Scenic explorations and forgotten stories: experience the FTA!

Festival
publication
May 22nd, 2025
update
May 22nd, 2025
read time
4 minutes
Source
Festival TransAmériques (FTA)

The Festival TransAmériques (FTA) is a vibrant space where theater and dance come together in all their contemporary boldness. Since its inception, the FTA has celebrated unique works and artistic voices that challenge the status quo. Rooted in Montreal/Tio'tia:ke/Mooniyang, the festival engages with the city in all its richness, brings together curious, passionate audiences eager for discovery, supports Quebec, Canadian, and Indigenous artists, and propels new works onto the local and international stage.

Dancing on the Esplanade

A series of free workshops, shows, and films will get you moving, learning, rejoicing, and dreaming. Fun and delight for everyone!

Tolon kè!

Four performers from the virtuoso Faso Danse Théâtre will improvise together, whipping the crowd into a frenzy. Singer Patrick Kabré—a star in his native Burkina Faso—will emcee this danced concert.

Dance Lessons For All

All weekend long, two performers from Faso Danse Théâtre (C la vie) will lead free dance workshops that are accessible to everyone. 

Cinédanse under the Stars 

Discover a unique selection of screendance films that explores the links between moving bodies and images, in dialogue with FTA’s shows.

Tolon kè!, Dancing on the Esplanade, FTA 2025
Dance Lessons For All, Dancing on the Esplanade, FTA 2025
Cinédanse under the Stars, Dancing on the Esplanade, FTA 2-25

In the venues

The FTA offers a program combining theater, dance, and performance in several iconic venues in the neighborhood. At Place des Arts, Théâtre Jean-Duceppe will host LACRIMA by Caroline Guiela Nguyen, a touching work about the behind-the-scenes story of a princess's wedding dress, as well as Taverna Miresia by Mario Banushi, a wordless show inspired by family memories. At the Cinquième Salle de la Place des Arts, you can see Shiraz by Armin Hokmi, a dance tribute to the Shiraz Arts Festival, and Toi, moi, Tituba… by Dorothée Munyaneza, which revisits the forgotten figure of Tituba in a forest of neon lights. At the Monument-National, Mamela Nyamza's Hatched Ensemble will deconstruct classical ballet through the prism of black bodies, while Harald Beharie's Batty Bwoy will tackle queer identity with strength and vulnerability. Finally, the Wilder Building – Espace Danse will host several notable performances, including Gentle Unicorn by Chiara Bersani, a poetic performance that becomes a powerful manifesto for otherness and authentic encounters, and Millepertuis by Sovann Rochon-Prom Tep, an introspective solo piece on memory and identity.

Free favorites
1/5
Headquarters - The QG

The Festival’s Headquarters is open to all. Come drink, eat and dance with us!

By day, our HQ is a café that hosts FTA Playgrounds activities and provides a dynamic space for meetings, workshops, and public talks.

By night, it’s party central! We’ve got an amazing lineup of festive nights featuring our favourite DJs.

2/5
Opening Night

May 22, celebrate the opening of this long-awaited 19th edition! With his collection of vinyls from the four corners of the world, Rhythm & Hues sets the musical mood for the opening night. Come show off your best dance moves!

3/5
Decolonial Ecology Day

The fourth edition of our Decolonial Ecology Day will grapple with the weight of the past, resounding to the echoes of previous generations. May 24, join them, with family or friends, for a day of developing your ideas about ecology, land, and justice in the company of artists, advocates, and thinkers representing all generations. 

4/5
Ondinnok : 40 Years of Creation

In spring 1985, Le porteur des peines du monde made its debut at the first edition of FTA. Since then, Ondinnok has established a reputation throughout North and South America, and today, the company is leading a new generation of Indigenous theatre artists on the stages of Tio’tià:ke and Turtle Island. The company’s founders are preparing a book on its history and will read excerpts from their manuscript May 29.

5/5
Cinédanse under the Stars

From May 30 to June 1st, discover a unique selection of screendance films that explores the links between moving bodies and images. In dialogue with FTA’s shows and the Esplanade Tranquille’s architecture, these short and medium-length films will be screened outdoors. They offer a vibrant sample of the Regards Hybrides Collection—a unique online platform bringing together over 60 Canadian works.

Culturally vibrant

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