Withrow Park 2025
Dusk Dances 2025 is curated by Festival Director Sofi Gudiño, with curatorial support by Festival Founder and Consultant Sylvie Bouchard
2025 will mark Dusk Dances 31st Season, and the second season with the new leadership team of Festival Director Sofi Gudiño and General Manager Shivani Joshi.
Hosted by the luminous Latin-pop singer Ana Lía
Free audience workshop in dabke dance every night led by Zaytouna Academy for Cultural Arts
2024
Dusk Dances 2024 is curated by Sofi Gudiño, with curatorial support by Sylvie Bouchard
2024 will mark Dusk Dances 30th Birthday Season, and the first season with the new leadership team of Festival Director Sofi Gudiño and General Manager Shivani Joshi.
Hosted by Fly Lady Di (Diana Reyes).
Free Traditional Hoop Dance workshops every night led by River Christie-White.
2021
Locations
DUSK DANCES 2021: A VIRTUAL EDITION
Festival Director and Curator: Sylvie Bouchard
Film Director & Editor: William Yong (W Zento Production)
Director of Photography: Oliver Salathiel
Technical Director: Courtney Pyke
Stage Manager: Melanie Hall
Lighting Designer: Courtney Pyke
Technical Liaison for Glendon College: Duncan Appleton
Technical Assistant: Rikki van Goozen and Albert Duan
Broadcast Technical Director: Adam Germain
2020
Thank you for joining us for Dusk Dances’ first virtual event
on Saturday, October 17.
CURATOR: SYLVIE BOUCHARD
FILM DIRECTOR, EDITOR AND DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: WILLIAM YONG
BROADCAST TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: ADAM GERMAIN
HOSTED BY VINCENT LEBLANC-BEAUDOIN (AKA COACH TANGUAY)
OPENING MUSIC BYAMADOU KIENOU
CLOSING MUSIC BY PATTY CHAN WITH MARJOLAINE FOURNIER
2019
Locations
"Now in its 25th season, Dusk Dances is set against the natural landscape of your neighbourhood park.
Your journey is accompanied by a host who leads you to selected dance pieces located in different areas throughout the park. Featuring some of Canada’s most innovative and engaging dancers and choreographers, Dusk Dances continues to be a delight for audiences of all ages."
Sylvie Bouchard, Festival Director and Curator
2018
Locations
"Now in its 24th season, Dusk Dances is set against the natural landscape of your neighbourhood park.
Your journey is accompanied by a host who leads you to selected dance pieces located in different areas throughout the park. Featuring some of Canada’s most innovative and engaging dancers and choreographers, Dusk Dances continues to be a delight for audiences of all ages."
Sylvie Bouchard, Festival Director and Curator
2017
Locations
"Now in its 23rd season, Dusk Dances is set against the natural landscape of your neighbourhood park.
Your journey is accompanied by a host who leads you to selected dance pieces located in different areas throughout the park. Featuring some of Canada’s most innovative and engaging dancers and choreographers, Dusk Dances continues to be a delight for audiences of all ages."
Sylvie Bouchard, Festival Director
2016
Locations
"Now in its 22nd season, Dusk Dances is set against the natural landscape of your neighbourhood park.
Your journey is accompanied by a host who leads you to selected dance pieces located in different areas throughout the park. Featuring some of Canada’s most innovative and engaging dancers and choreographers, Dusk Dances continues to be a delight for audiences of all ages."
Sylvie Bouchard, Festival Director
2015
Locations
"Now in its 21st season, Dusk Dances is set against the natural landscape of your neighbourhood park.
Your journey is accompanied by a host who leads you to selected dance pieces located in different areas throughout the park. Featuring some of Canada’s most innovative and engaging dancers and choreographers, Dusk Dances continues to be a delight for audiences of all ages.
This year, be charmed by the presentation of Tedd Robinson’s Disconcertante, a masterful 30 minute work to close our program, performed by dancers of Cloud 9.”
Sylvie Bouchard, Festival Director
2014
Locations
“Set against the natural landscape of your neighbourhood park, Dusk Dances takes you from the highly physical, to the gently magical, and the charmingly fun. Your journey is accompanied by a host who leads you to selected dance pieces located in different areas throughout the park. Featuring some of Canada’s most innovative dancers and choreographers, and now in its 18th season, Dusk Dances continues to be a delight for audiences of all ages.”
Sylvie Bouchard, Festival Director
2013
Locations
Season 2013 Featured stops in Fort York, Vancouver, Ottawa, Haliburton, Peterborough and Toronto's Withrow Park.
2012
Locations
“Set against the natural landscape of your neighbourhood park, Dusk Dances takes you from the highly physical, to the gently magical, and the charmingly fun. Your journey is accompanied by a host who leads you to selected dance pieces located in different areas throughout the park. Featuring some of Canada’s most innovative dancers and choreographers, and now in its 18th season, Dusk Dances continues to be a delight for audiences of all ages.”
Sylvie Bouchard, Festival Director
2010
DUSK DANCES SIXTEENTH SEASON!
In 2010, with the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, Dusk Dances’ licensing initiative began its pilot phase, allowing communities around the Province to license Dusk Dances, and learn how to produce the event in their community. As our festival grows, we strive to find new ways to push the boundaries of the art form, to challenge choreographers artistically, and to make the event more visible and more popular.
2007
June 21-24, 2007. Chatham, Tecumseh Park.
Co-produced with the Kiwanis Theatre.
Hosted by Madame Beaucoup/Lisa Anne Ross. Opening Band: This End Up.
June 28 - July 1, 2007. Kingston, City Park.
Co-produced with Rising Sun Productions.
Hosted by Madame Beaucoup/Lisa Anne Ross. Opening Band: Mauricio Montecinos Trio.
July 6 - 9, 2007. Jane/Finch Toronto, Firgrove Park.
Co-produced with the Firgrove Community.
Hosted by Madame Beaucoup/Lisa Anne Ross. Opening Band: Ngoma Ensemble.
July 10 - 15, 2007. Toronto, Withrow Park.
Hosted by Madame Beaucoup/Lisa Anne Ross. Opening Band: Raging Asian Women Taiko Drummers
July 19 - 22, 2007. Haliburton, Head Lake Park.
Co-produced with the Haliburton Sculpture Forest et al.
Hosted by Madame Beaucoup/Lisa Anne Ross. Opening Band: The Hemlocks.
July 26 -29, 2007. Mindemoya, Manitoulin Island, Old School Park.
Co-produced with Manitoulin Family Resources.
Hosted by Madame Beaucoup/Lisa Anne Ross. Opening Band: Kevin Closs.
August 2 - 5, 2007. Deep River, Bill Rounding Park.
Co-produced with Summerfest.
Hosted by Madame Beaucoup/Lisa Anne Ross. Opening Band: Rob Dugenais.
2006
The 2006 season marked the first of a three year project, funded by Ontario’s Trillium Foundation, the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council, in which Dusk Dances toured to five regional centres (Kingston, Mindemoya, Chatham, Haliburton and Deep River) and the Jane/Finch neighbourhood.
2004
2004 marked Dusk Dances’ 10th season. A retrospective programme of nine remounted pieces from past Dusk Dances programmes and one commissioned work, was presented in downtown Toronto. With the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Ontario Arts Council, Dusk Dances also toured to six regional centres around Ontario (Kingston, Chatham, Guelph, Deep River, Ottawa, Peterborough). In 2004, over 10,000 people attended Dusk Dances.
2002
Program #1: Dufferin Grove Park
Hosted by David Danzon. Opening Band: Ed Hanley and Pirouz Yousefian
Program #2: Withrow Park
Hosted by David Danzon/Robert Godin. Opening Band: Ngoma (Vivine Scarlett)
Dusk Dances also had a production in Ottawa, co-produced with the Canada Dance Festival, and one production in Vancouver, co-produced with the Dancing on the Edge Festival
2001
Program #1: Trinity-Bellwoods Park
Hosted by Learie McNicholl and Miko Sobreira. Opening: salsa lessons with Miko
Program #2: Withrow Park
Hosted by Learie McNicholls and Miko Sobreira. Opening band: Djangology
Program #3: Dufferin Grove Park
Hosted by Learie McNicholls and Miko Sobreira. Opening Band: Djangology
Dusk Dances also had a production in Ottawa, co-produced with the Canada Dance Festival, and a production in Vancouver, co-produced with the Dancing on the Edge Festival.
2000
In 2000 the festival expanded to a third park in Toronto (Dufferin Grove Park), went to Ottawa for the Canada Dance Festival and was co-produced with the Dancing on the Edge Festival in Vancouver. The festival kept growing in popularity, playing a significant role in increasing the visibility and accessibility of the art form.
1997
After much support and encouragement from the communities surrounding the park, government funding agencies and artists alike, Bouchard and Danzon decided to make Dusk Dances an annual event. From 1997 to 2005, Dusk Dances was produced by CORPUS under the artistic direction of Bouchard and Danzon.
Dusk Dances received public funding from all levels of government for the first time in 1997. The event featured twelve choreographers, two programs and ran throughout fFIDA. Once again, it proved to be an artistic and public success.
1993
With a bold vision to bring dance into the lap of an urban community, dancer/choreographer Sylvie Bouchard created Dusk Dances in 1993, using the natural beauty and magic of Trinity-Bellwoods Park's ravine (Toronto) for a site-specific dance event. The event was part of the Fringe Festival of Independent Dance Artists (fFIDA) and united six local choreographers. Dusk Dances was successful beyond her expectations.