Open Call for Dance Artists: Intercultural Residency and Presentation Opportunity (September 2026)

Common Ground Dance Festival (CGDF) produced by TOES FOR DANCE (TFD), is a celebration of movement and community that takes place annually in North York’s Willowdale neighborhood. Programming includes free performances, workshops, and community-building activities in public space. Since 2021, the festival has activated Lee Lifeson Art Park in addition to other local hubs within the area. Click here for festival history.

The festival’s mission is intercultural; intentionally gathering a diverse constellation of artists and community members from North York, Toronto and beyond for the purpose of creating connection. Previously curated dance styles/practices include Tap, Euro-American Contemporary, Kathak, Hip Hop, Commercial, Sinhalese Kandyan Folk, Ballet, Bharatanatyam, Bachata, Garba, Indigenous Hoop dance, Flamenco, and other forms.

TOES FOR DANCE is inviting submissions through this Open Call for our new extended festival format, Common Ground Dance Days (CGDD), in partnership with Flight Festival of Contemporary Dance (FFCD). We are seeking artists interested in deep intercultural dialogue, collaborative research, and process-driven creation who are available for and interested in all of the following activities:

In 2026, we are piloting Intercultural Residencies that bring together two cohorts of two artists from diverging practices and communities to collaboratively explore the creation of a short duet work. The first phase of this residency will culminate in a work-in-process presentation at CGDD 2026. A second phase of the residency is anticipated in 2027, with the potential for a longer and more fully developed presentation at CGDF 2027.
In addition to the collaborative duet showings, selected artists will each present existing short solo works (5-10 minutes) in their individual practice as part of the festival’s professional programming. These solos will provide audiences with insight into each artist’s distinct lineage, aesthetic, and cultural context.
Selected artists will each lead beginner dance classes rooted in their own practice. These workshops will be accessible to the public and offer an intro-level embodied experience of the forms.
Residency artists will participate in a shared public artist talk, offering audiences insight into their collaborative process, divergent practices, and the questions that emerged through their intercultural exchange.

Photo below: Damru-Kruti (Creation through Rhythm) by Prajakta Dravid - Atmika (CGDF 2024). Photo by Shannon Widdis.

Artist Availability

Applicants must be fully available for one or both of the following cohort schedules:

Residency Dates: Aug 31-Sept 10
Outreach/Open Rehearsal Day: Sept 11
Performance/Workshop Day: Sept 12
Rain Date: Sept 13
Residency Dates: Sept 14-24
Outreach/Open Rehearsal Day: Sept 25
Performance/Workshop Day: Sept 26
Rain Date: Sept 27

Photo below: Intro to Garba Workshop, led by Anjali Tanna (CGDF 2025). Photo by Shannon Widdis.

2026 Opportunity

This opportunity includes:

Artist fees paid at CADA rates or higher for the residency, workshop, and performance components, with limited additional paid rehearsal hours for the pre-existing solo work,
Rehearsal space for the residency and solo performance components,
Technical support from our team, including limited sound and stage management,
Marketing/publicity of your work through TFD channels and the festival marketing campaign,
Documentation of your work, including video and photos,
Letters of support as needed to support funding applications,
Relationship building with other artists through workshops, and artist meals,
Relationship building with audiences/community members, and
Potential engagement within our 2027 Festival (Sept 11-19, 2027).

Please note that since our festival does not have operating funding, engagement of selected artists is contingent on the success of our project funding applications for 2026 and 2027. We currently have confirmed funding from the Toronto Arts Council and the Department of Canadian Heritage for our 2026 activities.

Priorities

We will be prioritizing artists who live, work, play, study and/or were born in North York, Toronto, or who have some other meaningful connection to the area ‘North of Downtown Toronto’. Our aim is to curate a festival that reflects the communities within and around North York, and therefore, we prioritize submissions from artists working in non-dominant dance forms/practices and equity-seeking artists, especially those who identify as BIPOC, disabled/mad, and a part of the LGBTQ2S+ community.

Curation

The curatorial team will include Tanveer Alam (Co-Director of CGDF), Chantelle Good (Co-Artistic Director of TFD), Sindhu Nair (past CGDF artist and TFD Board Member), and Arwyn Gorge Michael Carpenter (lead of FFCD). Programming will include a combination of invited artists and those selected through this Open Call. Selection will be based on the following criteria:

- To what extent does the applicant demonstrate:
  - dedication to their creative practice,
  - skill and depth of thinking in relation to their work, and
  - curiosity and willingness to take artistic risks and explore an intercultural collaboration.
- How will the proposed project contribute to the artists’ development?
- Is the artist well-positioned to leverage this opportunity for their own growth?
- To what extent is a commitment to artistic research, process, and practice demonstrated?
- How would the artist contribute to a diverse representation of North York communities within CGDF and Flight Festival programs, considering the 26-27 Cohort and long-term?
- Does the artist reflect the festival’s priorities of supporting equity-seeking artists and artists connected to North York or the ‘North of Downtown Toronto’ area?
- Does the artist demonstrate experience in community engagement, workshop facilitation, or audience relationship-building?
- Does the applicant have the skills/experience needed to participate in this project?

Photo below: FOR THE CULTURE by Raoul Wilke and Caroline ‘Lady C’ Fraser (CGDF 2024). Photo by Shannon Widdis.

Application Questions

Submissions will be accepted via written response or verbal response (i.e. selfie video uploaded to YouTube). Please see approximate word counts, or limit verbal response video to a total of 5 mins.

Applicant name and contact information
150 word bio and date availability
Please tell us about your dance practice, what motivates you, and what you hope to achieve, (150 words max)
Please tell us about what interests you about intercultural exchange and collaborative processes. What is your experience with either/both? How do you approach making with others in a collaborative setting? What are some of your values that guide your creative process? (150 words max)
Please tell us about your teaching practice. How would you structure your beginner class? (100 words max)
Please tell us about the solo work that you would like to present, and why you feel it represents you and your practice. (150 words max)
Please tell us about why you’re interested in working with TOES FOR DANCE, Common Ground Dance Festival and/or Flight Festival of Contemporary Dance. (100 words max)
Please tell us about your connection(s) to North York/communities ‘North of Downtown Toronto’, if any. (100 words max)
Is there any other information that you'd like to provide that will help us understand how to support you and your work if you are selected? Please note any access needs here.
Video links and password if applicable (YouTube or Vimeo only) to view your finished solo work or recent rehearsal footage, and additional context if necessary. (Please indicate start/end time codes, max 5 mins total)

Important Dates

Information Session/Q&A: Thursday April 8, 2026 at 5:30pm EDT . RSVP!

Deadline: Sunday April 19, 2026 at 11:59pm EDT

Notification of Selection: May 2026

Formal Contract Offers: June 2026

Submit an Application

Click on the button below or visit: https://forms.gle/G6ACpGjjj3P8JyX6A . The application form requires sign-in to a Google account. Please reach out to us if an alternative submission method is needed!

Click here to apply by April 19!