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Deanna Peters + Victor Tran, photo Ahmed Khalil
We are Deanna Peters and Victor Tran, newly appointed Festival
VIDF 2025 runs March 5–15, featuring 35 performances by 18 local, national and international artists at venues the Roundhouse, Annex, and
The 2025 festival also features a traditional welcome to territory, an exciting street dance crew exhibition battle, OFFSITE partnerships, professional-level dance classes, community workshops, Living Room discussions, food trucks, and a
Watch for the full programme December 2 and get your tickets early.
For the past 25 years, VIDF’s been presenting dance with no aesthetic boundaries. Under our co-leadership, VIDF carries on sharing dance from all forms and cultures that is raw, kinetic and experimental. We also continue to feature Butoh artists, offer free programming in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, and focus on interdisciplinary works.
In addition to the values inherited from VIDF’s Founders, Barbara Bourget and Jay Hirabayashi, for VIDF 2025 we’re featuring womxn-led projects to align with International Women’s Day. We’re also centering street dance artists on stage and on the concrete. In terms of interdisciplinary approaches, we’re focusing on dance with live/original music.
As dance artists ourselves, we’re intrinsically linked to the needs of the artists we’re supporting. As dance presenters, we believe it’s important to stay connected to dance practice.
The VIDF is one part of a wondrous community. We want to include as many of you as possible in our work.
Dance is constantly evolving, and much of this innovation is coming from beyond the margins. As artists with a history of self-producing, we’ve relied on collective efforts outside institutions. This has put us in relationship with artists whose work is incredibly nuanced, creative, and which often goes unseen on mainstream stages.
A principle behind our vision is to program dance without aesthetic boundaries. This means confronting our own biases and leaning into our networks to learn deeply about the vast range of practices out there.
We want audiences to feel transformed coming to VIDF.
Another key effort is spotlighting the international-calibre dance happening right here on the West Coast of Turtle Island. We see the festival as an opportunity for local artists to be in conversation with their peers from across the country and around the world. We also hope by collaborating more locally we can generate the momentum to sustainably expand VIDF.
In our first year, we are challenging ourselves to be more contained and mindful. We want the festival to deepen its roots for the long term. As new stewards, we humbly embrace this learning stage.
At the ages of 44 and 36, we consider ourselves at the midway point in our careers; the intermediate phase. We’re not babies, but we’re constantly learning. Since taking on our new roles eight weeks ago, we’ve programmed VIDF 2025, engaged a dynamic team of returning and new personnel, gotten a handle on the society’s day-to-day operations, renewed old relationships and forged new ones.
Only time will tell what VIDF looks like under our co-leadership, but what’s certain is that we will do our very best for the form of dance, its practitioners and its lovers. Amidst dwindling funding and divisive politics, we’re going to need a lot of help.
If you have the means – an extra $25? – we invite you to become a supporter via our 25th Anniversary Fundraiser. We're also calling for partner organizations and business sponsors. There are many ways we can support each other.
And, to you, our audience, we ask for your help in reaching our goal of selling out all VIDF 2025 shows! Tickets go on sale December 2. In the meantime, let’s
