Disko Piknik

SOLD OUT
Saturday September 17, 2022
Event begins at 4:00 p.m. with an optional all-ages workshop at 3:00 p.m.
Free, family-friendly dance event Earl Bales Park, 4169 Bathurst St., North York (VIEW MAP)

Accessibility Info: The event is presented with Deaf Interpretation.
In the park, the event will be held on the grass, about 300m from the accessible washrooms. There is unpaved gravel pathways that will lead to the event entrance, and then it's all grass. There are no curbs or steps in the event area.

If you have specific accessibility needs, we welcome you to email info@tdt.org in advance.

BUY TICKETS

This is not your average picnic lunch! Taking place at Earl Bales Park in North York, Disko Piknik celebrates the love of food, diverse dance forms, and creative exchanges between communities. The event will involve a curated four-course meal from the team at Saints Island Pies, with each dish inspired by choreography that audiences will enjoy from their picnic blanket. Featuring performances from Laurence Lemieux and Andrew Tay, Tanveer Alam, Matthew ‘Snoopy’ Cuff, and the Filipino dance collective BUCC N FLVR, this culinary-dance fusion event is going to be a feast for all senses.

Prior to the creative feast, we are also hosting a free all-ages workshop at 3:00 p.m. led by members of BUCC N FLVR. It is open to all skill levels (no dance experience is required!). When booking tickets to the event, select ticket option “Disko Piknik + All-Ages Workshop” to be registered for both activities.

Disko Piknik is a free public event supported by the City of Toronto’s ShowLoveTO Partner Activation program and Toronto Arts Council’s Animating Toronto Parks program.

Getting to Earl Bales Park

Click here for ways to enter and navigate the park, along with how to get there using public transit routes. When travelling to the event, please factor in time to walk through the park or to find a parking spot, if driving.

Allergy Disclaimer

As the exact items for the menu are being made in relationship to the works being created, we cannot provide details about ingredients until the day of the event. The preparation of menu items may include or come into contact with nuts, gluten or milk products. The event is not recommended for those with serous allergies of any kind.

Media Release Disclaimer

A photographer and videographer will be capturing the event. Booking a ticket grants permission for TDT and authorized representatives to use photos or videos that may include you on their website, social media platforms, or within printed marketing materials. If you have any questions, you may email info@tdt.org or speak to TDT’s front-of-house staff upon arrival.

Performers

Photo by Aleksandar Antonijevic

Laurence Lemieux

Laurence Lemieux is a dancer, choreographer, and Artistic Director of Citadel + Compagnie. Born in Québec City, Laurence studied dance at L’École Supérieure de Danse du Québec and at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre (TDT). She danced for TDT from 1986 to 1998, winning a Dora Mavor Moore award in 1998 for her interpretation of Christopher House’s Cryptoversa. Lemieux has choreographed over thirty original works and has danced for some of Canada’s most prominent choreographers, including Margie Gillis, James Kudelka, and Jean-Pierre Perreault. Lemieux is a passionate advocate for the arts and is a member on the board of Daniel Leveillé Danse in Montreal. In 2012, Lemieux created The Citadel Dance Program, bringing high quality, free dance classes to children and youth living in Regent Park.

Photo by McKenzie James

Andrew Tay

Andrew Tay is a performer, choreographer, DJ and performance curator. In 2005 he co-founded Wants&Needs danse with Sasha Kleinplatz, producing the wildly popular events Short & Sweet and Piss in the Pool which take place in non-traditional venues throughout Montreal. Tay was awarded the DanceWEB scholarship (Impulstanz, Vienna), and was nominated for a Quebec Notables award for Arts&Culture. In 2017, he was named the first Artistic Curator of the Centre de Création O Vertigo (CCOV) in Montreal and in August 2020 relocated to Toronto to become the Artistic Director of Toronto Dance Theatre. Tay actively thinks about community, irreverence and resistance in both his performance and curatorial practices. Full profile can be found on the TDT Team webpage.

Photo by Naveen Yohannan

Tanveer Alam

Tanveer Alam is an emerging dancer and choreographer, trained in the Indian classical dance form of Kathak. He is a 2019 graduate of The School of Toronto Dance Theatre. Alam has performed in the works of Lata Pada, Padmini Chettur, Brandy Leary, Harikishan S. Nair, Peter Chin, and Sashar Zarif.

In 2022, he premiered The Tagore Project (co-choreographed by Atri Nundy), and performed in Chalking (commissioned by Anandam Dancetheatre), a new work choreographed by international choreographer Padmini Chettur.

Photo by David Choi

Matthew 'Snoopy' Cuff

Matthew ‘Snoopy’ Cuff is a multidisciplinary artist from Toronto with the drive to build bridges, break molds while spreading the reach of Ballroom culture in Canada and abroad. Matthew is a graduate of The School of Toronto Dance Theatre. Once a part of Canada’s first official Ballroom house (House of Monroe), Matthew is a trailblazer to the extensive Vogue scene in Canada today. Through mentoring, teaching, and competing in Canada’s Ballroom Scene, Matthew has inspired his community setting a standard with his expertise and dedication. As the resident choreographer for Dance Weekend 2020, Matthew combined his love for Vogue, theatre, and Contemporary dance to create a piece never seen before in conventional spaces. Matthew brought forth Vogue internationally by being featured on “So You Think You Can Dance Canada” while assisting choreographer Sean Cheeseman, reaching even higher heights as the featured Voguer on “CBC Arts: The Move”. Honing his skills in New York City, Matthew learned from and battled some of the greatest Voguers. Impacted by the performance driven dance style, Matthew has also shared and taught his love for Vogue overseas in Moscow & Paris. With numerous accolades, Matthew continues to create and perform in Toronto’s thriving Ballroom Scene. Through the art of movement, Matthew ‘Snoopy’ Cuff hopes to inspire creativity while sharing their passion for dance.

BUCC N FLVR

BUCC N FLVR is a local dance team who believes in utilizing hip hop dance to further physical and mental capacity for positive change and community development. The original founders, J.P and Matt have been featured on Much Music and represented Canada in the U.K and Philippines. They continue to teach and train across Ontario with a big part of their education aspiring from the FLAVOR SHOP. Since 2009, challenges and adversity have tested the spirit of this street dance family, but the motto remains the same, “spread love, spread light and have fun.”