CanAsian Dance

Photo of Leo Leung from Magic Mixing Montreal 2026 by Fran Chudnoff

CanAsian Dance centres the Asian Diaspora dance community, which includes artists from across Asia: including South, East, Southeast, West, and Central Asia — as well as the surrounding Pacific Islands.

We are committed to supporting critical artistic conversations and the exploratory stages of new work.By fostering relationships and strengthening solidarity, we aim to create more opportunities for creative exchange, knowledge-sharing, representation, and connection within the Asian Diaspora dance community and the broader dance community.

Happening Now

Happening Now

CanAsian Dance x TDT Entry Waves 2026

CanAsian Dance and TDT are pleased to partner in supporting Asian Diaspora artists by offering free studio space and an artist fee for a week-long residency in Fall/Winter 2026.

CanAsian Dance centres the Asian Diaspora dance community. Asian Diaspora is understood to include and encompass the whole continent of Asia, including South, East, Southeast, West, and Central Asian countries, as well as the surrounding Pacific Islands. Please note that travel and accommodation are not provided for artists living outside of Toronto / the GTA.

Deadline for Applications: Friday, October 23, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST

Up to six artists will be offered a week-long, full-day incubation residency, with two artists participating in Week 1 and four artists participating in Week 2. 

Artists may apply for either:

December 7–11 10:00 AM–6:00 PM

or December 14–18, 2026 10:00 AM–6:00 PM

Photo of Aryana Malekzadeh and collaborators during Entry Waves 2025 by Fran Chudnoff

The residency is designed to support each artist’s creative process through a combination of independent studio practice, as well as supported inquiry, reflection, and practice development with CAD Artistic Lead Angie Cheng in The Hub. The workday will move between studio and Hub, and can begin either with independent studio practice or in the Hub with Angie. 

The Hub is a micro-environment within the building created to foster a culture of creative and supportive peer building among resident artists. It will serve as a central space for gathering, sharing, working, documenting, taking inventory of what has been found, and a break space. Food and refreshments will be available, along with relevant reading materials and a place for artists to store their belongings.

There will be a shared lunch touchpoint each day, when artists transition between the studio and the Hub. This is an intentional opportunity to connect with the wider group and exchange questions or ideas that may be emerging through the week.

Artists will also have the option to offer an artistic sharing or open studio at the end of the residency, with facilitation from Angie Cheng. These sharings are entirely optional and are intended as an opportunity for artists to share process, ask questions, or invite conversation with the public. Please note that this is not a technical residency, and a technician will not be available to support the sharing.

All applicants will be notified of the results by November 9, 2026

Questions can be directed to info@canasiandance.com

Photo of Sixth Sense Collective during Entry Waves 2025 by Fran Chudnoff
APPLICATION HERE

CanAsian Dance is situated in Tkaronto, a Mohawk word meaning “the place in the water where the trees are standing.” It is the traditional territory of many nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinaabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples, and it continues to be the home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.

This land is under the Dish with One Spoon covenant, an agreement between the Anishinaabeg and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. This land is a dish to be shared and cared for and we all share one spoon; the spoon is to be used to take only what is needed and to leave enough for others, thus ensuring a viable and abundant future. We recognize the enduring resilience of Indigenous peoples and we acknowledge that we are accountable to these relationships and these agreements. 

We carry these values of responsibility in sharing and caring in abundance with consideration of not only ourselves but of our communities that we share together.

Land Acknowledgement

We are grateful to the following funding partners for their ongoing support