You Nearly Missed: International Dance Day takes over downtown Vancouver with workshops, walks, and WIPs

by Vicki Duong on April 27th, 2026 at 11:10 AM

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Dance doesn’t always stay on the stage, and this Wednesday (April 29) it will spill into multiple venues across the city.

For International Dance Day, the Dance Centre is hosting a full afternoon of programming across downtown Vancouver, mixing participatory events with behind-the-scenes looks at works still in progress. Some are free, others ticketed, but the idea is the same: meet dance where it’s at, whether that’s in a theatre or out in the open.

The day kicks off with a choreography walk led by Justine A. Chambers and Alana Gerecke, alongside artists including Lee Su-Feh. The guided route turns the neighbourhood into a kind of moving score, asking participants to tune into how bodies move through shared space, and how choreography can exist in everyday interactions.

From there, things move to the Vancouver Art Gallery’s plaza, where Ralph Escamillan, also known as Posh Gvasalia Basquiat, leads a Vogue Femme workshop. It’s an open invitation to try the form, whether you’re new to ballroom or just curious what happens when you bring it outdoors.

Back at The Dance Centre, the afternoon leans into works-in-progress. Soma Anima Arts presents Reverence for the Rebels, an interdisciplinary piece that blends dance, spoken word, and digital media to honour those who have pushed back against oppression. Later, Modus Operandi students offer a preview of their year-end performances, spotlighting emerging artists coming up through the city’s contemporary dance scene.

The day closes with Co.ERASGA’s Studio Salon Series at What Lab, where choreographers share pieces still in development in a more informal setting.

Running alongside it all is MY HOUSE: Vancouver Ballroom, an exhibit curated by Escamillan that traces nearly a decade of the local Ballroom scene through costumes, video archives, and ephemera, on view through June.