Vancouver International Dance Festival
#VIDF2023
The Vancouver International Dance Festival was launched in 2000 by co-producers Barbara Bourget and Jay Hirabayashi. The pair’s curatorial interest is in work generated by artists marginalized in terms of race, creed, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, and physical or mental disability.
The VIDF elevates the public profile of contemporary dance in Vancouver and has put Vancouver on the international map of dance. Since its very beginnings, Hirabayashi and Bourget have programmed the festival with a commitment to inclusivity and a nod to their own eclectic interests. While they are best known as being among the world’s top butoh artists, having founded Kokoro Dance, Bourget trained as a ballerina, Hirabayashi is a keen amateur musician, and they love dance of all kinds. Over the years, VIDF has presented artists who specialize in hip hop, classical ballet, martial-arts inspired modern dance, avant-flamenco, contact improvisation, classical and contemporary Indian Bharatanatyam, and much more. The VIDF is a highly anticipated event that has no aesthetic boundaries, that showcases work that is physically visceral and kinetically exciting, and that engages and challenges audiences.
Increasing public appreciation for contemporary dance created by equity-seeking artists is a core goal. VIDF presents exceptional performances and workshops by leading artists of varying backgrounds who are focused on the body as the instrument of communication. The festival advances the art of contemporary dance through innovation, experimentation, rigour, and physical discipline.
The VIDF’s mandate is to globally support the art of contemporary dance while maintaining a strong focus on B.C.’s contemporary dance community and building audiences for contemporary dance in Vancouver. To that end, the festival features work that is inclusive of the diversity of expression found in B.C. and the City of Vancouver, where the VIDF takes place annually during three weeks in the month of March.
Equity and approachability are central principles of VIDF, which strives to make contemporary dance accessible to all sectors of the Vancouver population, including those who are economically disadvantaged and unable to afford to purchase even the least expensive tickets to dance performances. If dance is a universal language, the VIDF ensures everyone can experience it, Half of the VIDF’s programming is free for the public to enjoy.
Annual fest’s founders, Barbara Bourget and Jay Hirabayashi, step down from leadership roles after more than two decades
Alumnus of Japan’s acclaimed Dairakudakan takes a physically stunning journey through death and consciousness
At VIDF, surreal set touches and Molinari Quartet’s live music add to the emotional impact of Compagnie Virginie Brunelle’s work
In daring duet at VIDF, Ralph Escamillan explores the limits of trust with Daria Mikhaylyuk
The Quebec artist’s Les corps avalés, performed live with the Molinari Quartet, explores human fragility with intense musicality
Audiences can check out Modus Operandi, Ferenc Fehér, Jennifer McLeish-Lewis, and VIDF Jazz Jams from February 25 to March 9
Amok showcases butoh work The Folds, while Chong dances Le Collectif RNTF’s multidisciplinary piece Invisible 无形
Solo danced by Marie-Philippe Santerre explores sensations of dissolving and solitude
Running February 25 to March 9, Kokoro Dance event also features FakeKnot’s whip, Ferenc Fehér’s Disco Boys, Tony Chong’s Invisible, and more
Random memorable scenes from the year in arts span 50 dancers swirling in BOLERO X, a powerful Julius Caesar speech, and a cello star’s finale with local string students
Difficulty obtaining artists’ visas cited as cause for cancellation at The Massey Theatre—reflecting similar issues that have affected global performances in Canada
A solo called being by the acclaimed choreograher-dancer and founder of Vision Impure will be livestreamed
Aakash Odedra Company’s duet proves mesmerizing, exhilarating
The artist, celebrated in Quebec and abroad, brings J'ai pleuré avec les chiens (TIME, CREATION, DESTRUCTION) home
Explorative group piece will show nude dancers using sound and movement to tell canine-driven stories
An old man raises a glass of sake to himself in moving meditation on life and loss
At Vancouver International Dance Festival, Japanese artist unveils work created during Tokyo’s extended COVID lockdown
Kudo’s butoh dance solo reflects the impact of pandemic lockdowns on the human mind
Save the last dance for me puts a new spin on the whirling polka chinata
The piece from Montréal-based company La Otra Orilla fuses flamenco and punk culture
Barbara Bourget and Jay Hirabayshi to perform moving duet on opening night
The veteran choreographer and performer explores the queering of the body and the imagination in riveting solo
From manic butoh to punk flamenco, the fest features artists from as far away as Senegal, Italy, Japan, and beyond
The Company 605 artistic co-director performs solo live from Kokoro’s KW Studios as part of TANZAHOi
Other local talents to receive honours include David Y.H. Lui and the late Kay Armstrong
Travelling from Haiti to Brazil, the artist collects a diverse range of rhythmic language
Online and at the Orpheum Annex March 18 and 19, dancer Josh Martin re-explores the body as a container
Artists include Olivia Shaffer, Manuel Roque, Benoît Lachambre, and Tiger Princess Dance Project
Jay Hirabayashi and Barbara Bourget’s improvisational elements ensure each performance will be unique
Ticketed shows by talents like Company 605, Kokoro Dance, and Daina Ashbee complement free or by-donation offerings