2025 Festival Snapshot

Over 16,000 people joined us to feel the world move at Fall for Dance North 2025! 


25 Ticketed Performances across:

Audience: 6,000+ at the Bluma Appel Theatre, The Citadel, and OCAD U! 


Free Programs included:

Public Engagement: 10,000+ across Union Station, the AGO, OCAD U, and more!

 


90% of our surveyed audience said the FFDN experience encourages them to see more dance throughout the year!

 

Audiences loved this year’s programming!

AFROFUSION: Signature Programme 1

Afrofusion was great. It was a broader scope than I'd expected. [...] I'd go see anything Esie Mensah choreographed.

- Audience Member

 

The Afrofusion and Homegrown programs were some of the most collectively satisfying programs I have witnessed in a while. All the pieces were artistically riveting and excited me to want to learn more about each artist.

- Audience Member

 

HOMEGROWN: Signature Programme 2

From start to finish, the opening night of Homegrown was stellar! I loved Caroline opening the show. It all felt so street/ organic, and all from my own backyard. The two men that closed the show had my jaw dropping- doing things I didn’t know possible with their bodies. All of the dancers stunned the audience - standing ovations all around. I loved it so much!

- Audience Member

 

KATHAK & BALLET: Signature Programme 3

Both the signature programmes I attended were incredible, but I need to specifically mention how amazing Kathak & Ballet was. To see Kathak on a Toronto stage was something I never could have dreamed of and something I'm incredibly grateful for!

- Audience Member

 

I really enjoyed the exchange and collaboration between the two styles of dancers and the international exchange. We are truly lucky in Toronto to have access to the world here!

- Audience Member

 

UP NEXT: Signature Programme 4

I really enjoyed Up Next. I like the way it was more accessible for more people. The dancers were right there ... You could talk to them. You could see them close up … a good idea having it at OCAD thank you.

- Audience Member

 

Intimate Pairings

I enjoyed seeing dance forms I don't typically have access to. Intimate Pairings was like nothing I've seen (Braids and Heritage), the stage, the audience participation, and the style of dance was so unique. That is the kind of performance that starts a conversation, "you have to see this!"

- Audience Member

 

Tkaronto Open III 

Tkaronto Open - hope you keep doing this. The number of people passing by who have never been to a Pow Wow and who stop to watch is huge.

- Audience Member

 


What critics said about the new festival vision:

Fall for Dance North continues to be one of the most exciting and accessible ways to experience dance in Toronto. If you haven’t attended before, make sure to add it to your calendar next year and support this important festival that keeps dance thriving in Canada.

- Deanne Kearney, The Dance Debrief, October 25, 2025

 

It’s now clear that its new direction—featuring smaller venues—has brought a welcome sense of intimacy and deeper audience connection. [...] FFDN continues to evolve in exciting ways. At just $25 a ticket, it remains the best value for dance in the city.

- Geoffrey Coulter, Our Theatre Voice, October 19, 2025

 

 

What festival artists said about their experience:

Through dance we connect to something timeless, where tradition and innovation meet to stir intrigue. Having the honour to bring the stories of artists of African descent to the mainstage is both a dream realized and a celebration of legacy, artistry, vision, and spirit. Thank you to Rob and Lily and everyone at FFDN to help make this possible. 

- Esie Mensah, FFDN Artist-in-Residence 2025 and co-curator of AFROFUSION: Signature Programme 1

One of the first performances I experienced after moving to Toronto was the 2016 edition of Fall for Dance North. Since then, it has been a dream to be part of this festival, and I am honored to now co-curate a program that centres Kathak, a form that has too often existed at the margins. 

- Tanveer Alam, Kathak dancer and co-curator of KATHAK & BALLET: Signature Programme 3

Engaging blindness as perception invites us to reimagine not only the stories we tell but also how we tell them. I am thrilled to explore the artistry of blind perception through dance and the stories to come!

- Dr. Devon Healey, FFDN Scholar-in-Residence 2025-2027 and co-creator of Dancing with Blindness 

"Nya:weh for welcoming our way of life and our style of dance into your space. It was such a beautiful and unforgettable experience for both Yanabah and I. It truly meant so much to stand alongside so many incredible people, all of us bringing our gifts together in one circle. My heart is still dancing a little!" 

- Marley Fairfield, Tkaronto Open III Dancer, UP NEXT: Signature Programme 4

Many thanks for making our time here so welcomed. It was truly wonderful to be part of FFDN and the dancers from The Royal Ballet had a fabulous time performing, as I did sharing it with them. 

- Dame Darcey Bussell, The Royal Ballet