Parcours Danse

Accolades et quiproquos from Les Archipels.
Performers in the photo : Ian Yaworski et Philippe Meunier
Photo : David Wong

Designed and produced by La danse sur les routes du Québec (La DSR) since 2003, Parcours Danse is one of the leading platforms devoted exclusively to dance in North America.

Aimed at creating opportunities for artistic discovery and for encounters between creators, programmers, dance companies, artists and cultural workers, this large international gathering held in both French and English provides a fertile breeding ground for creation projects, residencies and tours.

Through its premium-quality programming, La DSR has positioned Montreal as an international dance metropolis during a week steeped in discovery, promoted cultural programming throughout Quebec, Canada and abroad, and contributed to increasing Quebec’s cultural and cooperative influence with international partners.

Artistic selection for Parcours Danse is carried out by a jury of peers (who are compensated) following a call for applications among La DSR members. The focus of the selection is on artistic relevance, and creations of any genre from artists of all origins are welcome. In addition to the official selection, there are a series of OFF presentations, many cocktail hours and professional development sessions on current issues in the field of dance.
It is not uncommon for over 40 dance shows or excerpts to be presented in the city during that period – truly a driver of dance for Montreal!

Next Edition: November 28 to December 1, 2023

Review of the 2021 Edition

2021 program (French - PDF)

List of participants

The virtual 2021 edition of this biennial event gave artists the opportunity to present their work through 103 Quebec-based, Canadian and international presenters. Despite the pandemic, the Parcours Danse biennial event was held as an opportunity for meetings, discussions and professional development. It was a positive outcome for La DSR, which helped maintain ties between artists, agents and presenters in addition to reaffirming Montreal’s position as an international dance metropolis.

Parcours Danse 2021 included:

423 participants from 18 countries on 3 continents;
1,388 contacts made, 201 meetings booked, 1,076 discussions held and 110 people who booked at least 1 meeting. Among the 33 artists who had a booth, 520 contacts were made, and 145 meetings were booked;
27 creations (17 as part of the official selection: 1 dance video, 3 full-length pieces, 8 excerpts, 5 lectures with demonstrations), including 10 showcases as part of the OFF series, and two roundtables that were presented online using the Swapcard platform.

Supporting the Next Generation

As part of Parcours Danse, La DSR provided opportunities for young artists to begin to familiarize themselves with the performance world through two projects:

My First Parcours Danse, which allowed young graduates of the École de danse de Québec, the dance department at UQAM and the École de danse contemporaine de Montréal as well as 10 Tangente artists to experience Parcours Danse for the first time. The invitation for this program was accompanied by a preparatory meeting with a member of La DSR’s team to prepare selected individuals for optimal participation in the event;

Parcours exploratoire, which thanks to support from Les Offices jeunesse internationaux du Québec (LOJIQ) and the Caisse de la Culture, and in partnership with LA SERRE – arts vivants, gave a cohort of six choreographers with less than five years’ practical experience the opportunity to be mentored from March to December to participate in professional OFFTA meetings in May 2021 as well as in Parcours Danse. Through Parcours exploratoire, they received six training sessions and individual support in addition to benefiting from a co-development group.

Parcours Satellite / FOCUS Québec 2021

In order to showcase the work of companies for young audiences, La DSR partnered with Maison Théâtre to present dance as part of FOCUS Québec. The event, which took place before Parcours Danse, presented 10 showcases of theatre and dance for young audiences over two days in addition to a discussion surrounding the issues affecting this sector and field.

RIDEAU Award

The RIDEAU Award is presented by a jury to one of the artists nominated in the official selection. The Award consists of a showcase at the RIDEAU event held in Quebec City in February 2022. This collaboration between RIDEAU and La DSR aims to promote dance in Quebec and create synergy between showcase events in the performing arts.

Congratulations to Parts+Labour_Danse, winner of the RIDEAU Award for their show, EFER

Photo: Julie-Anne Richard, General Manager, RIDEAU; David Albert-Toth, Co-Manager of Parts+Labour_Danse et Pierre-David Rodrigue, General Manager, La danse sur les routes du Québec.