In just one week, Festival Quartiers Danses (FQD) will kick off its 24th edition—an especially significant one, as it will be the last led by its longtime founder, Rafik Hubert Sabbagh. A fitting way to celebrate 24 years of commitment, creativity, and connection, as the festival continues to build momentum with a vibrant and wide-ranging program. From September 9 to 19, 2026, FQD will take over Montréal’s theatres and public spaces, bringing together more than 40 choreographers and companies from Québec, Canada, and around the world.
The indoor program promises a memorable edition, highlighted by an exceptional Asia Focus, showcasing artists from Japan and Hong Kong who are still rarely presented on Québec stages, alongside leading figures in dance such as Margie Gillis, Lina Cruz, Sonia Gómez, Béatrice Larrivée, Hélène Blackburn x Cai Glover, Liam Francis and Andrea Peña.
The program also features a series of free performances presented in public squares, parks, and iconic locations across Montréal, a film program, and other activities that venture beyond the beaten path. True to its mission of making contemporary dance accessible to everyone, FQD transforms the city into a vast open-air stage, inviting audiences of all ages to experience unique artistic encounters.
“In 2000, I did not create a festival simply to add another event to the cultural calendar. I created it because I deeply believed that dance should step beyond its walls, meet the city, and belong to everyone. I wanted to offer choreographers a space for freedom, creation, and dialogue, while giving those who thought they did not know dance—newcomers and enthusiasts alike—the opportunity to discover it, often by chance, on a street, in a park, or in a public square.
Twenty-four editions later, that dream has grown far beyond anything I could have imagined. Together, we have brought dance to more than 90 locations across Montréal, welcomed thousands of artists, presented hundreds of works, and given more than 150,000 festivalgoers the opportunity to discover the infinite richness of choreographic creation. Above all, Festival Quartiers Danses has helped discover and support an entire generation of choreographers who are now shaping the contemporary dance landscape in Québec, across Canada, and far beyond.
FQD has always been guided by a simple conviction: dance is a universal language that belongs to everyone. Long before this became widely recognized, we chose to bring dance into urban spaces and neighbourhoods, to build bridges between artists and citizens, and to bring dance into schools, community centres, and care settings. This commitment to making dance accessible to all has been at the heart of our work from day one. Because art truly comes into its own when it is shared.
Today, our world is marked by deep divisions. Violence, identity-based polarization, increasingly radical capitalism, and climate upheaval are putting our humanity to the test. In the face of these challenges, I remain convinced that art is more essential than ever. Dance does not claim that it can change the world on its own, but it invites us to see it differently. It questions, brings us together, awakens us, and reminds us that hope is a movement—an energy that can be passed from one person to another.
This 24th edition holds a particularly special meaning for me. I see it as a celebration of an extraordinary human and artistic journey. None of this would have been possible without the trust of artists, the loyalty of our audiences, the support of our partners, and the remarkable dedication of our team and volunteers. To each and every one of you, I offer my deepest gratitude.
Festival Quartiers Danses continues its journey, carried forward by a wonderful team that will continue to champion artists with passion, showcase the vitality of dance, and forge connections with audiences here and elsewhere. I wish the festival many more years of growth, surprise, and inspiration.
Thank you for dancing this journey with us. From September 9 to 19, I invite you to experience this 24th edition in theatres, at Place des Arts, and at several iconic locations across Montréal, as well as outdoors, in the heart of the city. Come share these moments of beauty, freedom, and emotion with us. Whether you are young or old, a longtime supporter or a first-time festivalgoer, a newcomer to dance or a passionate enthusiast, once again let dance surprise you, move you… and leave you dazzled.”
Rafik Hubert Sabbagh
General and Artistic Director and Founder of Festival Quartiers Danses
True to its DNA, Festival Quartiers Danses will once again take over Montréal’s public squares, parks, and iconic locations with a series of free events that will bring contemporary dance beyond its usual venues. A true gateway to this living art form, this program invites audiences of all ages to experience unexpected artistic encounters, whether while out for a stroll or taking a lunch break.
The festival will officially kick off on Wednesday, September 9 at 9 p.m. at Place des Festivals, as part of the groundbreaking “Screen to Motion” project, presented in co-presentation with the Partnership for Quartier des Spectacles. The evening will bring together film projections and dance, alternating short films projected on the exterior of the Wilder Building with live dance performances inspired by the 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 co-directed with Xavier Curnillon Meanwhile, Louise Bédard, a leading figure in Québec contemporary dance and recipient of the Festival Quartiers Danses Émérite Award in 2023, will offer a performance inspired by the film Abyssal, which she co-directed with Xavier Curnillon. A meeting between moving images and dancing bodies, where each film becomes the starting point for a new stage creation.
The series continues on Friday, September 11 at noon, at Atwater Market, with a showcase dedicated to Montréal’s emerging dance scene, featuring the trio MelMaze in Bordélique, the duo Vâtchik Danse 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, Montréal-based Guinean choreographer and multidisciplinary artist Aly Keita (Compagnie Kira Arts) will invite audiences to Djata : Conversations du Manden, a performance inspired by Manden traditions, followed by an African dance workshop open to everyone.
On Sunday, September 13 at noon, the magnificent Kondiaronk Belvedere on Mount Royal will provide the setting for two powerful works: We Just Out There Loitering! by Vancouver duo PUNIT and Collapse by Montréal collective Molokhia Squad. Both works energetically explore human connections and the ways we occupy space, drawing on the energy and physicality of street dance and breakdancing.
The outdoor program will also echo the remarkable Asia Focus of this 24th edition. On Tuesday, September 15 at noon, at Place d’Armes, Hong Kong duo Ji Jie will present Fit, while Japanese choreographer Yasushi Kurotaki will offer Double Poem, giving Montréal audiences a special opportunity to discover the work of two international guest artists free of charge.
Fans of street dance will have their turn on Wednesday, September 16 at 5:30 p.m., at Esplanade Tranquille/ Sainte-Catherine Street, with a 30-minute Battle Exhibition showcasing young talents from Montréal’s krump scene, presented in collaboration with the Montreal Krump Alliance. Celebrating the creativity, improvisation, and energy that define 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. It will be a unique opportunity to discover this discipline and explore its language alongside one of the leading figures of the krump scene.
On Thursday, September 17, two events will punctuate the day. At noon, on Sainte-Catherine Street in front of Esplanade Tranquille, Acting for Climate Montréal will present Qu’est-ce que j’en ferais ?, a circus-inspired duet, followed by Tēthýs, a solo by Montréal choreographer and contortionist Anna Protsiou, who also draws on the world of circus to push the boundaries of movement and physicality. Then, at 9 p.m., Place des Festivals will host another evening of the “Screen to Motion” project, presented in co-presentation with the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership. Following a screening of the short film HERBERT, Pauline Gervais will present a dance solo inspired by the film which she co-directed with Alexandre Paskanoi, bringing the work’s cinematic universe into dialogue with her fluid and visceral movement, while Sandy Silva will present a dance performance inspired by the short film Home, which she co-directed with Marlene Millar.
The experience will continue on Friday, September 18 at 9 p.m., at the same location, with another evening where projections and performances meet in dialogue. Following a screening of EXUVIAE, co-directed by Marites Carino and Tentacle Tribe, the dance company will present a performance inspired by the film, using a physical language that fuses 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, exploring themes of identity, transformation, and belonging with sensitivity.
Tēthýs, Anna Protsiou
Finally, on Saturday, September 19, Festival Quartiers Danses will offer a full day dedicated to families as part of FQD Mini, with two events taking place at different locations across Montréal.
In the morning, at the Salle Émile-Legault at 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 Maison de la culture Saint-Laurent.
Then, at 2 p.m., Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) will welcome INSECTA by Pauline Berndsen Danse, a travelling performance that will take families from inside the library to the garden, inviting them to discover the fascinating world of insects through humour, poetry, and creativity. The performance will be followed by a free introductory dance workshop for the whole family, allowing children and adults alike to extend the experience through movement. Before the performance, a storytime session will introduce audiences to its world, while following the workshop, families will be invited to unleash their creativity by making their own insect shelter at the library.
For eleven days, Festival Quartiers Danses will bring Montréal to life with a truly global and inclusive approach to dance, transforming public spaces into places of connection, discovery, and shared emotion.
On September 13 at 4 p.m., the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) will host “(RE)CONNEXION,” a program of dance short films curated by Marlene Millar, bringing together works by artists from Montréal, 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. Through both intimate gestures and large-scale collective movements, the films reveal the body’s ability to express resilience and reconnect us with our shared humanity.
Among the works presented, audiences will 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 relationship between dance and film, and the ways in which the moving 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 Montréal premiere of Le Smile Club – Immersif, a creation by choreographer Kyra Jean Green, presented Friday, September 11 and Saturday, September 12 at 6:30 p.m. at Le Monastère.
Designed as an experience in which audiences move right into the heart of the action, this immersive performance transforms the former church into a world that is as fascinating as it is unsettling, where choreographic performance, cinematic illusion, and psychological theatre converge. Inspired by purported psychiatric practices in Budapest during the Great Depression, the work draws audiences into an enigmatic society built around the pursuit of happiness at any cost. As the sensory journey unfolds, the boundaries between reality and fiction, healing and control begin to blur, revealing an experience that is both unsettling and hypnotic. An ambitious creation that promises to be one of the festival’s most memorable events.
On September 10, 2026, at the Cinquième Salle of 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 work by British choreographer Liam Francis.
Renowned for his highly physical and theatrical creations that explore the mechanisms of perception and identity, Liam Francis has collaborated with leading figures in contemporary dance, including Merce Cunningham, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, and Kate Prince. Presented in Montréal as part of the festival, Lyre Liar will then continue its international journey with a performance at Théâtre de la Ville in Paris in November 2026.
Jeunehomme par les Grands Ballets Canadiens – Photo de Sasha Onyshchenko
On September 11, 2026, the program Mutations and Incarnations offers a distinctive artistic journey through the strength and grace of a solo performance by Margie Gillis, whose influence on several generations of performers remains undeniable; the sensitive and quantum-inspired universe imagined by Nicholas Bellefleur in Sacred Disaster; and the immersive, introspective experience created by Liam Francis. Together, these works create a vibrant dialogue between generations and choreographic voices.
On September 12, 2026, Montréal-based Colombian-born choreographer Lina Cruz will present 1+1 Miniatures. Founder of Fila 13 Productions, she is renowned for a distinctive choreographic universe where humour, physical precision, and multicultural influences converge. The evening will also feature ELK by Spanish artist Sonia Gómez, an award-winning figure on the contemporary Catalan dance scene. Trained at the internationally acclaimed P.A.R.T.S. school in Brussels, this internationally recognized creator has toured her works throughout Europe, China, and the Americas.
L’artiste catalane Sonia Gomez
On September 13, 2026, Béatrice Larrivée will return to Festival Quartiers Danses with Maintenant, nous as part of the Montréal / Hong Kong: Gazes, Voices, and Bodies program. The evening will also offer a rare opportunity to discover Hong Kong’s choreographic scene through The Moment 刻, a solo work by KT Yau Ka Hei that explores the territories of stillness.
From Montréal to Hong Kong, these two performances engage in a dialogue through distinctive choreographic languages, where theatrical embodiment and feminist expression intersect to shape identities that are raw, sensitive, and resolutely free. Together, they create a bridge between two distinct artistic scenes, united by a shared quest for expression and presence.
On September 14, 2026, the program Remembering and Soaring will bring together three distinctive performances by El Gao, Meggie Cloutier-Hamel, and Janelle Hacault, where personal histories and collective imaginaries meet in a choreographic dialogue infused with poetry and humour, inviting audiences to reconsider their relationship to identity.
Cuban choreographer Niosbel Gonzalez, founder of the Québec-based company El Gao and a leading figure in his country’s contemporary dance scene, will present FE, alongside new creations by Meggie Cloutier-Hamel and Janelle Hacault. Together, these artists offer a sensitive and inventive journey in which the body becomes a vehicle for memory, transformation, and momentum.
On September 15, 2026, Suzanne Miller & Allan Paivio Productions will present What Belongs to Us, while David Rancourt (PPS Danse) will offer the solo Just. Vancouver-based artists Livona Ellis and Rebecca Margolick will complete the evening with the duet Fortress. Across these works, a choreographic journey emerges in which the writing of movement engages in dialogue with bodily intuition, revealing forms of sensitive and embodied resilience between Montréal and Vancouver.
A highlight of this 24th edition, the Asia Focus will offer Montréal audiences the opportunity to discover artists whose works are still too rarely presented in Québec.
Following KT Yau Ka Hei, it will be the turn of Japanese choreographer Yasushi Kurotaki to present Moonrise on September 16, 2026, at Cinquième Salle, a creation rooted in a sensitive exploration of memory, perception, and the invisible traces that shape human existence. Trained in mime under Hiroyasu Sasaki and influenced by the approach of renowned choreographer Saburo Teshigawara, Yasushi Kurotaki develops a highly refined physical language in which the body becomes a meeting point between imagination, memory, and presence. His work, which explores notions of gravity, silence, and transformation, earned him First Prize at the SAI Dance Festival in 2023.
The evening will also feature Recursion by Hong Kong choreographer and performer Ji Jie. Enriched by an artistic journey that bridges choreographic traditions from both China and the West, Ji Jie develops a practice deeply rooted in human experience and healing processes. 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 audiences into a sensitive universe where silent dialogues are woven between vulnerability, resilience, and transformation.
Yasushi Kurotaki au SAI DANCE FESTIVAL- Photo de Bozzo
Montréal-based artist Naomi Gwynn will also present LADY, a work for five performers that explores, with humour and lucidity, the contradictions of femininity and the passage into adulthood. Through a series of scenes blending movement, dialogue, and tragicomedy, the piece offers a critical and offbeat perspective on contemporary female archetypes. The evening will conclude with BODY / STRUCTURE by Jason Martin, a solo in which a constantly transforming body oscillates between presence and disappearance, maintaining a fragile balance between form, tension, and instability.
On September 17, several leading artists from Quebec’s dance scene will come together as part of the 100% Quebec program Géométries du vertige. The evening will open with Cas Public and YEAHH, a creation by Hélène Blackburn, followed by the duo Que la beauté nous décapite 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.
Recursion de la chorégraphe hongkongaise Ji Jie
On September 18 and 19, 2026, Festival Quartiers Danses (FQD), in co-presentation with Usine C, will present REPLICA by Andrea Peña & Artists. Performed each evening at 7 p.m., REPLICA stands as one of the major highlights of this edition.
Based in Montréal, Colombian-Canadian choreographer and designer Andrea Peña has established herself on the international stage through immersive works that sit at the intersection of dance, installation, and design. REPLICA offers a powerful continuation of her artistic research, bringing together embodied experience and spatial exploration.
REPLICA de Andrea Peña & Artists
Festival Packages Are Available!
By purchasing tickets to multiple Festival Quartiers Danses performances at Cinquième Salle, audiences can take advantage of special rates:
2 performances: $70 ($35/performance)
3 performances: $99 ($33/performance)
4 performances or more: $30/performance
Festival Quartiers Danses Thanks Its Valued Partners
The Quartiers Danses Festival would like to warmly thank all of its partners and funders, whose commitment makes this 24th edition possible. Presented by Québecor, the festival benefits from the invaluable support of Canadian Heritage, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Government of Quebec, the City of Montreal, the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership, the Southwest Borough, the Ville-Marie Borough, Tourisme Montréal, and George Laoun Opticiens; as well as inspiring cultural partnerships with Place des Arts, Usine C, Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ), and the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). Thanks to their trust and support, the Quartiers Danses Festival continues its mission of presenting, creating, and promoting contemporary dance to audiences both here and abroad.