Lead Choreographer/s: Ragamalika Mohanraj, Pallavi Maity and Avni Shirbur

Dance Style: Odissi

Karika - is defined as the verses of Upanishads and Karila also refers to She who instills certainty. She is said to be Nitya (the Eternal Woman). She brings about growth and development.

Karika is dedicated to preserving the rich heritage of Indian classical dance forms. With a profound understanding of the artistry and cultural significance of these dance styles. Our moto is to support working women who have a passion for dance. We hope to build a safe space where women can continue with their practice without feeling overwhelmed by external pressures. We strive to captivate the audiences and create a memorable experience through our performances.

Raga and Pallavi will be presenting ‘ANGIKAM’, which will be traditional Odissi (Odissi is a major ancient Indian classical dance that originated in the temples of Odisha) Choreographies reimagined as a Duet

Lead Choreographer/s: Anahita Nayebi

Dance Style: Persian Classical Dance

Journey of Womanhood - Our performance takes you through a woman’s life, from birth to eternal grace, using Persian dance, Tar, and Daaf. Birth: The Blossom of Innocence - We begin with the innocence of infancy, reflecting life’s possibilities through gentle Persian dance, accompanied by the Tar. Youth: The Dance of Passion - Youth comes alive with passionate Persian dance and Tar and Daaf, symbolizing exuberance and resilience. Adulthood: The Elegance of Maturity - Adulthood is portrayed with graceful Persian dance and Tar, celebrating strength and wisdom, supported by the Daaf. Motherhood: The Nurturers of Life - Motherhood is honored with soft Tar tunes and prayers through dance, focusing on maternal love. Elderly Wisdom: The Dance of Eternal Grace - Wisdom in old age is expressed through reflective danceand haunting Tar melodies.

Lead Choreographer/s: Elena la Comadre

Dance Style: Flamenco (Traditional)

Dos Ritmos Flamencos (Two Flamenco Rhythms) - Bulerias and Sevillanas - features two rhythms in the genre of Flamenco dance. Bulerias has a special place in the world of flamenco. It is complex and yet it can lend itself to simplicity, always undergoing change, full of spontaneity and humor while embodying a festive quality. Dating back to the 19th century, it was birthed from the solea or alegrias as singers and dancers would finish off with a faster-paced, livelier palo or rhythm. Like many flamenco palos, there are many styles of the bulerias depending on their regions of birth, such as Jerez, Lebrija, Triana, Utrera, Cadiz and so on. The form bulerias is hard to master because of its improvisational element. Whether complicated or simple, the bulerias has a majestic quality of grace brought out by the individuality of the dancer, singer or guitarist. Sevillanas has many different expressions from classical to flamenco.  Therefore, it was and remains a socially important cultural expression. A bit of history states that the dance and rhythm of Sevillanas is strongly associated with the culture and people of Sevilla. Around the 15th century, this dance form developed in the historical region of Castile having its roots in an old Castilian dance called Seguidillas. Sevillanas gained its status as an independent genre by the 18th century as part of Escuela Bolera (Spanish Classical Dance).  It is a cross between Spanish folk dances and ballet influenced strongly by the French. By the year 1900, the escuela bolera tradition and for this dance, gave way to blending with flamenco - hence Sevillanas Flamencas.

Lead Choreographer/s: Sanjukta Banerjee

Dance Style: Mohiniyaatam

Namami Gange - In the puranas, Ganga has been described as the apah of the heavens - the holiest of all waters. Emerging from the sweat of Lord Vishnu, Ganga is the gateway to Shiva Loka. But how did this river of the heavens become the source of life for the earth? From ancient days to modern times, Ganga has been personified through poetic imaginations. While in the mountains, she is described as a little girl, skipping over stones and pebbles, gazing at colorful butterflies and flowers in amazement, and humming to herself as she flows downstream. While entering the plains, Ganga is imagined as a lady in her youth – yuvati. Flanked by her sakhis, she babbles and giggles, sings, and dances, and almost unknowingly turns into a beautiful maiden – joyous, restless, energetic, and full of love and life. Her bold waves crash against the banks, awakening consciousness, and lifting souls. The genre of Mohiniyattam embellishes the Ganga stotram with rich technique and the expression component will harness the mood of this presentation.

Lead Choreographer/s: Emma Bartolomucci

Dance Style: Contemporary Hip Hop

THE FOURTH R: reduce, reuse, recycle, Revolutionize! We all know the situation: the planet, the people and the animals are in a really tough spot. Animals and resources are becoming extinct, the CO2 levels are rising, and the Arctic is melting. But there is hope - and it’s US! Our story follows the journeys of three characters; a fossil fuel investor giant, a consumer of all things, and a person who lives in a place vulnerable to the effects of climate change. These characters are representatives of groups of people globally that share climate experiences. As our play unfolds, we see how their daily actions contribute to the rising emissions and in the end their ability for empathy will be the only cure to the disease.

What you are watching tonight is a short excerpt of a 40 minute long, full length work. Since its inception in 2020, The Fourth R has been shown 58 times across Canada (Toronto, across Ontario, Edmonton, Charlottetown & Halifax) and the UK (Edinburgh and Dalkeith). Visit dancefachin.com to learn more.

Lead Choreographer/s: Jarucha Janmekha

Dance Style: Thai Classical Dance

Thai Blessing Dance - In Thai, the word rabam means “a synchronized dance”. Each dancer makes similar gestures and motions. The word Krit daab hiniharn means “power and glory”. So, now we know that Rabam Krit daab hiniharn is a synchronized dance for power and glory. This dance first appeared in the historical play “Kiertisak Thai” staged at the Silapakorn Theater in Bangkok in 1943. The dancers represent gods and angels who have gathered in joyful dance to honour the power and glory of the Thai nation. The scattering of fragrant flowers gives blessings to the audience. The lyrics of the song also carry a message of good wishes and happiness. So make a wish, and who knows? Maybe it will come true because of these blessings!

Lead Choreographer/s: Joyce Sheng/Sheila Song

Dance Style: Classical Chinese Han-Tang Dance

Dance to the Joy - "The Han-Tang Classical Chinese Dance" is a style of contemporary classical Chinese dance formed in an artistic process of refining and recreating the dance images in historical documents and cultural relics. It centers around the culture of the Han and Tang dynasties, but also includes a variety of historical dance forms from the Pre-Qin dynasty to the Ming and Qing dynasties, embodying the connotations of traditional Chinese aesthetics and artistic spirits. This dance pieces described a group of girls dance to the music with joy.

Lead Choreographer/s: Sapna Sehravat and Ayushi Sharma

Dance Style: Odissi

Ardhanarishwar means half-woman lord. In this piece, Lord Shiva dances in his half-man, half-woman form representing the yogic concept of the human being having masculine and feminine aspects, equally. The feminine aspect is represented by Parvati, the consort of Shiva. The lyrics translate as follows:

“To Her whose body shines like molten gold,
To Him whose body shines like burning camphor,
To Her who has well made up hair,
And to Him who has the matted locks 

I bow to you Shiva and Parvati.”

Lead Choreographer/s: Kristen and Lina

Dance Style: Afro Caribbean Fusion

Empowerment - ICONS are a dance group of 4 dynamic African and Caribbean women. We perform routines which highlight each of our unique cultures including San Tome, Jamaica and Guyana. We all have diverse dance backgrounds and bring each element of our culture to our routines. In every performance, we include moves, theme and song choices curated to empower women. Women empowerment is the focus of our team. We believe all women should stand in their power and be strongly represented in community and art spaces. We also want to highlight the vast culture of the diaspora and increase the visibility of African and Caribbean culture in a positive light.

Lead Choreographer/s: Prajakta David

Dance Style: Kathak (Indian Classical Dance from Northern India)

Goonj (Resonance) - When there is perfect synchronization between different elements, it gives rise to an experience beyond description - a resonance – Goonj. This piece presented in the Indian Classical dance form of Kathak showcases the resonance of the dancer with the music and vocals, and the aesthetic movement & footwork that accompanies it.

Goonj begins with a contemporary Chatarang, meaning four colours. The four colors of music in this piece are a poem about rain, a tarana, pakhawaj compositions and the melody. It is titled “Meha Barso” composed by Mr. Uday Ramdas and is set to Raag Megh in the 12 beats Drut Ektaal rhythm.

In the second half of the performance, the dancer transitions from the soft melody into a fast-paced technical presentation that highlights the most distinctive features of Kathak like footwork, chakkars and elegantly designed movements set to a rhythm of 16 beats, reaching a crescendo with multiple fast spins.

Lead Choreographer/s: Shivani Shivakumar

Dance Style: Bharatanatyam (Indian classical dance)

Shambhala - this is a Shiva keerthane which describes various aspects and elements of the lord of dance Nataraja. The first jathi will explore the ardhanarishwara form of lord shiva combined with his consort Parvati. 

Lead Choreographer/s: Elisa Rosalia and Tahnee Reyes

Dance Style: Circus Arts

Ground Cube Duo - Tahnee and Elisa debuted their first duo performance in early 2018 after meeting in a pole class in Toronto. Two artists with a similar flair for adventure, they have created duo-work on several apparatus including pole, lollipop Lyra, aerial Lyra and are currently debuting a brand-new piece on a custom-built circus apparatus the LED ground cube! With backgrounds in dance, pole, aerial arts, and fitness, both partners are skilled in the art of creating a synchronized piece and are excited to share this custom creation with you today. 

Lead Choreographer/s: Nilantha K Diyagu Baduge

Dance Style: Low Country Dance from SriLanka

The Devils Dance - Dances in low country are highly ritualistic. This form of dance is performed to appease evil spirits which cause sickness and is thus called ‘Devil Dance’. The dancers wear masks depicting many characters varied in forms of bird, demons, reptiles, etc. There are 18 main dances related to pahatharata style known as the Daha Ata Sanniya held to exorcise 18 types of diseases from the human body. The Low country dances of the southern plains mostly spread in coastal areas such as Galle, Matara, Hambanthota etc. It has two contents of Devil dance and Deity Dance. Dances in low country are highly ritualistic. This form of dance is performed to appease evil spirits which causes sickness and is thus called ‘Devil Dance’.

The dancers wear masks depicting many characters varied in forms of bird, demons, reptiles, etc. Deity Dances are used to get the help of variety of Gods and Goddesses, to appease evil spirits. There are some dances related to the Pahatharata (low country) style known as Daha Ata Sanniya held to exorcise 18 types of diseases from the human body. Furthermore, there are some Kolam (jovial) characters and Devil characters also can be seen. A cylindrical body drum used for low country dancing is called as “Yak Bera”, and it is beaten with both hands The Low Country dance form is known as such because the important schools of this dance form were historically located in the low-lying coastal areas of the Western and Southern Provinces. This form of dance was also known as Ruhunu Dance, as the areas of the present Western and Southern Provinces made up a greater part of the ancient Ruhunu Kingdom of Sri Lanka. Dances of Sri Lanka states that Low Country dances are very different from Kandyan dance—the only similarity being the basic mandiya pose of knees half bent and spread outward, and arms bent at the elbows in line with the chest. These dances are very ritualistic, and the use of masks is prevalent through all of them.

Lead Choreographer/s: Lauren Lyn & Kaleela Dominic

Dance Style: Heels

The Candy Shop Dance

Lead Choreographer/s: Bengt Jörgen

Dance Style: Classical Ballet

Excerpts from The Nutcracker: A Canadian Tradition,  The performance will feature excerpts from Ballet Jörgen’s holiday classic The Nutcracker: A Canadian Tradition. Created by acclaimed choreographer and Artistic Director Bengt Jörgen to Tchaikovsky’s well-loved score, this delightful classic is a favourite that brings magic to the holidays. The ballet is set in and around Algonquin Park in 1912 and features Trillium flowers, loons and other distinct  Canadian representations replacing the traditional Nutcracker dances. Designed by award- winning designer Sue Lepage, the sets and costumes take audiences on a grand journey through northern landscapes filled with snowflakes, Mounties, raccoons, chipmunks, and bears. This season the production is celebrating its 15th anniversary with the addition a new section of Cottontail Rabbits.

Lead Choreographer/s: Bengt Jörgen

Dance Style: Classical Ballet

Excerpts from The Nutcracker: A Canadian Tradition,  The performance will feature excerpts from Ballet Jörgen’s holiday classic The Nutcracker: A Canadian Tradition. Created by acclaimed choreographer and Artistic Director Bengt Jörgen to Tchaikovsky’s well-loved score, this delightful classic is a favourite that brings magic to the holidays. The ballet is set in and around Algonquin Park in 1912 and features Trillium flowers, loons and other distinct  Canadian representations replacing the traditional Nutcracker dances. Designed by award- winning designer Sue Lepage, the sets and costumes take audiences on a grand journey through northern landscapes filled with snowflakes, Mounties, raccoons, chipmunks, and bears. This season the production is celebrating its 15th anniversary with the addition a new section of Cottontail Rabbits.

Lead Choreographer/s: Zheng Li/Maggie Ma

Dance Style: Classical Chinese Long Tassel Fan Dance

Peach Blooms Embrace the Moon - This is a classical Chinese dance, showcases the graceful, gentle, and sometimes bashful side of a group of young girls.  They are yearning for their homeland under the moon and peach blossoms.  Dancers using the fan, would pretend that they are looking into the mirror; looking at the moon; catching butterfly etc. This dance involves technics from Chinese Opera in manipulating the long tassel attached to the end of the fan. It is challenging to manipulate the tassel; therefore, we practiced a lot to perfect the skill.

Music of the dance is a compilation of three pieces that perfectly fit in with the theme.  May it be peaceful, lively, or graceful, are all covered. All in all, this is a beautiful dance combined with classical dance moves and fan/tassel technic, mesmerizing!

Closing Ceremony

Closing Ceremony

Closing Ceremony

Inauguration

Ribbon Cutting

Audience

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Sunday 19 November, 2023 @ 7 pm  (COMPLETED)

DOORS OPEN AT 6:50

Opening Ceremony.

• Welcome Speech: Mary Ashok (Managing Director, DDInc. / Artistic Director, TIDF)

• Inauguration

1. Gaana at Mac -Lead Choreographer: Surekha Thiruvarooran

Gaana At Mac is a team from McMaster University sharing the love and passion for the South Asian folk-dance style, Kuthu. Kuthu is a form of dance that varies in complexity as it is energetic, expressing and upbeat, as it symbolizes celebration and festivities. This dance style has been passed down for generations as it develops a positive outcome and environment for those involved. Gaana At Mac wishes to do the same within the community, especially in an educational setting where one can be involved to relieve stress, meet new people, and expand their skills.

2. Portuguese Cultural Centre of Mississauga Inc. Folklore Dance Group - Lead Choreographer: Andrew Da Camara

The Portuguese Cultural Centre of Mississauga (PCCM) was founded on February 26, 1974. Our Cultural Centre has proudly represented the Portuguese Community in Mississauga for over 40 years. We have over 500 active members and our facility runs on the hard work of our volunteers. There are over 40 volunteers that work tirelessly every week to ensure our Cultural Centre represents our community to the highest standards.

3. Ensemble Topaz - Lead Choreographer: Paromita Kar

Ensemble Topaz is honored to present Dances of Uzbekistan at TIDF 2023. These dances, done in the Ferghana style of Uzbek dance, are choreographed by Mashxura Tolibovna of Uzbekistan. The piece begins with the expressive dance "Gul", followed by "Dotarchki Kiz", danced with the instrument dotar, two-stringed instrument from Uzbekistan and found in regional variations throughout Central Asia and South Asia, and finally ending with the high energy "Andijon Polka".

4. Mimi Batho – Independent Artist

 Jaripah is the dance from the history of the very famous “Barong Kemiren” in Banyuwangi, Indonesia as part of the ritual. This dance depicts a hero from Blambangan Kingdom with the same name, Jaripah.

5. Sakura Performance - Lead Choreographer: Umesh Anavkar

 Koli Dance is a popular folk dance of the Maharashtra and Goa states of India. It was created by Kolis of Mumbai, which is the fishermen community. The Koli Dance reflects the rhythm of the sea waves and all the festivals and life events of Kolis are always celebrated with Koli dance.

6. Nirkoda Israeli Dancers of Toronto - Lead Choreographer: Ronit Eizenman

Shalom – Peace

In the words of American singer and rapper Matisyahu:

All my life, I've been waitin' for

I've been prayin' for, for the people to say

That we don't wanna fight no more

There'll be no more wars, and our children will play.

In this new dance, Nirkoda Israeli Dancers express the pain and loss of war, the resolve to work towards peace, and the hope for a peaceful future for all people.

7. Mexican Folklore Group TONATIUH - Lead Choreographer: Adrianna Luz Castillo

 Mexican folkloric group Tonatiuh presenting dances from Guerrero south of Mexico from the coast near the famous Acapulco, the music has influence from the black people and is notice on the percussion and on the zapateado.

8. SG Expressions - Lead Choreographer: Sujatha Ganesh

SG Expressions performs Traditional Tamil unique item named Kolattom. Kolattom means Dance with sticks / Dandiya sticks. The song which we are performing is one of the first dance song on Kolattom describing the importance and specialities of women performing kolattom. The song name is Kolkal Aduvom

9. MM Entertainment - Lead Choreographer: Melanie McGregor

MM Entertainment is a Toronto based professional performance company specializing in live entertainment. MM Entertainment provides Toronto’s most interactive and entertaining live performers for your special events, weddings and corporate parties. MM Entertainment performers can be seen on stages across the GTA and internationally on TV and in music videos for both local and international artists. Their first performance is the MM Entertainment Fusion Bellydance!

10. Rangara Performing Arts - Lead Choreographers: Gayara Udawatta and Oshini Hewawaduge

This dance performance showcases not only the beauty of Sri Lanka's culture but also the unique techniques and skills required to perform the traditional dances. Sri Lankan cultural dances are not just body movements aligned to the beat of a Sri Lankan drum, but it also encompasses the history of the dance forms and the journey our predecessors took to bring this art form to the stage. The dancers of the Rangara Performing Arts Dance Academy will proudly bring Sri Lanka's culture, history and the high technicality of the dance forms to the stage.

11. BollySalsa - Lead Choreographer: Heer Dave

Heer, the queen of expressions in dance, joined forces with Deivy, a world-champion Latin dancer from Colombia, creating a mesmerizing fusion known as "Bollysalsa." Heer's versatile skills in Indian dance and storytelling merged seamlessly with Deivy's Latin flair. Their duets, a harmonious blend of cultures, celebrated diversity through dance, leaving audiences worldwide in awe. Beyond their performances, Heer and Deivy's partnership exemplified the unifying power of art, transcending boundaries and fostering connections across cultures, proving that dance is a universal language that can inspire and move people.

12. Elite Chinese Arts Troupe - Lead Choreographer: Selina Wang

The collision of tradition and modernity, the new look of Dai dance brings the audience into the bright moonlight, among the quiet mountains and rivers, the beautiful Dai girl, spinning in the melodious hat, swaying in the gorgeous skirt, fully showing off the beauty. Soft and romantic.

13. Sentir Venezuela - Lead Choreographer: Carla Soto

 Sentir Venezuela Cultural Group is a non-profit organization that wants to express, promote and encourage interest in Venezuelan culture in Canada, through their traditional music and dance. The performance they are doing today, aims for the audience to learn and enjoy the beautiful music, colours and movements Venezuelan dance has. First, they are going to perform a Venezuelan Waltz called El Diablo Anda Suelto composed by Heraclio Fernandez, followed by Venezuela, a musical piece by SV musicians, combining two well- known Joropo songs, their national dance.

14. Roots and Branches - Lead Choreographer: Tamla Matthews

The Dance is called Hallelujah and will perform to drums. Hallelujah is an intergenerational celebration of gratitude. The movement vocabulary comes from African and Caribbean traditional dance forms and embodies the act of giving thanks for life despite distractions and challenges. This performance group is a family-based group with the adults having over 20 years performance history. Hallelujah will be performed by mothers, fathers and aunties, along with their daughters and nieces.

15. Dantitude Dance & Entertainment Inc. - Lead Choreographer: Bowie Lin

 A gathering of exceptionally talented and experienced dancers from Dantitude came together to deliver a captivating performance that masterfully embodied the seamless fusion of diverse dance styles. In this showcase, we skillfully demonstrated our innate capacity to transition gracefully between dynamic, contemporary movements and the emotionally charged, expressive elements that are integral to urban dance. We earnestly aspire for our performance to resonate deeply with the audiences.

16. MM Entertainment - Lead Choreographer: Melanie McGregor

MM Entertainment is a Toronto based professional performance company specializing in live entertainment. MM Entertainment provides Toronto’s most interactive and entertaining live performers for your special events, weddings and corporate parties. MM Entertainment performers can be seen on stages across the GTA and internationally on TV and in music videos for both local and international artists. They are back with MM Entertainment Professional Disco Show!

17. Commercial Bollywood - Lead Choreographer: Shreya Notaney

 Shreya and her groups will perform an energetic dance that brings out the Colors of Bollywood!

18. Kaleidoscope Chinese Performing Arts (KCPA) - Lead Choreographer: Tracy Lee

 Dream of Dancing Butterflies:  Butterfly Dance is a traditional folk dance, which depicts a group of young woman transformed into a flower god and butterflies. It shows the fairy-like dance of the flower god and butterflies. With the help of traditional fan props and the technics of fan movement, showing the wings of the butterflies, the dance reveals a brisk the rhythm and graceful movements. The dance also reflects the beauty of nature and people's desire of harmony between humanity and nature.

Closing Ceremony:

• Vote of Thanks: Gita Sankaran (Director, DD Inc.)

• Final Bow (Curtain Call)

• Photo Session

Please note: NO BREAKS; Foods/Drinks not allowed in the Auditorium; Flash Photography strictly prohibited. Use the photobooth provided.