Dance Arts Institute

Dance Arts Institute Formerly The School of Toronto Dance Theatre

danceartsinstitute.ca

The Contemporary dance field of today may be defined by its fluidity, multiplicity and dynamism. To communicate and meaningfully contribute to this field, emerging artists must be agential, reflective, purposeful and be able to create contexts for their own work. Dance Arts Institute (Formerly The School of Toronto Dance Theatre) prepares students for this work. Our studio-based and academic courses provide multiple entry points through which students develop and integrate current physical and creative techniques, critical reflection, and vision. By engaging and connecting the students with local and international practicing artists/teachers, we foster a dynamic flow of new ideas and technologies, supporting student networking, entry into the workforce and the evolution of the field at large. As the institution’s central axis, our core faculty and staff influence and benefit from being at this intersection, with professional leadership and development a strong aspect to artistic and knowledge exchange.

09/24/2026

what does contemporary dance sound like? 👂🏼

we asked a some of our first years to put sounds to megan’s class exercises. 🔊 turn your volume up for an experience for all of the senses. 🎧

let us know how you think they did! 🤭

original class music by HeyZEUSs & Larry Graves

09/14/2026

Come join our evening program!! Mondays and Tuesdays until December at the Wi******er.

09/11/2026

✨ CHECK IT OUT! Studio A got a glow-up! ✨

We feel so lucky to dance and work in a space with so much history in its walls. 80 Wi******er Street has been part of the creative life of our community for so long, and we feel incredibly lucky to be part of its story and to welcome in this new chapter for Studio A (even though we might occasionally miss the uniqueness of the honey mustard wall!). 🧡

We can’t wait to see all the rehearsals, ideas and memories that will fill these walls for years to come. 🤍

Thank you to Chris & everyone at Toronto Dance Foundation for all of your hard work! 🎨

we are so thrilled to announce that Natasha P**n Woo will be joining Dance Arts as our new Artistic Director, beginning ...
09/09/2026

we are so thrilled to announce that Natasha P**n Woo will be joining Dance Arts as our new Artistic Director, beginning January 4, 2027! 💫

Natasha brings a deep and longstanding dedication to the training and development of emerging dancers. We are looking forward to seeing the energy, ideas, and perspective Natasha will bring to the school, and to working with her as we continue to build on the strong foundation that has been established. 💙

To support Dance Arts through the first semester as we prepare for Natasha’s arrival, we are also delighted to welcome the incredible Val Calam (Valerie Calam ) as our Interim Managing Director. We are so grateful to Val for stepping in during this period of transition and look forward to working with her, learning from her experience, and benefiting from all that she brings to the school. 🌀

Below, you will find a personal note from Natasha to the Dance Arts community 💌
(for the full message, please check out our latest newsletter)

“It is with great honour and excitement that I step into the role of Artistic Director at Dance Arts this year. With this privilege comes the opportunity to deeply invest in what has long been my strongest passion: commitment to the education, professional development, and mentorship of the next generation of dance artists.

To guide the school through its incoming era of cultivating new generations of professional dance artists is a responsibility I am both thrilled and humbled to take on. I am proud to join the exceptional staff and faculty of Dance Arts as we unfold this next chapter together.”

Please join us in welcoming Val & Natasha to the team! 🤗

📸
(1) Drew Berry
(2) Fran Chudnoff

09/08/2026

we had such a blast welcoming all the new & returning Dance Arts students back today. ✨
we learned about all about the exciting year ahead, got photos taken for student IDs, had a pizza party lunch, did a meet-and-greet with our friends at TDT, took a walk through cabbagetown and finished with a student council-led scavenger hunt! all the while making new friends and feeling very excited for all that is to come! 💕

Today, we celebrate “soft, open hand v2,” choreographed by Joel Lawrence and performed by Jules Vance, Liz South & Minue...
09/05/2026

Today, we celebrate “soft, open hand v2,” choreographed by Joel Lawrence and performed by Jules Vance, Liz South & Minuet Charron. 🌿🌼🧡

Reflecting on the experience, Joel says, “The opportunity to develop “soft, open hand” into its new version - with a new cast, site, audience, and context as a part of a festival lineup - allowed me to explore ways of approaching a pre-existing work through a lens of rediscovery of its themes. I felt so supported by both Dance Arts and Summerworks staff in the development and production stages, and am so grateful to have had the chance to work with such incredible professionals.”

As we close out our look back at “The Upheld Present,” we’re feeling so grateful for the artists, collaborators and communities who made this experience so special. 💖

For now, we hope you enjoy the long weekend before the new school year kicks off on Tuesday. We’re soaking up these last days of summer and getting so excited for all that’s to come! ✨

📸: Jeremy Mimnagh

Even all these jackets wouldn’t have kept Kalli dry in last night’s Toronto storm! ⛈️ So, in the spirit of layering, her...
09/03/2026

Even all these jackets wouldn’t have kept Kalli dry in last night’s Toronto storm! ⛈️

So, in the spirit of layering, here’s another look back at “The Upheld Present” at SummerWorks as we gear up for the new school year on the horizon. 🌈

About the remount of “Wearing Contradiction” choreographer Janique Devine says, “Having the opportunity to work on a new iteration of an existing work was so rewarding. I am so thankful that we were able to work in such a beautiful location, connecting with nature and being inspired by it. Throughout the process we often found ourselves reminded to stop and take a second to take it all in. Thank you to Summerworks and Dance Arts for the chance to work on our craft in a safe, supportive and comfortable environment.“ ☀️🌲🪵

📸: Jeremy Mimnagh

Dance Arts is deeply saddened to hear about the sudden closure of Randolph College for the Performing Arts. 🖤As a fellow...
09/01/2026

Dance Arts is deeply saddened to hear about the sudden closure of Randolph College for the Performing Arts. 🖤

As a fellow conservatory-style career college program, Randolph has been an important part of Toronto’s arts community, training and inspiring generations of performers. 🎭💫

Dance Arts knows firsthand how challenging uncertain times can be. When we faced our own difficult chapter, our community rallied around us with incredible care and support. We have not forgotten that, and we want to extend that same support to the Randolph community now. 🤝

With that in mind, we’ve opened a small number of spots in our incoming first-year class for dancers who may be looking to pivot their training toward a professional career in contemporary dance. If Dance Arts can be a place to help you continue your journey, we would be honoured to welcome you. 🌱

Our heartfelt sympathies go to the staff, faculty, students, alumni, and everyone affected by this news. ♥️🥀

Please join us in congratulating recent graduates Janique Devine Janique Devine , Joel Lawrence joel lawrence and Rohee ...
08/14/2026

Please join us in congratulating recent graduates Janique Devine Janique Devine , Joel Lawrence joel lawrence and Rohee Uberoi Rohee Uberoi on their amazing work at ‘The Upheld Present’ last weekend! ✨

It was an incredible weekend of dance, community, and joy at the beautiful Evergreen Brick Works. 🌳

A special thank you to the SummerWorks Performance Festival SummerWorks for partnering with us to program these works and provide these emerging artists with an opportunity to expand their creative ideas in a site-specific environment. 🪵

And a huge shout-out to the dancers: Osvaldo Barreda “Ova” Buschmann, Emmett Bradshaw, Minuet Charron, Rachana Joshi, Kalli Lavigne-Passaw, Wai Liu, Christopher Petersen, Ranganathan Rajan, Liz South, and Jules Vance. Your performances were so engaging and inspiring, even in the blazing sun! ☀️

Thank you to everyone who came out to support these incredible artists, including family, friends, faculty, alumni, and those who stumbled unexpectedly upon the performances. Your positive energy and thoughtful feedback mean so much to all of us. 💛

And a heartfelt thank you to Jeremy Mimnagh JEREMY MIMNAGH | photographer for capturing so many incredible images at Sunday’s performances. 📸
(1) Liz South, Jules Vance & Minuet Charron in “soft, open hand v2” by Joel Lawrence
(2) Kalli Lavigne-Passaw in “Wearing Contradiction” by Janique Devine
(3) Ensemble of “Scratch a Rock and a Legend Springs” by Rohee Uberoi
(4) the lovely audience enroute to Site 2

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80 Winchester Street
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M4X1B2

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