dance: made in canada/fait au canada (d:mic/fac) is the biennial repertory festival with a vision of:
- Presenting works by Canadian choreographers who have unique artistic visions and come from all cultural backgrounds.
- Presenting artists based on artistic merit, regardless of whether they are emerging, mid-career and/or established; it is the artist’s commitment to their own vision that holds weight as we curate.
- Providing a platform for experimentation and collaboration with other arts disciplines, cross-pollinating artists both geographically and experientially.
- Contributing to arts education in our community through a spectrum of engagement activities.
- Making the arts accessible to the public.
d:mic/fac Festival was created in 2001 in response to the growing need to support mid-market independent dance artists. Performances were held at the old Dancemakers’ Studio from 2001- 2004 and at Winchester Street Theatre from 2004-2008; in 2009 the Betty Oliphant Theatre became our home. In 2009, we presented two Winnipeg based and two Toronto based artists over two weeks. This garnered four Dora Mavor Moore Award nominations.
Since then, d:mic/fac Festival has had 27 Dora Mavor Moore Award nominations, won 7 Dora Awards, voted Top Best Dance Series by NOW magazine and is “an important element in Toronto’s dance scene.” – The Globe and Mail.
In 2011, d:mic/fac Festival evolved into a repertory festival format with performances running at the Betty Oliphant Theatre in Toronto, featuring new and existing works by established to emerging choreographers working in Canada.
In 2021, d:mic/fac Festival responded to the global COVID-19 pandemic by partnering with Canadian Stage, and presented five live performances at Canadian Stage’s outdoor venue, the High Park Amphitheatre.
Since its inception in 2001, d:mic/fac Festival has presented a cross-section of contemporary Canadian dance makers.
Banner photo by Drew Berry and Sydney Herauf, still from Portraiture.