A Shifting Landscape: Dance Presentation in the Greater Toronto Area
A Shifting Landscape: Dance Presentation in the GTA is a comprehensive research report led by Dance Umbrella of Ontario, in collaboration with sector partners and Nordicity. This report examines the current state of dance presentation in the Greater Toronto Area and explores actionable solutions for a more resilient and sustainable sector.
Key insights include:
Shrinking venue access for professional dance
Financial pressures on artists and presenters
Evolving audience behaviours and competition
Promising models in collaboration, space sharing, and interdisciplinary presentation
The report also outlines next steps and collective opportunities for artists, funders, and organizations to reimagine dance presentation across the GTA.
Welcoming diverse dance communities to the proposed dance hub at Canada’s National Ballet School(NBS)
A New Dance Hub at Canada's National Ballet School: Research and Recommendations
Dance Umbrella of Ontario (DUO) partnered with Canada's National Ballet School (NBS) to conduct a feasibility study on a proposed dance hub. This report summarizes the key findings and recommendations from interviews with experienced dance leaders. Explore the vision for a more equitable and inclusive dance space in Toronto.
Building off of the Canadian Dance Assembly-commissioned research in 2017, “Re-Imagining Service Organizations: Decolonizing Dance”, Mass Culture conducted a landscape analysis of the eighteen arts organizations that currently provide services to support dancers and dance companies.
In October 2023, Dance Umbrella Ontario commenced a research initiative involving Robin Sokoloski and Soni Dasmohapatra from Mass Culture. Their collaborative efforts culminated in the completion of eighteen interviews and an online gathering with organizations dedicated to serving the Canadian dance community. For a comprehensive list of the interview questions, please refer to the appendices. The central objective of these interviews was to gain insights into the current and future services provided by these organizations, as well as to discern the unique positions they hold within the intricate patchwork of the dance sector.
Read the final report and watch the session to collectively discuss the dance sector and collaborative pathways at the buttons below.
From Patchwork to pathways: insights to deepen collaboration amongst dance arts service organization
Research study and needs assessment on dance rehearsal spaces in Ontario
The final report for our research study and needs assessment on dance rehearsal spaces in Ontario has been released! Please see the final report and the appendix below! We acknowledge the Department of Canadian Heritage, Ontario Arts Council, Metcalf Foundation, and the City of Toronto for providing financial support for this work.
Dance Umbrella of Ontario, Nordicity Group Limited (“Nordicity”), and Bridget MacIntosh and Associates are acknowledged for contributing to and carrying out the research and methodology.
We also acknowledge data provided by ArtsBuild Ontario and Canadian Arts Data / Données sur les arts au Canada(CADAC).
Final Presentation on November 15th, 2022