The Vibrant World of T Dance Montréal

The Best of T Dance Montréal

t dance montreal is an established ritual for Montreal’s 2SLGBTQIA+ community once the Pride Parade is over. And this year’s line-up is bigger than ever.

Highlights include the Dream Academie for up-and-coming drag queens and a colossal closing T-Dance on the TD stage, presented by Skip The Dishes. There’s also Mundo Disko on the Loto-Quebec stage, with DJ K.Nox, DJ T Don and Ugandan DJ Kampire.

1. Dream Academie

This dance school is a non-profit club that provides a free, comprehensive education in a variety of styles. Students have the opportunity to perform in various competitions throughout the year, take part in dynamic lectures from guest speakers, and participate in community service activities. Students also learn entrepreneurship, financial management, and social skills through the club’s leadership programs.

In 2021, the club was taken over by the Mansour Group, a multinational conglomerate with several subsidiaries and investments around the world. While Right to Dream still doesn’t receive a profit (as in, it does not pay out a dividend), its assets have grown significantly since then, and the academy is now more than just a dance school.

Despite being born into a multi-ethnic family, Manon Bannerman hopes to be able to inspire others through her music and believes that “it’s important to be yourself.” She has been praised for her sexy dancing during missions like “OMG” by NewJeans, “Antifragile” by LE SSERAFIM, and “Buttons” by the Pussycat Dolls.

2. T-Dance

The École de dance contemporaine de Montreal trains future generations of contemporary dancers in a unique space adapted to the art form. It also provides a place for learning, research, creation and innovation based on human values. It is a meeting point for key trendsetters in the field.

Located in the heart of downtown Montreal, the School has an open and welcoming spirit. It aims to make dance accessible to people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. From the Olympic-calibre dancer training for a career on the world stage to the child or elderly person discovering the joy of dancing for the first time, students are taught in a safe and respectful environment.

The T-Dance and Closing Show is the culmination and final celebration of Montreal Pride’s week long festivities. Usually a wild party, it features some of the biggest DJs in town including Montreal’s own David Laguerm. This year, they will be joined by DJ K.nox, DJ T Don and Ugandan DJ Kampire.

3. MX Contest

A variety show with a beauty pageant twist, Mx Contest invites people of all gender identities to showcase their hearts and talents under the parodic guise of a talent competition. Contestants are ranked by the judges panel and audience reaction, a winner being declared at the end of each night.

This year, the festival celebrates four 2023 Grand Marshals, people who make a difference in the lives of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. They include Anachnid, an Oji-Cree artist who won the Felix Award for Indigenous Artist of the Year; Claudia Bouvette, whose Paradise Club album on Bonsound won the Polaris Music Prize; and Zambian-born rapper BackXwash, better known as Ashanti Mutinta.

DistinXion, presented by TD Bank on the TD stage, brings a wide range of local artists, innovative talents and singer-songwriters to the stage. Performers like TEYKIRISI, Honeydrip, pony and A$H BANKS will keep the dance floor moving until late at night. DJ Beatrix will also spin at the mega t dance and is known throughout the world for her happy nostalgia that’s perfect for the dance floor!

4. Closing Show

Montreal queer dance diva REVE (aka Briannah Donolo) returns home to headline the Closing Show on Aug. 13. The 2023 Juno winner is one of dance music’s fastest-rising stars. She’s gained a big TikTok fan base, landed a major record deal and earned a nod from the dance world’s bible Billboard with her platinum-certified/Michael Pezzetta-approved smash Ctrl + Alt + Del.

The festival’s main site on the Olympic Park’s Esplanade hosts bigger Pride shows, starting with ImmiX, presented by ICI Musique, featuring Edith Butler, Lumiere, Coco Belliveau, Klo Pelgag and Joe Bocan on the TD Stage on Aug. 9. Then comes a big comedy show called Me joke-tu? at the National, hosted by drag kings Rock Biere and RV Metal.

Other events include the Xcellence night of DJs who shake up queer Montreal nightlife year-round, including TEYKIRISI, pony and A$H BANKS. Then Fierte Littéraire, the literary wing of the festival, presents roundtables and safespaces for authors of colour and an outdoor book fair.

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Building Trust and Preparing for Dance Performances

How to Trust 2 Dancers

Dancers need to trust each other in order to perform complex partnering moves. Without this trust, a dance can look tentative and unfinished.

To examine the relationship between these dimensions and flow, we used an improved causal steps approach developed by Wen and Liu66. This allowed us to identify complete and partial mediation paths.

4. Practice makes perfect.

The old cliche is true: it’s really important for dancers to practice. Rehearsing helps build muscle memory and ensures they know the steps. But don’t overdo it! Just like an Olympic-hopeful runner wouldn’t run a marathon the day of their qualifying race, dancers should avoid over-rehearsing just days or hours before the competition. This can lead to burnout and even physical injury. Instead, aim to practice a few times throughout the week leading up to the event.

5. Be prepared.

Dancers should prepare for competitions and performances by getting a good night’s sleep. This will help improve memory and performance. They should also make a checklist of items they will need to bring. This could include water bottles, a snack, an extra pair of shoes and a change of clothes. Lastly, they should make sure that they pack everything in their dance bag and double check it the night before.

During rehearsals, students should be encouraged to problem solve together. This will help build their bond with their partner, and it will allow them to come up with solutions to tricky moves. For example, if a lift isn’t working well, the pair can try different options during a practice to see what works best.

Additionally, it’s important to teach students coping strategies for stage fright. This will help them to stay calm and confident.

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Houston Dance Festivals: Transcending Barriers and Celebrating Diversity

Houston Festivals of Dance

Dance has the power to transcend barriers and uplift people. It brings people together and inspires others to be their best selves. It can also be a powerful tool for healing and community building.

Houston choreographer Adam Castaneda saw that firsthand when he created a virtual festival, x dance houston, for Latinx choreographers. It was born out of frustration with how hard it is for these artists to get paid opportunities.

Frame x Frame Film Fest

This year’s lineup of the Frame x Frame Film Fest includes Breath Made Visible, a documentary about dance pioneer Anna Halprin, and Mao’s Last Dancer, a heart-wrenching film that highlights the drive, discipline, and determination required to become a ballet star. Other films explore the complexities of human connection and the power of storytelling through dance, such as The Call, a short film by Trey McIntyre that features Houston Ballet company members.

The festival, which runs Thursdays-Saturdays through November and December, offers a month of about 50 curated selections that span three categories: those that explore the world of screen dance; those that share a behind-the-scenes perspective on a new dance-for-screen creation; and those that provide a nostalgic opportunity to enjoy classic films with iconic scenes.

Beyond the films, Frame Dance cultivates its mission through other activities, including classes for children and adults, a multi-gen program, a book club, and intimate in-studio showings along with larger site-specific works. Executive and creative director Lydia Hance explains that the company is committed to broadening who dance is for and where it takes place.

Texas Latino/a/x Contemporary Dance Festival

The Texas Latino/a/x Contemporary Dance Festival features a lineup of diverse dance artists from across the state. This year’s event will feature group performances as well as solo and duet pieces. The festival’s roster includes familiar names such as Roberta Cortes and Adam Castaneda, as well as new faces like Mark Travis Rivera and Estefani Valle.

The festival is curated by Adam Castaneda, founder of Pilot Dance Project. He notes that choreographers of color lack both representation and institutional support, which inspired him to create the festival. He hopes that it will help bring attention to these issues and encourage people to support them.

Ja’ Malik is an in-demand choreographer who has created works for companies such as North Carolina Dance Theater 2, Oakland Ballet, and CityDance Ensemble of Washington D.C. His unpredictable physical inventiveness and theatrical sense make him a choreographer to watch. The festival will also feature a piece by Houston-based choreographer Ashley Horn. Her piece, The Saints’ Offering, is a call for mindfulness and peace in the face of tempestuous fury.

Houston Fringe Festival

A yearly celebration of independent theatre, dance, music and visual art from Houston and beyond. The festival offers the stage to newcomers as well as experimental art veterans. The performances are often 15-60 minutes long and feature a wide range of disciplines.

Among the highlights of this year’s festival is Houston choreographer jhon r. stronks’ wry and adroit “Black Love,” an exploration of the challenges of black couples experiencing raw and genuine love. Another new offering is Spoken Word collective Invisible Lines’ “The Conqueror Worm,” which examines Poe’s description of life as a pageant and humans as characters.

The festival also features a number of workshops led by performing artists, after parties and visual arts exhibits. The ‘Anything Goes’ weekend will include a screening of filmmaker Jonathan Caouette’s Tarnation, which is part documentary and part hallucinatory acid trip. The film uses Super-8 home movies, VHS tapes, family photographs and answering machine messages to weave a complex portrait of schizophrenic family travesty and trauma.

Queer Fringe Festival

While this festival is not a dance-based event, it does feature performances that explore themes of eros and LGBT+ concerns and experiences. The festival also features discussions, workshops and parties.

This year’s lineup includes a range of performances that have been described as eerie and enthralling. These include a sword swallower whose closing trick involves a tube of vividly orange neon and an avant garde performance artist who uses a popcorn machine mounted on her helmet to create a spellbinding visual spectacle.

Other highlights of the festival include Lucy Best’s Queer Cabaret variety show. Each night of this show features a different lineup of queer excellence. In addition to serving as a cabaret host, Best is a stand up comedian, actress and musician who performs comedy, music and theatre across Australia and internationally.

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