Editing Perspectives on Touring (section)

=What can tour?=

I suppose pretty much anything, but within the arts for sure are: (Performances, contemporary-traditional, music, dance, theater, spoken words, new media/technology, visual arts, etc.. )

In my case, contemporary dance with content fusing together my western and Asian backgrounds, roots, themes, interests and aesthetics that have led also to collaboration with other diverse artists and multi-media creations and presentations and finding a suitable arena to extend the life of these works.

Today, there are numerous, if not hundreds of places to tour and present one’s work to; festivals, exhibitions or the seasonal presentation programming of a theatre/venue. 

There has been a growing global phenomena, a connectivity that brings creative people and their work together; exchanges and presentations through festivals, special events, symposium, marketing/showcase initiatives that are held annually, biennales and even Quadrennial in continents as North America, Asia, Europe and South America. Some are new and smaller, others are larger and established events.

In my observations, exchanges and travel through recent years in different continents, the growing interest in the role of touring and arts presentation, whether in the performing arts exclusively or in other mediums, is shifting dramatically beyond and outside a stage presence and proscenium - Shifting how art is creatively extended playing into the role, relation with and connection to the themes and issues of social activism, community factors and causes, diversity and globalization, advanced technology and the expansion of communications, as well to the response of a global economic crisis resulting with the lack or lost of funding, reduce in programming and even closure of venues.



Touring also intersects the field of educational systems, moving to schools and colleges that reach to, and are specialized for young audiences.

Artists, companies, artistic works are responding to these needs, changes, and trends to re-evaluate the presence of art in society.

A few examples of festivals and events that have taken place in Canada:

•	Asian Heritage Month festivals in May 
•	Fringe Festival

In Montreal, 
•	 FTA (festival trans amerique), 
•	CINARS an annual showcase for the performing arts attended by producers around the globe.

In Calgary,
•	Festival of animated objects
•	High Performance Rodeo - Calgarys in’t festival of the arts hosted by one yellow rabbit.

In BC, 
•	Push Festival, VIDF (Van. Int’l Dance Festival), Powel St Festival.

In Toronto
•	 Kalanidi Indian dance festival, Can Asian Dance Festival, 
•	Contact (festival showcase of art photography)
•	7a*11d (international of Performance Art)

===HOW DO YOU START A TOUR?===

Important online information.

Canada Council site/ Outreach market development /ON THE ROAD
http://www.canadacouncil.ca/development/