True to its roots, Festival Quartiers Danses will once again take over Montreal’s public squares, parks, and iconic venues with a series of free events that will bring contemporary dance to life beyond its usual confines. Serving as a true gateway to this living art form, this program invites audiences of all ages to experience surprising artistic encounters, whether during a stroll or a lunch break.

As a prelude to the festival, on Tuesday, September 1, at 7 p.m., Jardins Gamelin will host an “Emerging Artists Showcase” featuring five up-and-coming Quebec artists. The public will have the opportunity to discover Regards pénétrants by Lilya Richard, Through Me I See by Marie-Maxime Ross, Mauvais Muse by Sylvia Berman, SAHA by Sofia El Iraki—a solo piece inspired by her multifaceted identity, where multiple languages, cultures, and imaginations coexist within a single body—as well as Corps à cœur, a duet by Lila Dubois Pagesse.

The festival will then officially kick off on Wednesday, September 9, at 9 p.m., at Place des Festivals, as part of the brand-new project “D’images en mouvements,” presented in collaboration with the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership. This evening will feature a dialogue between film screenings and dance, alternating between the screening of short films on the exterior of the Wilder building and live dance performances inspired by these works. Choreographer Morgane Le Tiec, whose work is distinguished by its humanistic and spiritual depth, will present a quintet inspired by the film Abyssal, which she directed with Xavier Curnillon. For her part, Louise Bédard, a leading figure in Quebec contemporary dance and recipient of the Quartiers Danses Festival’s Prix Émérite in 2023, will present a performance inspired by the film Elle s’évade, which she directed with Xavier Curnillon. An encounter between moving images and dancing bodies, where each film becomes the starting point for a new stage creation.

The program continues on Friday, September 11, at noon, at the Atwater Market, with a showcase featuring Montreal’s up-and-coming talent, including the MelMaze trio in Bordélique, the Vâtchik Danse duo with L’Inconsistance, and Lamont, who will present his solo nodus tollens. On Saturday, September 12, at 3:30 p.m., at Place du Village, Montreal-based Guinean choreographer and multidisciplinary artist Aly Keita (Compagnie Kira Arts) will then invite the public to Djata: Conversations du Manden, a performance inspired by Manden traditions, followed by an introduction to African dance open to everyone.

On Sunday, September 13, at noon, the magnificent Belvédère Kondiaronk on Mount Royal will serve as the backdrop for two powerful performances: We Just Out There Loitering! by the Vancouver-based duo PUNIT and Collapse by the Montreal collective Molokhia Squad. These two works energetically explore human connections and the way we occupy space, drawing on the energy and physicality of urban dance and breakdancing.

The outdoor program will also reflect the remarkable “Focus on Asia” theme of this 24th edition. On Tuesday, September 15, at noon, at Place d’Armes, the Hong Kong duo Ji Jie will present Fit, while Japanese choreographer Yasushi Kurotaki will perform Double Poem, giving Montreal audiences a unique opportunity to discover the work of two international guest artists free of charge.

Urban dance lovers will gather on Wednesday, September 16, at 5:30 p.m., at the Esplanade Tranquille/Rue Sainte Catherine, for a 30-minute Battle Exhibition showcasing young talent from Montreal’s krump scene, presented in collaboration with the Montreal Krump Alliance. Celebrating the creativity, improvisation, and energy unique to krump, the event will be followed by a free, one-of-a-kind 30-minute introductory workshop led by 7Starr, an internationally renowned krump artist. This is a unique opportunity to discover this discipline and learn its language alongside a leading figure in the krump scene.

On Thursday, September 17, two events will highlight the day. At noon, on Sainte-Catherine Street in front of the Esplanade Tranquille, Acting for Climate Montréal will present Qu’est-ce que j’en ferais ?, a duo performance with circus-inspired elements, followed by Tēthýs, a solo piece by Montreal choreographer and contortionist Anna Protsiou, who also draws on the world of the circus to push the boundaries of movement and physicality. Then, at 9 p.m., the Place des Festivals will host another evening as part of the “D’images en mouvements” project, presented in collaboration with the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership. Following the screening of the short film HERBERT, Pauline Gervais will present a dance solo inspired by the film she co-directed with Alexandre Paskanoi, creating a dialogue between the film’s cinematic world and her fluid, visceral movement, as well as Sandy Silva, who will present a dance performance inspired by the short film Home, which she co-directed with Marlene Millar.

The event will continue on Friday, September 18, at 9 p.m., at the same venue, with an evening where screenings and performances will once again come together. Following the screening of the film EXUVIAE, co-directed by Marites Carino and the Tentacle Tribe company, the latter will present a performance inspired by the film, using a physical language that blends contemporary dance with urban influences. The evening will continue with the film Am I What I’m Not, co-directed by Cai Glover and Max Machado, followed by a performance by Cai Glover inspired by the short film, sensitively exploring the concepts of identity, transformation, and belonging.

Finally, on Saturday, September 19, Festival Quartiers Danses will offer a day entirely dedicated to families as part of FQD Mini, with two events at different venues in Montreal.

In the morning, at the Salle Émile-Legault at the Cégep de Saint-Laurent, two performances of À corps d’âges, by Alexandra Caron and Emmanuelle Lizère, will be presented at 10 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. for young children, in partnership with the Maison de la culture Saint-Laurent.

Then, at 2 p.m., Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) will host INSECTA by Pauline Berndsen Danse at the Grande Bibliothèque, a walk-through performance that will take families on a journey from inside the library to the garden, where they’ll discover—with humor, poetry, and creativity—the fascinating world of insects. The performance will be followed by a free introductory dance workshop for the whole family, allowing young and old alike to extend the experience through movement. Beforehand, a story time will also introduce the world of the performance, while after the workshop, families can give free rein to their creativity by building their own insect huts at the library.

For eleven days, Festival Quartiers Danses will bring Montreal to life with dance that is resolutely open to the world, transforming public spaces into places for encounters, discoveries, and shared emotions.

On September 13 at 4 p.m., the NFB will present “(RE)CONNEXION,” a program of dance short films curated by Marlene Millar, featuring works by artists from Montreal, Italy, and Brighton. At the intersection of film and choreography, this selection explores family memory, the search for identity, solidarity, and the experience of neurological disability, revealing—through intimate gestures as well as large-scale collective movements—the body’s ability to express resilience and reconnect us to our shared humanity. Among the works presented, audiences will have the opportunity to discover Lueurs, a choreography by Rafik Hubert Sabbagh, founder of Festival Quartiers Danses, as well as Elle X / Elle Y, directed and choreographed by Valeria Galluccio, featuring dancer Marie Chouinard. The selection also includes Les mêmes yeux que toi, directed by Derek Branscombe and choreographed by Anne Plamondon, as well as LANDED, directed by Marlene Millar and choreographed by Sandy Silva. This program highlights the rich connections between dance and film, and the ways in which the image can extend, transform, and convey movement.

Among the highlights of this 24th edition, Festival Quartiers Danses will co-present, with Trip The Light Fantastic, the Montreal premiere of Le Smile Club – Immersif, a work by choreographer Kyra Jean Green, on Friday, September 11, and Saturday, September 12, at 6:30 p.m. at the Monastère. Conceived as an experience where the audience moves right in the heart of the action, this immersive performance transforms the former church into a world that is as fascinating as it is unsettling, where choreographed movement, cinematic illusion, and psychological theater converge. Inspired by alleged psychiatric practices in Budapest during the Great Depression, the work draws viewers into an enigmatic society founded on the pursuit of happiness at any cost. Throughout this sensory journey, the boundaries between reality and fiction, healing and control blur, revealing an experience that is as unsettling as it is hypnotic. A daring production that promises to be one of the festival’s most memorable events.

On Thursday, September 10, at the Cinquième Salle at Place des Arts, the festival will open with Jeunehomme, an iconic work by German choreographer Uwe Scholz performed by Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, followed by Lyre Liar, a solo by British choreographer Liam Francis. An artist known for his physical and theatrical creations that explore the mechanisms of perception and identity, Liam Francis has also collaborated with leading figures in contemporary dance such as Merce Cunningham, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, and Kate Prince. Presented in Montreal as part of the festival, Lyre Liar will then continue its international tour with a performance at the Théâtre de la Ville in Paris in November 2026.

On Friday, September 11, the Mutations and Incarnations program offers a unique artistic journey through the power and grace of Margie Gillis’s solo—whose influence on several generations of performers remains undeniable—the quantum and sensitive universe imagined by Nicholas Bellefleur in Sacred Disaster, and the immersive and introspective experience presented by Liam Francis, thus creating a vibrant dialogue between different generations and choreographic styles.

On Saturday, September 12, Montreal-based choreographer Lina Cruz, originally from Colombia, will present 1+1 Miniatures. As the founder of Fila 13 Productions, she is known for a distinctive choreographic universe where humor, physical precision, and multicultural influences converge. The evening will also feature the piece ELK by Spanish artist Sonia Gómez, an award-winning figure on the Catalan contemporary dance scene. Trained at the P.A.R.T.S. International School in Brussels, this internationally renowned artist has seen her works tour from Europe to China and throughout the Americas. Notably, her work was presented at the Théâtre de la Ville in Paris in June 2026, a testament to the international recognition her work has earned.

September 13 will mark Béatrice Larrivée’s return to the Festival with Maintenant, nous (Now, Us), as part of the Montréal/Hong Kong: Regards, voix et corps (Montreal/Hong Kong: Perspectives, Voices and Bodies) evening, while also offering a rare showcase to the Hong Kong choreographic scene with KT Yau Ka Hei’s solo The Moment, which explores the territories of stillness. From Montreal to Hong Kong, these two performances engage in a dialogue through unique choreographic styles where the theatrical body and the feminist voice collide to sculpt a raw, sensitive, and resolutely free identity. Together, they build a bridge between two distinct artistic scenes, united by a shared quest for expression and presence.

On September 14, the Mémoires et envols (Memories and Flights) evening will bring together three unique performances by El Gao, Meggie Cloutier-Hamel, and Janelle Hacault, where individual history and collective imaginations meet in a choreographic dialogue imbued with poetry and humor, inviting us to revisit our relationship to identity. Cuban choreographer Niosbel Gonzalez, founder of the Quebec-based company El Gao and a leading figure in contemporary dance in his country, will present FE, alongside new creations by Meggie Cloutier-Hamel and Janelle Hacault. Together, these artists offer a sensitive and inventive journey where bodies become vehicles of memory, transformation, and momentum.

On September 15, Suzanne Miller & Allan Paivio Productions will present What Belongs to Us, while David Rancourt (PPS Danse) will present the solo Just. Vancouver artists Livona Ellis and Rebecca Margolick will complete the evening with the duo Fortress. Through these works, a choreographic journey unfolds where the writing of movement dialogues with the intuition of the body, revealing sensitive and embodied forms of resilience, between Montreal and Vancouver.

A highlight of this 24th edition, the Asia Focus will offer Montreal audiences the opportunity to discover artists whose works are still rarely presented in Quebec.

Following KT Yau Ka Hei, it will be the turn of Japanese choreographer Yasushi Kurotaki to present Moonrise on September 16 at the Cinquième Salle, a creation driven by a sensitive exploration of memory, perception, and the invisible traces that shape human existence. Trained in mime by Hiroyasu Sasaki and influenced by the approach of the great choreographer Saburo Teshigawara, Kurotaki develops a highly refined physical language where the body becomes a meeting place between imagination, memory, and presence. His work, which explores notions of gravity, silence, and transformation, notably earned him first prize at the SAI Dance Festival in 2023.

The evening will also feature Recursion by Hong Kong-based choreographer and performer Ji Jie. Drawing on an artistic journey that spans the choreographic traditions of both China and the West, Ji Jie has developed a practice deeply rooted in human experience and the healing process. Through her creations, she transforms the stage into a space of encounter where the body becomes language and emotions flow beyond words. Inspired by an intimate reflection on traumatic memory and self-reconciliation, Recursion invites the audience into a sensitive world where silent dialogues unfold between vulnerability, resilience, and transformation.

Montreal-based Naomi Gwynn will also present LADY, a work for five performers that humorously and lucidly explores the contradictions of femininity and the transition to adulthood. Through a series of scenes blending movement, dialogue, and tragicomedy, the piece offers a critical and offbeat perspective on contemporary female role models. The evening will conclude with BODY / STRUCTURE by Jason Martin of ENTITEY, a solo piece in which a constantly transforming body oscillates between presence and disappearance, in a fragile balance between form, tension, and instability.

On September 17, several key figures from the Quebec scene will come together as part of the 100% Quebec program Géométries du vertige (Geometries of Vertigo). The evening will open with Cas Public and YEAHH, a creation by Hélène Blackburn, followed by the duet Que la beauté nous décapite (May Beauty Decapitate Us) by Zachary Bastille. Cai Glover, also with Cas Public, will then present Rose Red and Violet Blue. The evening will continue with BD Projet Danse, whose eight young performers from the junior company will bring to life a triptych of works by choreographers Owen Montague, Shawn Hounsell and Jérémy Galdéano.

On September 18 and 19, FQD will co-present REPLICA by Andrea Peña & Artists at Usine C. Based in Montreal, the Colombian-Canadian choreographer and designer has made a name for herself on the international scene with immersive works at the intersection of dance, installation, and design. Presented each evening at 7 p.m., REPLICA is one of the highlights of this year’s festival.

Packages are available! Purchase multiple shows from Festival Quartiers Danses and receive a discounted rate:

2 shows: $70 ($35/show)

3 shows: $99 ($33/show)

4 or more shows: $30/show