2026 PROGRAMMING
The Ground UP Dance Festival is celebrating its 5th anniversary of dance programming in Kingston, Ontario.
This year’s festival will include an electric 2nd Stage performance “ON/OFF” by Montreal company Grand Poney, community workshops and masterclasses in a variety of styles, a Community Show at Springer Market Square Amphitheatre, and our Mainstage performance overlooking Lake Ontario.
Events range from free to PWYC. Participants are encouraged to register and get tickets through the links listed below.
ON/OFF
by Grand Poney
When & Where
Wednesday June 10th at 7:00pm ET
at Le Sésame Theatre
1290 Wheathill St, Kingston, ON K7M 0A7
Pricing
PWYC
Suggested $15 per person, $50 per family
Duration
45-50 minutes
About ON/OFF
ON/OFF is a dance work designed for teenagers and adults where five dancers perform on an unusual and wondrous machine: an oversized treadmill. On this rolling and confined surface, movement is restrained and ecstatic, exhilarated and acrobatic. At times in group or alone, the performers address the themes of identity, self-fulfillment, determination, coexistence, freedom, exhaustion and the unending feelings and sensations that makeup the complexity of life. The treadmill is a meeting place where the characters seek to understand their place in the world. Sometimes at its mercy, sometimes in control of this intriguing, unpredictable and mobilizing machine, the dancers play with time. They suspend actions in space in order to dig out the details of gestures, questions and interactions. The machine becomes a metaphor for the passage from childhood to adulthood. It is the path that we choose to travel and the life that we learn to tame.
About Grand Poney
Established in Montreal in 2009 by founder Jacques Poulin-Denis, the interdisciplinary company devises a hybrid and collaborative process based on choreographic abstraction, musical composition and theatrical dramaturgy. It draws its narrative from the infinite traits of the human existence: our physical and psychic states, our impulses and principles and our relationship to others and to ourselves. Grand Poney consistently utilizes a measure of unfeasibility to bridge the imaginary to the everyday.
Choreography Jacques Poulin-Denis
Dancers Félix Cossette, Nolwenn Duhaut , Jean-Benoît Labrecque, Gabriel-Antoine Roy et Silvia Sanchez // Alternative cast Ernesto Quesada et Léo Coupal
Events, Classes & Workshops
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370 King St W, Kingston, ON K7L 2X4
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Free! Or pay what you can by donation.
Established in Montreal in 2009 by founder Jacques Poulin-Denis, the interdisciplinary company devises a hybrid and collaborative process based on choreographic abstraction, musical composition and theatrical dramaturgy. It draws its narrative from the infinite traits of the human existence: our physical and psychic states, our impulses and principles and our relationship to others and to ourselves. Grand Poney consistently utilizes a measure of unfeasibility to bridge the imaginary to the everyday. -
The Kingston School of Dance (KSD) is located at the Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning and is a wheelchair accessible space. Accessible parking spaces are available in both the lower parking lot and the accessible lot adjacent to the Tett. KSD is on the 3rd floor and can be accessed through the main doors. The school's studio space is also accessible, featuring sprung dance flooring, adjustable barres, mirrors, and professional sound and lighting. There are two gender neutral washrooms onsite.
Masterclass
with Grand Poney
June 11, 2026
at 10:00-11:00am ET
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$85 early bird before May 6
$100 regular -
TBD
Workshop with Christopher House
June 13 & 4, 2026
at 1:00-4:00pm ET
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Springer Market Square Amphitheatre, 216 Ontario Street Kingston, ON K7L 2Z3
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Coming soon…
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Springer Market Square is an accessible public venue, featuring a flat, open-air design at ground level located behind City Hall, with accessible washrooms. The Springer Market Square Amphitheatre has a flight of stairs down to the stage area. The show and workshop can be viewed from street level or the amphitheatre has built in concrete bench seating.
Community Show
with Local Artists
July 4, 2026
at 2:00-2:30pm ET
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Springer Market Square Amphitheatre, 216 Ontario Street Kingston, ON K7L 2Z3
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Free!
All levels Salsa workshop following our Community Show. All are welcome to join. -
Springer Market Square is an accessible public venue, featuring a flat, open-air design at ground level located behind City Hall, with accessible washrooms. The Springer Market Square Amphitheatre has a flight of stairs down to the stage area. The show and workshop can be viewed from street level or the amphitheatre has built in concrete bench seating.
Salsa Workshop
with Alexei Baro
July 4, 2026
at 2:30-3:00pm ET
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1329 Gardiners Rd Suite 109, Kingston, ON K7P 0L8
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$10 in advance or at the door!
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TBD
Festival Party
+ Line Dancing
July 9, 2026
at 7:00pm ET
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574 Princess St, Kingston, ON K7L 1C9
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Contemporary/Ballet hybrid warm-up class for intermediate to advanced dancers and movers.
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5678 Dance Studio is an accessible venue. There is parking out front of the studio. The studio has gender neutral washrooms onsite.
Morning Class
with Robert Stephen
July 10, 2026
at 10:00-11:30am ET
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This Afrofusion dance class is a fun, energetic experience that will allow participants to learn various forms of West African dance fusing many traditional movements with urban street styles.
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Lake Ontario Park has accessible parking and pathways to the waterfront performance area. The park has wheelchair accessible, gendered washrooms. There is a wheelchair accessible ramped path to the performance pad seating.
Afrofusion Workshop
with Kwasi Obeng
July 10, 2026
at 10:00-11:30am ET
The highlight of our summer programming, the Ground UP Dance Festival’s Mainstage performances charm our audiences with professional dance works from Toronto, Belleville, and Kingston.
This is a family friendly event. Bring a blanket, pack a picnic, and enjoy dance beside the lake at sunset.
When & Where
Friday, July 11 at 7:00pm ET
at Lake Ontario Park, Performance Pad
920 King St W, Kingston, ON K7M 8H3
Pricing
PWYC
Duration
60 minutes
Featuring Performances by
Kwasi Obeng
Jessica Irwin-Champagne/Movement Market Collective
Robert Stephen/Quinte Ballet School of Canada
Kingston Youth Dance Ensemble
Mainstage
Accessibility
The Ground UP Dance Festival is committed to providing accessible programming. If you require any support leading up or during the festival events please contact us at groundupdancefestival@outlook.com
The Kingston School of Dance (#303, 370 King St W, Kingston, ON K7L 2X4) is located at the Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning and is a wheelchair accessible space. Accessible parking spaces are available in both the lower parking lot and the accessible lot adjacent to the Tett. KSD is on the 3rd floor and can be accessed through the main doors. The school's studio space is also accessible, featuring sprung dance flooring, adjustable barres, mirrors, and professional sound and lighting. There are two gender neutral washrooms onsite.
Lake Ontario Park (920 King St W, Kingston, ON K7M 8H3) has accessible parking and pathways to the waterfront performance area. The park has wheelchair accessible, gendered washrooms. This year, Ground UP has the option for seated tickets close to the performance pad and along the paved area at the top of the hill. There is a wheelchair accessible ramped path to the performance pad seating. Audiences are also welcome to enjoy the show on the grassy hill, and are encouraged to bring their own chairs or blankets.
Le Sésame Theater is a fully wheelchair accessible performance venue. There is free shared outdoor parking with 11 accessible spots.
Springer Market Square is an accessible public venue, featuring a flat, open-air design at ground level located behind City Hall, with accessible washrooms. The Springer Market Square Amphitheatre has a flight of stairs down to the stage area. The show can be viewed from street level or the amphitheatre has built in concrete bench seating.
5678 Dance Studio is an accessible venue. There is parking out front of the studio. The studio has gender neutral washrooms onsite.