In retrospect, we can see how the pandemic re-routed artists and organizations, for the better and worse. Common Ground Dance Festival was one of the silver linings of that dark cloud, that was precipitated through questions around the seeming impossibility of the continuation of dance; both practically due to Covid-19 restrictions that undermined the value of the art-form, and metaphorically - the opportunity to reset meant we could start anew and get more serious about our commitments to addressing issues of equity and access. CGDF was conceived through conversations that asked Why does dance matter? and What can dance do for us, that is both essential and irreplaceable?

The answer, as non-lingual and non-linear as dance itself, drew us back to our roots. TOES was originally an acronym for The Outreach and Exchange Strategy; naming the central tenants of our founders’ shared practice - building relationships and facilitating artistic conversations. Although we don’t use T.O.E.S. publicly as an acronym anymore, those values were calling us “home” as we reflected further on what was possible from the isolation of our homes. We landed on an outdoor community dance festival in public space; an idea that was made manifest through conversations with North York Arts that steered us towards the Toronto Arts Council’s Animating Toronto Parks grant program.

You can explore the festival’s history here.

Rooted in the notion of “the commons” (a term to describe all that is collectively shared including nature and community spaces), Common Ground Dance Festival responds to social and arts sector issues by curating intercultural choreographic programming amidst everyday life. We bring dance into spaces that are frequented by local residents for daily enjoyment and function; closing the gap between artists and audiences to remove barriers from arts participation.

The growth of CGDF has been possible through close collaboration with many artists and partners in North York, and Willowdale specifically. We extend our gratitude to the following partners who’ve helped shape the festival and make it possible over the years: Willowdale Central Ratepayers Association, TO Live, North York Arts, North York Central Library, Toronto Transit Commission, Great West Life Realty Advisors, Earl Haig Secondary School, Cardinal Carter Academy of the Arts, Claude Watson School for the Arts, Cawthra Park Secondary School, Peggy Baker Dance Projects, and Toronto Dance Salsa.

We’ve been unpacking what ‘intercultural’ could mean beyond multicultural representation. Together, we’re curious about the facilitation of public spaces that are creative, embodied, and intersectional. If culture is the way patterns of interaction are embedded into our lives, an intercultural dialogue welcomes and engages the historical, political, and social contexts that we carry. CGDF can be a space of gathering and sharing; acknowledging that although we don’t need to agree to create community between us, we must be respectful, curious, and willing to engage and learn – with cores values of reciprocity and solidarity to ground us.