Crimson Coast Dance

Welcome to the Crimson Coast!

Crimson Coast Dance was established in 1998 through the vision of Artistic Director, Presenter, Holly Bright and with the support of Nanaimo dance enthusiasts. We are the only company which focuses solely on dance presenting north of Victoria on beautiful Vancouver Island. We are committed to raising the profile of dance and developing dance audiences outside the BC Lower Mainland.  As part of our initiatives we support creation, performance and teaching opportunities for professional dance artists in the growing cultural community in Nanaimo.

Crimson Coast Dance Society showcases the best in Canadian contemporary dance artistry in the Central Vancouver Island region. Our season runs from October to September. We present performance series including a mainstage series of 3 to 4 productions per year called Dance on the Crimson Coast and the July InFrinGinG Dance Festival which co-locates with Nanaimo DragonBoat Festival.  Crimson Coast is dedicated to creating educational opportunities regarding dance for everyone. We do this through a variety workshops, regular dance jams and community engagement activities and performances geared to all ages and skill levels including our Mixed Abilities dance classes in collaboration with Nanaimo Association for Community Living.  Our year-long Body Talk HiP HoP PoW WoW program offers teens enriching experiences in career explorations in the performing arts and culminates in a new production.

Presentation venues include Nanaimo’s flagship 800-seat Port Theatre, Malaspina Theatre at Vancouver Island University, Harbour City Theatre, as well as site-specific venues including the Romper Room Climbing Centre and outdoor performances in Maffeo-Sutton Park during our summertime InFrinGinG Dance Festival.