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About US

The Chimera Project Dance Theatre is a Toronto-based contemporary company in Canada

Vision
To bring to life exhilarating theatrical dance expriences that define Chimera as a key Canadian voice in contemporary dance mileu through a range of tiny-to-large projects.
Our Story

Chimera

Performs

THE CHIMERA PROJECT The Chimera Project Dance Theatre is a contemporary dance company renowned for hyper-physical creations, presented with a powerful, gritty aesthetic. Founded in 1999 by Artistic Director, choreographer, and dancer Małgorzata Nowacka-May, Chimera has been described as "the most exciting" and "most original in Canada" by The Globe and Mail and has earned repeated recognition and accolades, including being named among the Top 10 performances of the year by prominent publications such as The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, NOW, and FASHION. Chimera is an adventurous company, grounded in our vision and our commitment to fostering long-term artistic growth.

For over 20 years, Chimera has transcended limits, bridging the gaps between theatre, film, and dance. We navigate the space between urban and rural duality, small and large endeavors, and reimagine traditional techniques juxtaposed with contemporary forms. Chimera seeks connections between cultures, and our work has flourished over the past decade through meaningful collaborations with acclaimed Indigenous leaders and performers including elder Shirely Horn, and Artistic Associate artists Arik Pipestem and Sophie Dow.

Education

Since 2010, our partnership with Canada’s Ballet Jörgen and George Brown Dance has resulted in commissions for George Brown Dance, Ballet Jörgen Canada's Junior Company, and Canada’s Ballet Jörgen itself. While providing rehearsal space for the company, we also created the Company B Lab, a youth mentorship program supporting dozens of young dance artists.

For the past decade Chimera has brought hundreds of emerging dance artists to the Harbourfront Centre Theatre as a part of the annual FRESH BLOOD festival. Presented in partnership with Harbourfront Centre, FRESH BLOOD has become a vital component of the Toronto dance community with partners including Series 8:08, York University, Dances for Small Stage, Toes for Dance, and The Underground.

Educational programming partners include the Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic School Board, Ohio University, Ryerson University, York University, Pulse, Motus O Dance Theatre, and Dance Ontario. The company continually diversifies our activity in the area of community building. Our partnership with Sioux Hudson Entertainment Series (Ontario) brought dance education to over 600 northern participants. Other long-term community-building partners include the Capitol Centre (North Bay), Antibes Community Centre (Toronto), Kashachewan (Ontario) and Fort Hope (Ontario).

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