Call for Dance Curators: 2026-2027 Programming Season at Dancemakers

Photo: Jahmal Nugent

Dancemakers 2026–2027 Call for Dance Curators

Deadline: July 17, 2026
Online Info Session: July 3, 5pm ET (or by zoom appointment)

We are pleased to open this year’s call for Dance Curators for our 5th season of exploring our decentralized model.

Dance Curators are encouraged to ‘dream projects into being’ that may not be programmed in traditional performance venues, companies or festivals.

Priorities include: Site-specific projects in specific locations/settings, projects that engage with and integrate communities/audiences and projects that deeply consider the curatorial context of the work and projects that engage with a range of dance forms and traditions.

Photo: Robinson Nelson

Dance Curators play a vital role in responding to larger contextual realities and urgent needs related to dance and presenting dance in Canada. We are explicitly looking to support various dance forms, performances that engage with land, social issues and that centre BIPOC voices.

We are interested in curatorial projects that are clearly able to answer ‘why this now’?

Each Curator will be expected to engage with audiences through a full production or a work-in-progress showing along with discussions, workshops, participatory events, community-building and/or other porous approaches that includes community interaction.

A Selection Committee will review projects together and may choose to engage in follow-up conversations if needed during the first few weeks of August.

Guest Curators will receive a $8,000 CAD curatorial fee based on CADA rates.

Photo: Claire Harvie

Other things to note:

Dancemakers has a list of offerings for Guest Curators to select from in terms of supports provided for projects (such as):

Up to $30,000 CAD to actualize the project
Producing support from Dancemakers’ Co-Artistic Producer
Support with booking space, venue rentals, hiring technicians, etc
Accessibility supports
Promotion of event(s)
Documentation (photo, video & commissioned written document/essay)

We highly recommend reading through the Call’s FAQs before applying to best represent your application!

How to Apply:

For complete details and to apply, please visit the website.

Deadline: July 17, 2026

Questions & Access:

If you have questions or experience any barriers in accessing or completing this application, please contact producer@dancemakers.org. We are open to other formats and paces and want to learn how to make these kinds of processes easier for applicants.

Dancemakers
410 Jarvis Street
Toronto, ON M4Y 2G6
www.dancemakers.org

Facebook @dancemakersTO
Instagram @dancemakersto

Image Descriptions:
1. Kosi lunges forward with her body twisting in opposition. She wears a white long sleeve and blue jeans against the night time city skyline with the CN tower at the centre. The foreground features sandbags and patches of grass among other set pieces.
2. Harikishan and Sukanya are connected by a long red fabric that is loosely tossed over their shoulders and rests delicately in their hands. They wear all black, Harikishans eyes are downcast and he smiles softly while Sukanya looks towards him in expectation.
3. Eddie & Julia sit on a worn gymnasium floor lifting up one side of their sweater. Eddie is closest to the camera and faces away as he stretches his blue cardigan. Julia faces the lens behind him.