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
Performers: Danah Rosales, Candace Kumar, Blessyl Buan
Costume Styling & Prop Design: Blessyl Buan Studios – original styling and handcrafted prop design by Blessyl Buan
Rehearsal Direction: Self-directed under the guidance of the choreographer
Music / Sound Design: Original mix by Ryan Buan, featuring Soundscape of Philippine birds, “Babaylan (Lasang)” by BudoyX feat. Nikkie, “Apricots” by Bicep, “Ancient” by Kimmortal
Outside Eye: In conversation with Festival Director & Curator Sofi Gudiño (Dusk Dances)
BABAElan honours the Babaylan—female and nonbinary spiritual leaders in the Philippines, past and present—through contemporary movement, ritual, and sound. The title BABAElan draws from the word babae (Filipino for “woman”) and Babaylan, weaving together language, lineage, and embodied memory. Rooted in ancestral rhythm and diasporic resilience, the choreography pulses with reverence, reclamation, and return. Originally commissioned by the Art Gallery of Ontario in 2025 for the Pacita Abad exhibition, BABAElan is adapted for Withrow Park as a ceremonial offering of resistance and remembrance.
Program Notes / Thank Yous: With gratitude to Dusk Dances, Festival Director Sofi Gudiño, and the artistic spirits that guide this work. Heartfelt thanks to the dancers, my family, and our ancestors. This piece is for every woman who carries the story of the land in her body.
Dusk Dances rarely cancels a show in advance of the start time due to inclement weather. All of our artists and volunteers are present at the park (even if it's pouring), and should the clouds part, the sun start to shine, and it's safe to perform, they are ready to go. An announcement is generally made at the park between 7:00pm and 7:30pm if the show has been cancelled. Any cancellation will be announced on Dusk Dances social media, after the announcement in the park.
A good rule of thumb to assess whether to attend a Dusk Dances performance when the weather looks bad: when it’s time for you to leave for the park, look up at the sky… if it is raining with no end in sight, or if there is a lightning, you may consider attending another Dusk Dances performance.
Poster design by Mohammad Rezaei
EVENING PERFORMANCES
Sunday August 3rd to Sunday August 10th, 2025
7:00 pm free audience dabke workshop begins
7:30 pm dance performance begins
The performance lasts approx. until 9:15 PM.
Pay-what-you-wish.
Suggested contribution: $20 / person.
Bring your own chairs and blankets.
See the Rain Cancellation Policy.
Withrow Park is located in Toronto, Ontario, south of Danforth Avenue (the nearest TTC subway is Chester Station). Each evening begins in the north-east corner of the park, closest to the intersection of Carlaw Avenue and McConnell Avenue. Once the show starts at 7:30pm, we begin to move the audience around the park to four select sites to watch each dance piece unfold. Not sure where we are? Don’t worry! Follow the crowds of Dusk Dance fans and the sound of music, or, look out for one of our volunteers in an orange vest.