Dance

Dance, as an organized discipline in Newfoundland Labrador, can be traced back to the 1930s, when Irish Christian Brothers began teaching Irish step dancing to a group that would become to St. Pat’s Dancers. Today, this sector is comprised of a variety of styles and companies working throughout the province.

Newfoundland Labrador currently has fifteen private dance schools, ten of which are in the St. John’s area. Beyond these, numerous private classes are given throughout the province in various styles, including ballet, hip-hop, tap and traditional/folk. There are an estimated 4,000 students of dance within Newfoundland and Labrador, with ages ranging from preschool children to senior citizens.

In addition to dance schooling and instruction, the province boasts a number of professional dance companies. Several of these companies organize one or more major productions a year, some touring the province.

One company with a serious history is Neighbourhood Dance Works (NDW). For nearly thirty years, Neighbourhood Dance Works has developed and presented innovative and daring dance, and since 1990 has produced the Annual Festival of New Dance.

Several major dance festivals are held annually throughout the province, most notably Summer Dance, and NDW's Festival of New Dance. Outreach programs such as ArtsSmarts augment these festivals in areas outside St. John’s.