About Us

Annapolis Royal has a long history of celebrating the arts. FODAR’s main venue, King’s Theatre, looks out across the Annapolis Basin to the spot where Champlain founded The Order of Good Cheer in 1606. Inspiration and creativity find a home here and in 2014 that enthusiasm and determination launched Festival of Dance Annapolis Royal.

Coming and Growing

Mounting a contemporary dance festival in rural Nova Scotia in a small town of 400 was a leap of faith that landed flawlessly. In its inaugural season FODAR sold out.  As the Festival expanded the years so did its collection of work which has included dance-theatre, acrobatic movement, indigenous dance, and works by many of Canada’s finest choreographers.

FODAR has grown from a small regional festival to its current position as one of the major dance festivals in Canada. Under the Artistic Direction of award-winning Canadian choreographer Randy Glynn, FODAR has presented a diverse selection of excellence in contemporary dance from across the country, as well as remounted productions of Canadian modern dance classics.

As our audience base has expanded, so has our community support and we are thankful for the growing list of donors, sponsors and public partners who help us bring FODAR to the Annapolis Valley.

Acknowledgement

Festival of Dance Annapolis Royal takes place within Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq people. We are grateful to create and work in this community, on this territory.

Rhonda Baker. After Godot. FODAR 2015.  Photo by Susanne Chui.

Photo credits:
Company of Angels. Dancing in the Third Act. FODAR 2014. Photo by Tim Wilson
Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie. The Man in Black. FODAR 2015. Photo by John Lauener
Greta Hodgkinson. Being and Nothingness. FODAR 2016. Photo by Bruce Zinger
Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo. First Nations Hoop Dance. FODAR 2017. Photo by Tonya Fawn
Naishi Wang. Taking Breath. FODAR 2019 Photo by Photo by Francesca Chudnoff

Header Photo: Throwdown Collective. Various Concert. Photo: Edwin Luk