Dance festivals to check out across Canada – and in the U.S. – this summer

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As anyone who has ever watched Dirty Dancing knows, summer is the peak season for sparking connections between body and nature. That’s true for bodies on beaches, bodies hiking through forests and bodies performing dramatic lifts on outdoor stages.

“We have an extraordinary capacity to move and make beauty with our bodies,” says Pam Tatge, artist director of Jacob’s Pillow, North America’s longest-running dance festival. Dancers have been gathering in western Massachusetts to perform, commune and practice since 1931. “There’s a dialogue between the body and nature,” Tatge said. “That’s what makes experiencing a summer dance festival so exquisite,”

Canada’s largest dance festival – the similarly woodsy Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur – has partnered with the Pillow for more than 20 years to bring international dance artists to Massachusetts and Quebec. Cathy Levy, former executive producer at National Arts Centre in Ottawa, serves as an international consultant for the Pillow, and helps seeks out troupes of interest to both festivals.

“We have very similar tastes,” says Guillaume Côté, the principal dancer with National Ballet of Canada who took the helm of Saint-Sauveur in 2015.

This year, the joint guest company is the Social Tango Project, a Buenos Aires troupe that will dance the milonga in both the Berkshires and Laurentians. Saint-Sauveur runs from July 24 to Aug. 4, while the Pillow season stretches from June 26 to Aug. 25.

Tatge and Levy also look to bring at least one Canadian troupe to Massachusetts each year, and they don’t opt for the usual suspects: In 2023, Calgary’s Decidedly Jazz Danceworks made their Pillow debut. This summer, the honour goes to Dancers of Damelahamid, which will introduce American audiences to Indigenous mask dancing of coastal British Columbia.

“I’m so excited to see this ancient tradition performed against the backdrop of the Berkshire hills,” Tatge said.

Although there’s a finite number of summer dance festivals in Canada, the art form turn ups at other events, and a handful of companies, including Atlantic Ballet, offer their own summer programming. Here are highlights from coast to coast.

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Bravo Niagara!

Depending on how you count, Kimiko’s Pearl is either four years or more than eight decades in the making. Bravo Niagara! co-founders Christine Mori and her daughter Alexis Spieldenner commissioned the ballet to tell their bittersweet family story. Like more than 22,000 other Japanese Canadians, Mori’s grandparents were forcibly relocated to an internment camp during the Second World War. Visiting dancers from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet perform to original music. June 22 and 23, First Ontario Performing Arts Centre, St. Catharine’s, Ont..

Ballet By the Ocean

Canada’s easternmost dance company changes up its seaside series this year to combine ballet, fine dining and fantastic views. Beginning July 3, Atlantic Ballet will perform each Wednesday and Saturday evening on the waterfront in Grande-Digue, N.B. Tickets include both an hour-long performance by the eight-member company and a three-course meal prepared by Atelier Tony. Bring your own wine to the wetland preserve, but don’t wear heels. July 3 through Aug. 10, Grande-Digue, N.B.

The Magpie Collection: A Dance Festival

Multiethnic artists from four provinces perform at this two-week festival hosted by Mile Zero Dance in Edmonton. World dance disciplines on display include African, flamenco and Polynesian, but many performers are interested in fusing traditional choreography with contemporary dance. The festival also includes a series of free talks and drop-in classes in more than a dozen dance styles. July 15 to 24, Edmonton.

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Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur

Since 1997, the Laurentian village of Saint-Sauveur has welcomed thousands of dance and music fans to its Grand Chapiteau. Highlights this year include New York’s Gibney Dance and Gauthier Dance, the German company helmed by Montreal-born choreographer Eric Gauthier. As it has in past years, Côté Danse will debut a work in progress. This year it’s Burn Baby, Burn, a modern dance take on climate change. Cool off with a walk on the “Dance Trails,” a free outdoor meander with musicians and dancers stationed along the route. July 24 to Aug. 4, Saint-Sauveur, Que.

Indigenous World Dance Residency Showcase

Summer festival locales don’t get more stunning than Alberta’s Banff Centre. There’s only one night of dance planned, however. Participants chosen for Banff’s 2024 Indigenous World Dance Residency program will perform in a free showcase, curated by Alejandro Ronceria and hosted by Santee Smith. July 26, Banff, Alta.

Dancers of Damelahamid at Jacob’s Pillow

Perhaps the best news about the coastal Indigenous dance troupe making its Jacob’s Pillow debut is that the July 27 performance of Spirit and Tradition will be livestreamed for free and available around the world, with an encore stream available to watch July 31 and Aug. 1. July 26 and 27, Becket, Mass.

Toronto International Tap Festival

In 1953, tap dancer Ethel Bruneau got off jazz singer Cab Calloway’s tour bus in Montreal and never got back on. That’s the legend, more or less. Bruneau, who died last year at age 87, will be honoured at the 2024 Toronto International Tap Festival, a biennial gathering of percussive dancers from Canada and beyond. Nicknamed the Queen of Tap for her performances in Montreal’s clubs, Bruneau ran a studio in Dorval, Que., through 2019. Former students Travis and Tanya Knights will lead a tribute to their teacher. The four-day festival also includes masterclasses and performances by Indigenous tapper Jonathan Morin and American legend Brenda Bufalino. Aug. 15-18, Harbourfront Centre Theatre, Toronto.

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Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Kimiko's Pearl will be performed at Bravo Niagara! to live music. The music will not be live. This version has been updated.