Articles
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- Written by: Meres J. Weche
- Parent Category: Arts and Entertainment
- Category: Dance
Fall for Dance North’s artist-in-residence, Esie Mensah, leads a transformative season that celebrates the emotional depth and cultural power of Afrofusion. Her latest works embody the movement of healing, unity, and self-discovery.
This fall, Toronto’s Fall for Dance North (FFDN) festival has become the stage for an extraordinary artistic journey led by choreographer and storyteller Esie Mensah, the festival’s 2025 Artist-in-Residence. While her AFROFUSION: Signature Programme 1 has already left audiences inspired, the festival continues until October 26, culminating in her upcoming installation-style performance Up Next on October 25 and 26 at OCAD University.
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- Written by: Meres J. Weche
- Parent Category: Arts and Entertainment
- Category: Dance
Mirrors, music, and daring props reshape how audiences watch dance. A Toronto-based choreographer pairs stagecraft with joy, entrepreneurship, and Ghanaian roots.
The last week of August saw Toronto audiences encounter something unusual on stage: dancers moving with mirrors, ski boots strapped to boards, and reflections bouncing back into the house. At dance: made in canada/fait au canada (d:mic/fac), choreographer Vania Dodoo-Beals and collaborator Carleen Zouboules premiered Fragments of Perception, a piece that pushed audiences to question what they were really seeing. While the show has already closed, its ideas continue to resonate—about perception, play, and presence.
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- Written by: Meres J. Weche
- Parent Category: Arts and Entertainment
- Category: Dance
Choreographer Reequal Smith on Caribbean Flamingo, blending Afro-Caribbean dance with advocacy, resilience, and building Oshun Dance Studios in PEI.
In this episode of Afropolitan Dialogues, we sit down with Reequal Smith, a Bahamian-born, PEI-based choreographer and founder of Oshun Dance Studios. Her latest work, Caribbean Flamingo, recently featured at dance: made in canada / fait au canada Festival 2025, fuses Afro-Contemporary, jazz, and Caribbean folk traditions. Inspired by The Bahamas’ national bird, nearly driven to extinction, the piece embodies resilience, cultural reclamation, and rebirth. Beyond her choreography, Smith is a cultural leader, community advocate, and recipient of the 2025 Kerri Wynne MacLeod Women of Impact Award and the Diane Moore Creation Award. This conversation explores her artistic journey, her role in uplifting Black artists in Atlantic Canada, and her vision for Caribbean dance on global stages.
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- Written by: AfroToronto Team
- Parent Category: Arts and Entertainment
- Category: Dance
As Fall for Dance North (FFDN) marks its 10th anniversary this fall, the festival celebrates a decade of vibrant performances while bidding farewell to its Founding Artistic Director, Ilter Ibrahimof. From September 26 to October 6, 2024, audiences will experience a dynamic lineup of dance, including the work of Toronto’s own Travis Knights, showcasing the rich tapestry of talent that has defined the festival’s journey and will continue to shape its future.
As the leaves begin to turn, Toronto prepares to celebrate a milestone: the 10th anniversary of Fall for Dance North (FFDN). This year’s festival, running from September 26 to October 6, promises to be a potent mix of nostalgia, innovation, and excitement. It marks a decade of dynamic performances and the last festival with Ilter Ibrahimof as Artistic Director before he steps down later this fall.
