Toronto dance lovers are In for a Cuban treat later this month. That’s because the Havana-based Malpaso Dance Company will perform The Last Song (La Última Canción) by Daile Carrazana at Fall for Dance North. The festival’s opening-night show includes music by Maria Teresa Vera / Lorenzo Hierrezuelo and Jordi Sabatés.
Fall for Dance North artistic director Ilter Ibrahimof curated the Homecoming: 2024 Signature Programme to launch the 10-anniversary edition. The festival is presenting The Last Song (La Última Canción) as one component in a tryptic of works at The Creative School Chrysalis (43 Gerrard St. East) at 7:30 p.m. on September 26 and 27.
The Malpaso Dance Company works with international choreographers and tours with 11 dancers. One of those international choreographers was Canadian Aszure Barton (Indomitable Waltz and Stillness in Bloom). In 2021, Fall for Dance North’s filmmaker in residence, Vikram Dasgupta, filmed Stillness in Bloom on location in Havana. The festival has since made the this production available online on Marquee TV.
One of the performers in the film is Carrazana, who created The Last Song (La Última Canción) in 2023. It came in partnership with The Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University where she was a guest artist. Back in 2012, Carrazana co-founded Malpaso Dance Company with resident choreographer and artistic director Osnel Delgado and executive director Fernando Sáez.
Plamondon returns to Fall for Dance North
Homecoming: 2024 Signature Program also features performances by the National Ballet of Canada and Ballet Edmonton.
The National Ballet of Canada will perform Emma Portner’s islands, which is described as “a sculptural duet for two women set to an eclectic playlist of contemporary artists”. Portner has previously choreographed Justin Bieber’s Purpose World Tour and Bat Out of Hell: The Musical, based on Meat Loaf’s bestselling album.
Meanwhile, Ballet Edmonton will perform the world premiere of an ensemble work by Anne Plamondon. The veteran choreographer is a former member of RUBBERBAND, serving as co-director from 2006 to 2015. She has also performed in four Kidd Pivot creations by celebrated Vancouver choreographer Crystal Pite.
In 2018, Plamondon founded her own company, creating the duet Counter Cantor with Porter for that year’s Fall for Dance North Festival.
“Anne’s choreographic approach has been forged by the personalities who have left their mark on the international dance scene,” Plamondon’s biography states. “She made her debut with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens before joining Nederlands Dans Theater 2 (1995–98) and then Gulbenkian Ballet (1998–2000). During this period, she performed the works of more than 30 renowned choreographers, including Jiří Kylián, Ohad Naharin, Hans Van Manen, Angelin Preljocaj, Gideon Obarzanek, Paul Lightfoot and Sol León.”
Fall for Dance North runs from September 26 to October 6. Other highlights include British choreographer Wayne McGregor’s Autobiography, former National Ballet of Canada principal dancer Guillaume Côté’s Burn Baby, Burn, and the return of a powwow-style competition called Tkaronto Open, co-presented with Union Station.
Ibrahimof’s curtain call
This marks the final festival for Ibrahimof, who made dance more accessible through his “Open Studio” at Union Station. As part of this initiative, dancers practised daily in a studio without walls.
Later this year, the Istanbul-raised Ibrahimof will turn over the reins of Fall for Dance North to incoming co-CEOs Lily Sutherland and Robert Binet. Sutherland will also be the festival director whereas Binet will serve as artistic director.
“We are extremely excited to work together in this new co-leadership model to shape the next chapter of Fall for Dance North and build on Ilter’s extraordinary decade of leadership,” Sutherland and Binet said in a news release. “The festival is a crucial part of Toronto’s cultural sector, and we are committed to continuing to grow audiences for dance through bold and accessible programming.”
Fall for Dance North takes place at various locations from September 26 to October 6. For tickets and more information on performances, visit the website. Learn more about diverse communities from the Toronto Spark website. Follow the Toronto Spark on X @TOSparkOfficial
