OUR Story
Photo by Erica Cheah
At a time when dance needed more
spotlight and love.
Back when the world did not know about social media or the possibilities that funds could be transferred conveniently within a few simple clicks, something interesting was being discussed and explored at the Ontario Arts Council (OAC).
Implemented by Susan Cohen at the OAC, a planning committee was struck with support from the Toronto Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts to envision a place where dance professionals could get support. Created from a deep desire and passion to keep our dance sector thriving and alive, Dance Umbrella of Ontario (DUO) was founded in 1988 as a non-profit, non-membership-based organization at the request of the Arts Councils to address the growing issues of capacity and sustainability for Canadian dance enterprises.After some new additions to the DUO’s work family, investing in nerdy tools & supplies, and funky furniture, we raced forward to pursue our lifetime ambitions. We learned a lot from our dance clients and are humbled to be part of their administrative journey.
Over the years, DUO has also been instrumental in the formative stages of the CanAsian Dance Festival, fFIDA, The Dance Current, Series 8:08, the Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival, The Dance Network in Ottawa, Toronto’s International Dance Day Celebrations, the Dance at the Fringe (Toronto) Initiative, and facilitating the growth of platforms such as Hub 14 and Dance Matters.
In addition to the substantive impact that DUO has had on the dance ecology by improving the sector’s growth and improved health, we have employed and trained arts managers who now pursue their own consultancy practices, strengthening the sector at large.
We are humbled and forever grateful to have worked with such a diverse community of talented artistic leaders on various projects and look forward to what the next generation of dance professionals will present.