Dancemakers

Walking High Park with photographer Zackery Hobler, participants will be shown evidence of prescribed burning, they will gain an understanding of how the process works, and be shown how it concretely benefits the rare black oak savannah of High Park. Curated by Holly Chang and offered in conjunction with Soil Study by sarah koekkoek Link to RSVP on our website

Our limited show capacity is sold out for @trickyruth 's Soil Study BUT there are still spots available in the walks and talks curated by @holly.m.chang See our website for RSVP links!

Guests are invited to gather for a relaxed afternoon of visiting at High Park. Grounded in relational practices, the gathering offers intentional time for connection and community lead by Alex Jacobs-Blum Curated by Holly Chang and offered in conjunction with Soil Study by sarah koekkoek Link to RSVP on our website

✨Meet the Facilitator for Dance&Freedom: Alireza Keymanesh!✨ Learn more about Alireza’s journey in dance, the material that Dance&Freedom will cover and what we can all learn about resistance and freedom. Single workshop sessions are available upon request - email [email protected] for details Link to register in the @dancemakersto Bio! Camera: @raha_rahbaran Music: @xicada_ #ContemporaryDanceWorkshop #AlirezaKeymanesh #PhysicalTheater #DanceToronto

Dance & Freedom invites Misha Petrenko to join the final studio session as Director of Photography— a dialogue between camera, body, and music. Misha Petrenko is a Canadian/Ukrainian cinematographer known for his collaborations with directors such as Zaza Urushadze, Cuong Ngo, Aircastle, and the Perlorian Brothers. For his work on Pearls of the Far East (2011)—one of the first films shot on a RED Digital Cinema camera in Asia—he received awards at the California Independent Film Festival, the Geneva Film Festival, and others. He also shot Anton (2019), the final film by acclaimed Georgian director Zaza Urushadze, known for his Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations. Moving fluidly between narrative, commercial, and hybrid cinema, Misha adapts his visual language with precision and sensitivity. In this collaboration, he brings his vision into the realm of dance film, capturing the final studio session of Dance & Freedom. This collaboration unfolds within Dance & Freedom, a workshop series hosted by Dancemakers and designed and facilitated by Alireza Keymanesh—where participants explore dance and resistance through the lens of the camera. If you’d like to be part of this journey, read more or register via the link in @Dancemakersto bio [Image description in comments ⬇️]

Dance&Freedom invites Ilyse Krivel (Xicada) to join the final studio session for a live electronic set—a dialogue between music, body, and camera. Xicada crafts immersive sonic worlds shaped by ritual, transformation, and altered perception. Through spectral vocals, shifting rhythms, and textured distortion, her work moves between the futuristic and the ancestral—hallucinatory, raw, and deeply embodied. A key voice in Canada’s experimental underground, she has shared the stage with artists such as Dreamcrusher, Dis Fig, and Jessica Moss, with releases on Halocline Trance, Foxy Digitalis, and Borscht Records. She is also co-founder of Borscht and part of Degeneral Strike, contributing to community-based experimental sound practices. This collaboration unfolds as part of Dance & Freedom, a workshop series hosted by Dancemakers, and designed and facilitated by Alireza Keymanesh, where participants explore dance and resistance within a shared live environment. If you feel called to be part of this process, registration is open via link in Dancemakers bio. Image description in the comments ⬇️

What are earth pigments? How do we find and process them? Join us for a hands-on paint-making workshop with Gizem Candan! Curated by Holly Chang and offered in conjunction with Soil Study by sarah koekkoek Link to RSVP on our website

Curator Maxine Heppner facilitated, from an open call, dance-music partnerships of artists curious about the infinite possibilities within their chosen collaborations. 9pm sharing in Small World Music: – David Norsworthy-Shibatani, Rakeem Hardy, Patrick O’Reiley + Just Prince – Rumi Jeraj, DIVKA + Ooldouz Pouri – Pulga Muchochoma, Newton Moraes, Andrea Kuzmich + Shalva-Lucas Makharashvili – Brianna Maltais, Tarek Ghriri + Gandhaar Amin Photos by Henry Chan @henry.chan.photo

Curator Maxine Heppner created CrossPlay as a 2 month exploratory residency for dance and live music artists to be in the game of creating shared worlds. 7pm sharing in Intergalactic Studio: – Alicia Grant, Aisha Sasha John, George Stamos + Ali Massoudi – Chantelle Mostacho, Ori Chacon + Fedor Bondar – Rachana Joshi + Luis Anselmi – Mafa Makhubalo + Honey Paw – Oriah Wiersma + Grace Scheele Photos by Henry Chan @henry.chan.photo

WORKSHOP: Dance&Freedom with Alireza Keymanesh Saturday May 9, 16, 23, 30 As part of our Dance& series, Dancemakers invites Alireza Keymanesh to guide participants through an intensive four-session workshop that blends sorcerer-inspired movement with contemporary dance practices to explore embodying resistance. The workshop will culminate in a full day of dance for the camera, resulting in a video dance piece. Open to both trained dancers and non-dancers, the workshop examines how dance and the human body have been suppressed across cultures and how they continue to reemerge as powerful tools for freedom. This is our first multi-part Dance& workshop, we are so excited to dive deep with you all! Learn more and register at the link in @dancemakersto Music: @xicada_ #ContemporaryDanceWorkshop #DanceWorkshop #ActingWorkshop #AlirezaKeymanesh #foryou

CrossPlay is SOLD OUT (but we will be having a rush line so come to see if we can squeeze you in!) Thursday April 16 (tomorrow!) 180 Shaw St 7pm & 9pm PWYC Curated by Maxine Heppner @acrossoceansarts Supported by @smallworldcentre

DANCE TO FREEDOM In alignment with our Dance& series, artist and facilitator Alireza Keymanesh asks us to look at the ways that dance, history and politics are inseparable. To learn more about how Alireza is using his dance practice to understand his Iranian identity and the current political moment, go to the link in the bio of @dancemakersto and learn more about his upcoming workshop series, Dance&Freedom How are you living your values? Image descriptions in the comments ⬇️ #contemporaryDanceWorkshop #PhysicalTheater #DanceFilm #TorontoDanceTheater #alirezakeymanesh