Dance//Novella (Vancouver) was co-founded by Racheal Prince (she/her) and Brandon Alley (he/him). The company will use its time at DV Studios to develop So to Speak, a solo performance in which Alley blends clowning, physical theatre, and original text. Through structured improvisation and poetic exploration, the work examines themes of waiting, repetition, and emotional residue, weaving interlinked scenes into a somatic, theatrical meditation.

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Founded in 2018 by Tiffany Tjosvold (she/her), Embrace: Performance is the professional performance stream of Embrace Arts Foundation, dedicated to developing original works collaboratively with teams of disabled and non-disabled artists. The company will continue its creation process of In Wonder, an exploration of natural light phenomena through contemporary dance theatre. This new work celebrates the diversity and ephemerality of light and its relationship to our experience of community.

Eric Cheung (he/him) is a Vancouver-based interdisciplinary dance artist and choreographer and 2024/25 Chrystal Dance Prize –Projects winner. In connection with the award, Cheung and his collaborator, Japanese dance artist/choreographer Kinui Oiwa, will develop the site-responsive duet IN/YANG. The work explores balance as an essential aspect of our daily lives and as a continuous, fluid process of negotiation and interaction with the world around us.

Lynda Raino (she/her), whose career spans nearly six decades, is a celebrated Victoria-based dancer and founder of the school Raino Dance. Raino will remount Saying Goodbye to My Brother, a poignant 1988 duet originally created for herself and principal dancer Shawn Costello (1961-1989) in response to the AIDS crisis. Featuring Vancouver dancers Eowynn and Isak Enquist, the remount is part of a cross-disciplinary project STILL WITH US: A Legacy of HIV/AIDS in the Arts and will be co-presented by Dance Victoria and the Victoria Arts Council at the Baumann Centre in November.

Founded and artistically led by choreographer and opera Stage Director Idan Cohen, Ne. Sans Opera & Dance is a Vancouver-based company dedicated to creating interdisciplinary performances that bridge the worlds of dance, opera, and live music. Bach Dances is a new interdisciplinary work, reimagining J.S. Bach’s Solo Cello Suites through contemporary dance, live music, and theatricality. The Dance Victoria residency will deepen the creation process, integrating local cellists and intergenerational dancers to explore themes of time, memory, and embodiment.

Founded in 2021 by Artistic Director Kayla Henry, Noble Riot Dance Theatre (NRDT) is a Victoria-based professional contemporary dance company. Holding Space is a duet developed in collaboration with guest artist Karissa Barry, exploring themes of coexistence, relationships, and spiritual evolution. Through “System Tracking,” dancers respond to each other’s energy, letting choreography emerge organically. Solo passages reveal personal journeys as the work examines intimacy, distance, and return—growing beside another without losing oneself.

Tara Cheyenne Performance (Vancouver), led by Artistic Director Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg, is known for bridging the divide between dance and theatre with humour, pathos, and cultural relevance. Cheyenne Friedenberg will experiment with a live version of the popular podcast The Talking Shit Show, combining dance-theatre, elements of stand-up comedy, vibes of late-night talk shows, and raucous daytime TV energy.

Brazilian-born choreographer and performer Vitor Freitas (he/him) is the Artistic Director of Travelling Bodies, a Victoria-based company featuring rising local dancers. The group will work on Raízes Telúrica, an eco-ancestral dance work that explores queer, immigrant, and Afro-Brazilian identity. The piece blends contemporary and Afro-Brazilian forms, Orisha embodiment, and poetry, offering a visceral reflection on resilience, ancestry, displacement, and belonging.

Visible Bodies Collective is an Indigenous-led IBPOC group of knowledge keepers and artists who use performance to express embodied stories through theatrical experiences. During the 2025/25 Season, the collective will embark on a new project exploring eco-somatics, structured improvisation, and the creation of a land-based performance. Rooted in Indigenous protocols and practices, the work will include workshops, guest speakers, and embodied expressions of land, story, place, and belonging.