Geoffrey Coulter, actor, director, adjudicator, arts educator

“Missing the dazzle this year”

Fall For Dance North celebrates its 10th season as Toronto’s Premiere International Dance Festival showcasing unparalleled talent and artistry in the world of dance. You’d think this would be somewhat of a milestone for the festival’s incredible work over the last decade.

Instead, it seemed there wasn’t much to celebrate, starting things off with a whisper instead of a bang - a smaller venue, less variety, fewer dance companies, and lack of awe-inspiring performances made this year’s showcase disappointingly underwhelming. Perhaps it’s because the company had to fast-track a replacement for outgoing Creator and Artistic Director Ilter Ibrahimof? Or perhaps it’s simple economics – venue affordability, higher ticket prices (single tickets are $25 a piece compared to last year’s $15) or fewer available international companies (in the previous year, there were four companies featured). Whatever the reason, this year’s 2-hour compilation of dynamic dance stylings was on a markedly smaller scale.

“Homecoming” was performed this year in the 1200-seat Chrysalis Creative School Theatre on the Toronto Metropolitan University campus, a notable downsizing from the 3100 seats of their former venue, Meridian Hall. As he looks toward a new home in Portugal with the perspective of the world that has shaped him, Ibrahimof leaves the festival with one final signature curation. This Programme highlights the work of three female choreographers from Cuba’s Malpaso Dance Company, The National Ballet of Canada, and Ballet Edmonton. Each of these women has grown her craft through FFDN. The offering is a tryptic of some of their most intriguing, if not thrilling, works.

Act One offered the Canadian premiere of “La Última Canción (The Last Song)” by the Malpaso Dance Company, Havana, Cuba’s most well-known independent contemporary collective. Choreographed by Daile Carrazana, this work was developed last year in partnership with FFDN and TMU’s Creative School. The seven-member company includes several exchange students from The Creative School at TMU. Their emotional and melancholic contemporary ballet stylings were bookended with recordings in the style of both traditional Latin folk and love songs.

But Katherine Dowling’s eclectic live accompaniment on a grand piano set the piece soaring musically. The company comprises accomplished technicians who boast precision and unity in their collective segments. They are outstanding artists! The choreography is fluid and sometimes hard-hitting. In her notes, Carrazana decries,''La Última Canción'…is an inquiry into the feeling of loss, an exploration of the uncertainty of existence." Despite the dancers’ impressive moves, the narrative was indeed uncertain, transcending any clear storytelling for this Canadian reviewer.

Just as confusing was Rachel Forbes's costume design. Except for two females clad in yellow and red, everyone seemed to be in muted, loose-fitting street clothes. Why the pastel among the plaids?


Manuel Da Silva’s lighting design was warm overall but became dim and moody. His wing lighting sometimes created harsh shadows on the dancers. Unfortunately, segments were often too dark, masking facial expressions.

Act Two belonged to the The National Ballet of Canada which returned to the festival for the first time since 2019 and under the direction of Hope Muir. islands by choreographer Emma Portner is a sculptural duet for two women set to an eclectic playlist of contemporary artists.

This gorgeous duet, performed with extraordinary precision and superhuman flexibility by Alexandra MacDonald and Hannah Galway, was the high point of the evening. These artists were in perpetual motion for 20-plus minutes, first in close proximity, then separating before coming together again in unity. In the moments where they were confined, limbs entwined in continuous intricate movement, it was often impossible to tell who was who. This piece demands more than a heightened physical connection. This duo was so in sync mentally that one misstep could topple the routine.

As a side note, Emma Portner, at age 23, is the youngest woman in history to choreograph a musical on London’s West End: Bat Out of Hell: The Musical, based on the album by Meat Loaf. She has also choreographed Justin Bieber’s Purpose World Tour and music videos for Maggie Rogers. Her star is definitely on the rise!

Martin Dauchez’s costumes the dancers in identical light grey body long-sleeved bodysuits and dark grey baggy pants – again the two as one. Paul Vidar Sævarang’s excellent lighting effectively accentuates the duo’s isolation, illuminating a dark stage with only tightly focussed, colourless, white spotlights for the duo to move in and out of. Distinctive and dynamite!

The evening concluded with the World Premiere of “Feel no More” by Ballet Edmonton, choreographed by Anne Plamondon (former FFDN inaugural Artist-in-Residence).
Once again, a fiercely talented ensemble demonstrated their astonishing physical abilities, creating beautiful shapes and lines with their bodies and, again, superb (if not frenetic) keyboard accompaniment, this time by Zach Frampton.

But the narrative escaped me. They seemed to be dancing for the sake of dancing…but who cares? I stopped trying to analyze and just enjoyed the cast tackling their challenging choreography with aplomb, showcasing their individual raw emotions and indefatigable commitment.

Again the stage was dimly lit courtesy of Dorrie Deutschendorf. Haze did nothing to change the flat and colourless space. I wanted to see faces, intent, and expression! This moody wasn’t moving!

Final Thoughts:
In my 2023 review, I called FFDN’s Signature Program “dazzling, ground-breaking, and thought-provoking theatre that resonates with a modern audience.” While this 10-year anniversary is still packed with talent, the program lacked the variety I so enjoyed in previous years. It felt oversaturated with contemporary ballet. I was missing the dazzle, saw no new ground broken, and felt mostly vagueness and ambiguity instead of resonance.

Still, there are many more days left in the festival and more venues and dance companies participating in 2024, and at $25 a ticket, it’s still the best value for dance in the city. Here’s hoping the new leadership at FFDN will return next year’s festival to the highlight it’s always been for me as a reviewer of the transformative power of dance and the arts at large.


Fall for Dance North – Homecoming: 2024 Signature Program
September 26 – October 10, 2024
Various venues around Toronto with various artists and companies.
Tickets at https://am.ticketmaster.com/tolive/ffdn2024-onlineboxoffice