quebec debut, from February 23 to 27, with George Céspedes’ Katharsis Morphé and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Reversible. Founded in 1959, the company is recognized for its hybrid language, blending Afro-Caribbean traditions, ballet, mambo and contemporary dance.
Krump, AI and Collective Energy
Spring will open with Euphoric Thresholds, a creation by Alexandre Morin and Mathieu Leroux, presented from February 2 to 6 at Espace Orange in the Wilder Building. Five performers explore the tipping point between euphoria, physical intensity and transcendence.
From March 9 to 13, SKLTR, by Charles Brecard and Vladimir “7Starr” Laurore, will bring krump to the Cinquième Salle at Place des Arts. Fuelled by a dark fantasy imagination, this creation turns tension, anger and fury into a movement of transformation.
For its 29th season, Danse Danse will welcome artists and companies from Quebec, Ireland, Greece, Cuba, the United Kingdom, Germany and Brazil.
Wayne McGregor’s company will present Deepstaria from March 30 to April 3 at Théâtre Maisonneuve. Inspired by a mysterious deep-sea jellyfish, the British choreographer’s work explores emptiness, the unknown, and mortality in an immersive experience in which dance engages with sound, digital technologies, and artificial intelligence.
From April 28 to May 1, Gauthier Dance // Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart will present FireWorks, an evening bringing together 12 choreographers, including Barak Marshall, Hofesh Shechter, Benjamin Millepied, Virginie Brunelle and Dominique Dumais. The program will conclude with Andonis Foniadakis’ Boléro, which incorporates trampolines, among other elements.
The season will conclude from May 12 to 16 with Balé da Cidade de São Paulo. Its double bill, Fôlego and Boca Abissal, will bring together electro-Brazilian rhythms and the energy of 18 performers.
A More Accessible Season
Danse Danse is supporting this program with several accessibility measures. The Discovery Subscription now includes four performances and offers a matinee option. The youth ticket offering has been expanded to include people aged 34 and under. The presenter is also continuing its audio-description program for blind and partially sighted audiences.
Featured image: Jeanette Bak • The FireWorks Project – Gauthier-Dance
