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A large variety of dance companies exist in Canada, encompassing a wide tradition of dances that represent both its many indigenous cultures, as well as that of its European-descended population.
Some Ballet companies include the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada (which is based in Toronto), Ballet Jörgen Canada (also based in Toronto), Les Grands Ballets Canadiens (based in Montreal), the Alberta Ballet (based in Calgary), Ballet BC (based in Vancouver), Ballet Kelowna, Ballet du Printemps (also based in Vancouver), Ballet Victoria, Canadian Pacific Ballet (based in Victoria), and the Goh Ballet in Vancouver. There are also many modern dance companies including Toronto Dance Theatre, O Vertigo in Montreal, Compagnie Marie Chouinard in Montreal, Par B.l.eux founded by Benoît Lachambre in Montreal, Danny Grossman Dance Company in Toronto, The Chimera Project in Toronto, Mocean Dance in Halifax and Winnipeg's Contemporary Dancers.
The largest company in the country is The National Ballet of Canada. The Royal Winnipeg is the second oldest and longest continuously running ballet company in North America. It was the first ballet company in the Common Wealth to receive the Royal charter. Canada is home to hundreds of amateur Ukrainian dance groups as well as professional and semi-professional companies such as the Cheremosh Ukrainian Dance Company in Edmonton.
Canada is an active member of two largest ballroom dance associations, WDSF (national branch called Canada DanceSport) and WDC. It hosts such noticeable annual dance competitions as Snowball Classic and La Classique du Quebec.
The Red River Jig is a traditional dance of the Canadian Métis. The origins of the dance lie in the traditional dances of the First Nations, French, English, Scots, and Orcadian peoples from whom the Métis Nation was born.[1] The name refers to the Red River of the North which forms the border between North Dakota and Minnesota (USA) flowing northward through Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada to Hudson's Bay.
Canadian dancers have been recognised in international competitions.
The Canada Council for the Arts administers the Jacqueline Lemieux Prize [9] that recognizes outstanding contributions to dance in Canada from established dance professionals.
The prize was established in 1980 and is awarded in memory of Jacqueline Lemieux and her contribution to the development of Canadian dance. Lemieux and her husband Lawrence Gradus co-founded a summer school in Lennoxville, Quebec. She was a teacher, administrator, and member of the Canada Council for the Arts’ Advisory Panel.
The Lemieux Prize has rewarded [10] performers, choreographers, teachers, film makers, journalists, theatre technicians, and community workers. The prize winners come from dance forms that include ballet, contemporary, classical Indian dance, flamenco, and indigenous dance forms. Recipients include Robert Desrosiers, Daniel Léveillé, Jennifer Mascall, Louise Bédard, Michael Montanaro, Lucie Boissinot, Marie Chouinard, Cylla Von Tiedemann, Sylvain Émard, Jo Lechay, Elizabeth Langley, Benoit Lachambre, David Earle, Bill Coleman, Judith Marcuse, Philip Szporer, Crystal Pite, and Serge Bennethan.
The World Dance Council Ltd (WDC), is a registered limited company, the legal successor to the International Council of Ballroom Dancing, and was established at a meeting organized by Phillip J. S. Richardson on 22 September 1950 in Edinburgh, Scotland. From 1996 to 2006 the WDC was known as the World Dance & Dance Sport Council Ltd (WD&DSC). The stated mission of the World Dance Council is to inspire, stimulate and promote excellence in education for the World Dance Council and Amateur League community.
Dance in Quebec includes dances that are specific to the province of Quebec, Canada, it comprises traditional group, couple, and solo dance as well as contemporary jazz, ballet, and modern dance. There are a number of dance companies and dance schools. Quebec's most renowned organizations are Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal, Les Grands Ballets canadiens de Montréal as well as the contemporary dance crew La La La Human Steps, directed by the choreographer Édouard Lock and his emblematic dancer Louise Lecavalier.
The National Ballet of Canada is a Canadian ballet company that was founded in 1951 in Toronto, Ontario, with Celia Franca, the first artistic director. A company of 70 dancers with its own orchestra, the National Ballet has been led since 2022 by artistic director Hope Muir. Renowned for its diverse repertoire, the company performs traditional full-length classics, embraces contemporary work and encourages the creation of new ballets, as well as the development of Canadian dancers and choreographers.
The Royal Winnipeg Ballet is Canada's oldest ballet company and the longest continuously operating ballet company in North America.
Brian Ronald Macdonald was a Canadian dancer, choreographer and director of opera, theatre and musical theatre.
Anik Bissonnette OC CQ is a Canadian ballet dancer, who started her professional ballet career with the Ballet de Montreal Eddy Toussaint in the 1980s and was a principal dancer starting in 1990 with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. Her father, Jean Bissonnette, was a famoustelevision director with Télévision de Radio-Canada.
Louis Robitaille, is a Canadian ballet dancer and artistic director. He was discovered at a high school dance performance and received a scholarship to train at Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal. He danced with Anik Bissonnette in Eddy Toussaint's dance company, where they garnered acclaim. He also danced with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens as a principal dancer.
Marie Chouinard OC is a Canadian dancer, choreographer, and dance company director.
The Canadian Ballet Festival was an annual event staged in Canada from 1948 to 1954 that brought together various Canadian dance companies to generate public interest in classical dance. Prior to the festivals, it was difficult for professional Canadian dancers to earn a living by practising their art in their own country. When the festivals ended in 1954 after six years, Canadian dancers were able to find paid work in Canadian television practising their art.
Crystal Pite is a Canadian choreographer and dancer. She began her professional dance career in 1988 at Ballet BC, and in 1996 she joined Ballett Frankfurt under the tutelage of William Forsythe. After leaving Ballett Frankfurt she became the resident choreographer of Montreal company Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal from 2001 to 2004. She then returned to Vancouver where she focused on choreographing while continuing to dance in her own pieces until 2010. In 2002 she formed her own company called Kidd Pivot, which produced her original works Uncollected Work (2003), Double Story (2004), Lost Action (2006), Dark Matters (2009), The You Show (2010), The Tempest Replica (2011), Betroffenheit (2015), and Revisor (2019) to date. Throughout her career she has been commissioned by many international dance companies to create new pieces, including The Second Person (2007) for Netherlands Dans Theater and Emergence (2009) for the National Ballet of Canada, the latter of which was awarded four Dora Mavor Moore Awards.
Joanna Leunis, is a professional Latin ballroom dancer. With Michael Malitowski, she is a former professional World Latin Dance Champion and the current International Latin American Dance Champion. The couple represented Poland until 2011, choosing to represent England until their retirement in 2015.
Ekaterina Vaganova is a Russian dancer. She is the World champion on the Ballroom and Latin American dances. She was two-time Champion of Russia, four-time Champion of Italy, two-time vice-champion of the World in Youth Latin, IDSF, finalist of the World and European championships in IDSF, champion of the World 2009 in IDSA and IDU versions and champion of the Europe WDC Latin 2009.
José Navas is a contemporary choreographer and dancer born in Venezuela in 1965, and based in Montreal, Quebec.
Vadim Garbuzov is a Canadian and Austrian ballroom dancer, showman and choreographer of Ukrainian descent. He was the World Youth Championship finalist in 2005, the winner of the Austrian TV program Dancing Stars in 2012, 2014 and 2020, and the professional world champion in Latin and Standard show dance 2015-2017. Currently, he is a Pro on the German TV Show Let’s Dance.
Goh Ballet Academy is a school of classical ballet in Vancouver, British Columbia. Founded in 1978, the Goh Ballet Academy offers dance and ballet classes for children and adults, and has also toured internationally. Former principal dancer of the National Ballet of Canada, Chan-hon Goh is currently the director of the academy.
Robert Guy Desrosiers is a Canadian dancer, choreographer, and actor. After a brief dance career, he founded the Desrosiers Dance Theatre and choreographed surreal and theatrical dances. After the company’s disbandment, he pursued a variety of artistic professions before returning as a freelance choreographer.
David Earle is a Canadian choreographer, dancer and artistic director. In 1968 Earle was co-founder and co-artistic director of Toronto Dance Theatre alongside Patricia Beatty and Peter Randazzo, where Earle choreographed new modern dance pieces. In 1996 Earle started his own company called Dancetheatre David Earle where he continues to choreograph new works, to teach, and to create with the next generation of modern dancers. David Earle has received many accolades; a member of the Order of Canada, a recipient of the Jean A. Chalmers Award for Distinction in Choreography, also an honorary doctorate degree from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.
Rachel Browne was a dancer, teacher and choreographer based in Winnipeg. In 1964, she founded Canada's longest running modern dance company, Winnipeg's Contemporary Dancers, and she remained its artistic director until 1983. She remained with the company as a fundraiser and advisor, and continued to teach dance. She was awarded the Order of Canada in 1997 and the Winnipeg's Contemporary Dancers performance venue was renamed The Rachel Browne Theatre in 2008. She died in 2012 in Ottawa while visiting to watch a performance at the Canada Dance Festival.
Judith Rose Marcuse is a Canadian dancer and choreographer. She created over 100 choreographic works many of which are focused on community-engaged art for social change. Marcuse's performance and choreographic work has been recognized in Canada and around the world.
