Get the best of Vancouver in your inbox, every Tuesday and Thursday. Sign up for our free newsletter.
The Dance Centre is marking a major milestone this year, with its 40th anniversary season bringing another full slate of contemporary dance to its downtown Vancouver home.
Running through spring 2027, the 2026-27 season includes two performance series, artist residencies, community programming, and a handful of free events. It also marks 25 years since The Dance Centre moved into its distinctive Davie Street building.
“This year is truly extraordinary: we celebrate 40 years of The Dance Centre and 25 years in our landmark building in the heart of downtown Vancouver,” says executive director Mirna Zagar in a release.“It’s a season that honours our past, celebrates our present, and continues boldly into the future. From electrifying world and Canadian premieres in our Global Dance Connections series which include new works that continue to push the boundaries of movement and imagination—to the ever-popular Discover Dance! noon series. Much of this work is the result of numerous collaborations with arts organizations across the country and beyond.”
The Global Dance Connections series kicks things off with Tasha Faye Evans’ Cedar Woman, a Coast Salish work rooted in ancestral resilience, matriarchy, and the relationship between people and the land.
Later that month, Wen Wei Wang returns to the stage with Last Solo. Billed as his final solo work, the longtime Vancouver dance artist looks back on his life and career through themes of aging, sexuality, memory, and transformation.
The fall continues with the North American premiere of Barbara Matijevic and Giuseppe Chico’s Forecasting. Built around the strange and sprawling universe of amateur YouTube videos, the performance pairs a lone performer with a laptop as the boundaries between online and offline life begin to blur.
December brings a double bill from Raven Spirit Dance, Vanguardia Dance Projects and Aanmitaagzi, while the new year includes Ebnflōh Dance Company’s Mōnad, presented alongside the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival.
The latter half of the season includes the Vancouver edition of Moonhorse Dance Theatre’s Older & Reckless, which puts the spotlight on artists over 45, as well as the world premiere of Odd Meridian Arts’ 58 Wonder Lane in May.
For anyone looking to squeeze some dance into their lunch break, the Discover Dance! series is also back with four noon-hour performances. The lineup moves between contemporary dance, ballet, Métis Jigging, House Dance and Bharatanatyam.
Beyond the stage, The Dance Centre will continue its artist residencies, labs and exchange programs, including partnerships connecting Vancouver artists with dance communities in Montreal, Toronto, and New Zealand.
The celebrations officially get moving on September 12 with The Dance Centre’s 25th annual Open House. The free event will fill the building with classes, workshops, studio showings and other activities, with the full schedule still to come.
When: September 12 to May 29, 2027
Where: Various venues
Tickets: A mix of free and ticketed events starting at $15+, available here