Our Mandate, Mission & Vision
Building capacity and sustainability within the Canadian contemporary dance ecosystem by bridging high-level post-secondary training with professional performance opportunities.
Building Capacity & Sustainability
Lamondance Arts Society is a non-profit arts organization dedicated to advancing professional contemporary dance. We build capacity within the artistic ecosystem by integrating professional post-secondary training, career transition pathways, project-based dance company productions, and targeted financial accessibility for emerging artists—with a dedicated focus on equity-deserving communities.
“To create and produce bold, sensorial contemporary dance that connects audiences and pushes artistic boundaries. We empower emerging and established artists to take creative risks in a supportive, inclusive environment, while actively removing financial and systemic barriers through tuition relief and equitable access—ensuring every dancer receives the exact same high-calibre training and professional opportunities.”
Our Core Values
Equity & Inclusivity
Diversity and inclusion are fundamental to our identity. We connect individuals across all ages, backgrounds, and ethnicities by providing equitable access to performances and entry points for emerging artists.
Integrity & Transparency
Our operations are guided by unwavering integrity, fairness, and transparent accountability across all administrative, educational, and performance activities.
Artistic Excellence & Creative Risk
We nurture collaborative teamwork and a profound passion for quality, encouraging diverse movement artists to take creative risks in a supportive, safe environment.
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Accessibility (EDIA) Commitments
Lamondance is committed to fostering a culture where every individual feels a sense of belonging and is empowered to bring their authentic self to work and creation.
Equity
We actively identify and remove systemic barriers to create fair opportunities in recruitment, artist development, casting, and leadership progression.
Diversity
We celebrate unique backgrounds, perspectives, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, physical/mental ability, socioeconomic status, and cultural history.
Inclusion
We ensure all voices are heard, respected, and integrated into decision-making processes, maintaining a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination or harassment.
Accessibility
We actively remove physical, financial, sensory, and learning barriers to ensure our studio spaces, training methodologies, performances, and digital platforms are open and usable for all artists and audiences.
Land Acknowledgement: Lamondance Arts Society's activities take place on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples—the Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) First Nations.
Our Story
Facilitating the evolution of contemporary dance as an art form and enhancing its presence within the local, national, and international communities since 2008.
The Initial Spark in Brasília
Lamondance performed as a collective for the very first time. Gisele Santoro, the esteemed artistic director of the International Dance Seminar in Brasília, commissioned Lamondance to create the show RED, which was performed at the National Claudio Santoro Theatre in Brasília, Brazil—one of the country's most important cultural venues.
Founding & Early Stability
The success in Brazil prompted Hayley Walker (RNB Dance, Principal) and Charlie Costello (RNB Dance, President of the Board of Directors) to move forward with creating a formal dance training program. Mônica Proença and Lara Barclay founded Lamondance in 2009 with the mission of helping emerging dancers transition into the professional dance world. High-level training accompanied by unique choreography provided the company with early stability.
Artistic Leadership Evolution
From 2009 to 2014, the company's artistic direction was headed by Lara Barclay and Mônica Proença, with Davi Rodrigues joining in 2010 as co-director. In 2014, Davi Rodrigues assumed the position of Artistic Director and has since been responsible for shaping the company's distinctive artistic identity.
International Presence & Repertoire
Lamondance performed across Canada and Brazil with mainstage productions including RED (2009), Human, Angels (2013), and Spark (2016). International tour highlights include representing Canadian dance at the Tanzart Festival in Nordhausen, Germany (2011) with Terra Arrida by Mônica Proença.
In 2021, the company closed the Vancouver International Dance Festival and performed as featured guests at the Toronto Dance Festival with Before Dawn, choreographed by Artistic Director Davi Rodrigues.
Incorporation & Charitable Status
For its first ten years, Lamondance operated under the umbrella of RNB Dance and Theatre Arts, a not-for-profit society based in North Vancouver. In June 2019, Lamondance was officially incorporated as Lamondance Arts Society to continue its mission of advancing contemporary dance.
Lamondance Arts Society • Registration No: 78681 5274 RR0001
Nurturing Art of the Highest Calibre
Lamondance is a place where art is nurtured at the highest calibre. With an emphasis on original choreographic voices comes the responsibility of presenting shows that leave a lasting imprint on the audience’s mind and connect them to the dance world. This is a responsibility that Lamondance upholds proudly.