The SummerWorks Performance Festival returns to Toronto with a wide range of artistic programming that invites audiences to gather together to create new connections with one another and experience the palpable joys of intimacy, ephemerality, and community. 

Unique to the 2023 SummerWorks is collaboratively-curated by six Guest Curators – Sue Balint, Ralph Escamillan, Aria Evans, Jivesh Parasram, ted witzel, and Alison Wong. Each curator is bringing their own distinctive views and perspectives, and specific sets of knowledge and experiences to the process, while also forming their curatorial decisions in conversation with one another.

This week, I had the pleasure of speaking with performance artist, dancer, choreographer Ralph Escamillan, who is one of the curators for the SummerWorks’ Lab this year. He shares perspectives on curating dance, specifically making spaces for Ballroom – the dance genre Trans, Queer, Black and Latinx community founded in Harlem in the late 1960’s – and more about his own work.

Ralph’s curatorial choice is Ballroom, Too. For more details about this performance, all SummerWorks programming information, and tickets, please visit summerworks.ca.