Montreal is dancing this week, and every corner of the city is your stage.
Festival Quartiers Danses, now in its magnificent 24th edition, is carrying its extraordinary momentum through Saturday, September 19th, bringing together more than 40 choreographers and companies from Québec, across Canada, and around the world in one of the most diverse and deeply exciting contemporary dance festivals in the country. And the best part? So much of it is completely free.
True to its most beautiful mission of making contemporary dance accessible to everyone, FQD is transforming Montreal’s parks, public squares, and most iconic locations into a vast, living, open-air stage that invites audiences of all ages to experience the most unexpected and genuinely moving artistic encounters imaginable.
This year’s edition is highlighted by an exceptional Asia Focus, featuring artists from Japan and Hong Kong whose work is still rarely seen on Québec stages, alongside leading figures in Québec dance. A rare and thrilling cultural exchange that feels as generous as it is extraordinary.
This Week’s Must-See Moments 🩰
Tuesday, September 15 brought Hong Kong duo Ji Jie to Place d’Armes with their piece Fit, alongside Japanese choreographer Yasushi Kurotaki’s Double Poem. Two international guest artists. Completely free. A gift to Montreal.
Wednesday, September 16 at Esplanade Tranquille, the most electric Battle Exhibition showcased young talents from Montreal’s krump scene, followed by a free introductory workshop led by internationally renowned krump artist 7Starr. The energy was nothing short of electric.
Thursday, September 17 offered two extraordinary moments. At noon on Sainte-Catherine Street, Acting for Climate Montréal presented a circus-inspired duet followed by contortionist Anna Protsiou’s breathtaking solo Tēthýs. And at 9 PM at Place des Festivals, the stunning Screen to Motion project brought cinema and dance into dialogue in the most immersive and unforgettable way.
Friday, September 18 at 9 PM continues the Screen to Motion experience, with Tentacle Tribe presenting a performance inspired by their film EXUVIAE, followed by Cai Glover exploring themes of identity, transformation, and belonging in a performance inspired by Am I What I’m Not.
Saturday, September 19 is dedicated entirely to families as part of FQD Mini, with morning performances of À corps d’âges at Cégep de Saint-Laurent for young children, and the most magical afternoon at BAnQ where INSECTA by Pauline Berndsen Danse takes families from inside the library to the garden in a travelling performance celebrating the world of insects through humour, poetry, and pure creative joy.
Festival Quartiers Danses is the most generous and most beautiful reminder that art belongs to everyone. And this week, Montreal is proving it magnificently.
Full program and details at quartiersdanses.com. Many events are free and open to the public.
