tender connections 

Let’s gather and move at the Square

Dear TOAF Community,

Seven days out, and the rhythm is already building.

This is a bittersweet note, as we’ve just heard of the passing of our dear friend and collaborator Alan Davis, founder of Small World Music and a true champion of Toronto’s cultural soundscape. We are deeply saddened by the news and the loss felt by his family, friends, and community.

TOAF’s vibrant music program began through our partnership with Alan and Small World Music, the year we returned to the Square after the pandemic. There was a deep craving in our community to be together and move together. That year, the vibe was electric. Everyone got to their feet and danced. Alan joined in, and so did we.

Since then, we’ve cherished this relationship and kept the vibe alive, and this year is no exception. Global tunes and infectious rhythms from Moskitto Bar, Nizo Alimov, Paula Sofía, and Luis Anselmi are brought to you by our dear friends at Small World Music.

We’ll also gather around for tender, a poetic and soft power dance work by the thoughtful Heidi Strauss and her stunning collaborators at adelheid dance projects. It’s an invitation to slow down, to feel, and to move together with care.

So, next weekend, let us be moved by music, by one another, and by the moment. This is the best way to honour Alan. 🤍

With respect,
anahita and TOAF Team

P.S. Enjoy the Curated Collection FLUX – In and Out of Focus, curated by Liz Ikiriko, and don’t miss TOAF artist Julie Amlin’s Studio Tour.

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tender

Saturday, July 12 at 1:00 PM & 4:00 PM
Sunday, July 13 at 1:00 PM & 4:00 PM
Meeting at the South-West Corner of the Reflecting Pool

tender is a meeting of bodies in motion in an experiment of togetherness. It invites tenderness as a salve to uncertainty as five dancers grapple with circumstance and connection. Their sensitive, lush, unhurried movement becomes a tonic to climate (and other) grief in a responsive game of collective decision-making. They listen through the moving body, resisting the western perception of spectacle, caring for action over appearance, and drawing audiences into their evolving interrelations as they voyage through the fairgrounds.

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Studio Tour

Julie Amlin

Follow TOAF on Instagram to tune in.

Julie Amlin is a painter, muralist and writer whose bold, joyful works spark curiosity and connection. Through vibrant colour, movement, and emotion, her art invites play, reflection, and a renewed sense of wonder in the present moment.