Re-imagining Dance Service in Canada: A Reflection on the Landslide Project
The arts, and dance in particular, continue to face profound challenges in remaining relevant and adequately supported in a rapidly changing world. Landslide: Innovations in Service for Dance in Canada, a project I led back in 2017, was born out of a desire to address two central crises: the systemic privileging of Western European dance traditions and the severe resource scarcity that defines the sector.
These issues are not new, but the scale and stakes have shifted. Western theatrical forms like ballet and contemporary dance dominate resources and infrastructure, while Indigenous, racialized, and non-Western dance traditions remain systematically excluded. Simultaneously, the economic precarity of dance artists and organizations, compounded by stagnant funding models, makes sustaining a practice almost impossible for many. The task was not just to improve service delivery but to re-imagine its foundations, with equity and self-determination at the core.
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A New Vision for Dance Service
The Landslide project proposed a bold restructuring of service delivery, grounded in the principles of decolonization, self-management, and community-centred action. Rather than treating service as a centralized mechanism for distributing resources, it envisioned a decentralized, responsive, and values-driven system that prioritized marginalized voices.
1. Decolonization as Direction, Not Destination
The project emphasized that decolonization is not a fixed goal but an ongoing process. Drawing inspiration from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, it recognized the harm inflicted by colonial systems—most starkly evident in policies like the Indian Act’s potlatch ban and the exclusionary frameworks of the Massey Report, which championed Western art forms while marginalizing others.
One proposed solution was to shift decision-making power from central organizations to self-identified communities, empowering them to define their own needs and priorities. This approach sought to bypass colonial frameworks of excellence and professionalism that disproportionately excluded non-Western traditions.
2. Building Resilient Ecologies of Dance
Rather than relying solely on government funding, Landslide called for enrolling new stakeholders in the dance ecology. It identified potential allies in sectors grappling with similar challenges—such as automation, social unrest, and the depersonalization of public life. For example, cultural practices like dance could be framed as tools for fostering connection and humanizing rapidly transforming communities.
One structural innovation explored was the creation of service platforms that functioned as "cultural commons," enabling diverse communities to share resources, skills, and opportunities without being subject to rigid institutional gate-keeping.
3. Equalizing Cultural Power
At the heart of the vision was the idea that no single dance tradition should statistically predict success. By rethinking service as a tool to balance cultural power, the project proposed a system where all dance forms—whether urban, Indigenous, or folk—could thrive on equal terms. This required re-configuring how resources were allocated, with an emphasis on accessibility and fairness.
Challenges and Insights
This work revealed tensions that are inherent to systems change. For example, the sector’s current funding models are deeply entrenched in Eurocentric definitions of art and value. Proposing alternatives that included shared funding pools or community-directed grants often sparked resistance from established institutions, wary of ceding control.
Another insight was the power of framing dance as a solution to broader societal challenges. For instance, the project highlighted how trends like artificial intelligence and automation could exacerbate cultural disconnection, making dance a critical practice for re-humanizing public spaces and fostering belonging.
Finally, the iterative nature of this project demonstrated the importance of treating missteps as opportunities. Efforts to engage under-served communities often revealed gaps in our own processes, pushing us to refine our approach and build stronger relationships.
What’s Next?
The work of Landslide was not about arriving at a perfect model but about opening up new possibilities. The proposed structures provide a glimpse of what the next generation of arts service organizations could look like: decentralized, equitable, and deeply embedded in the communities they serve.
This is an invitation to all of us—artists, funders, and cultural workers alike—to imagine new futures for dance in Canada. How might we work together to build systems that reflect the full richness of our shared cultural landscape? How might we ensure that all voices, regardless of tradition or geography, have the opportunity to dance freely into the future?
The Landslide project offered a sketch of what might be possible.