I am inspired by the inherent and inevitable incompleteness of process.
I am based in Tkarón:to, a place that is colonially known as Toronto, Canada and covered by Treaty 13. This land that I call home is the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples, and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.
I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to work and live on this land.
Photo by Colton Curtis.
Slow Death (2020). Photo, concept and choreography by Marie Lambin-Gagnon.
Teaching at Ignite! (2019). Photo by Kendra Epik.
David Norsworthy
(he/him/his) is a queer, new generation, Tkarón:to/Toronto-based arts leader, curator, and dance artist, of mixed Japanese immigrant/British settler descent who is “an exceptionally lucid performer, impressive and articulate” (The Globe and Mail). He delights in asking questions, and believes deeply in the transformative power of dancing. Also, he is a coffee aficionado, a dog-lover, and finds the TV Show Parks and Recreation wildly amusing.
David is the Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of TOES FOR DANCE (alongside Kristen Carcone), a non-profit organization with a mission to share art and connect people. Under the TFD umbrella, he is the Founder of Fresh Dance Intensive, a workshop series that has inspired over 6000 young people across 6 Canadian provinces since 2007, and Artistic Producer/Co-Curator of Common Ground Dance Festival, a free outdoor dance festival takes place annually in North York, Toronto. David is also a part-time Rehearsal Director for the Swedish contemporary dance company Norrdans, and supports CanAsian Dance as a member of the Board of Directors.
A graduate of The Juilliard School (New York City), David holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts. His early training includes competitive dance at Canadian Dance Company (Oakville), and studies in modern and ballet at Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre (Toronto).
David has had the privilege of performing and touring with organizations and dance creators across the globe including Peggy Baker Dance Projects (Toronto), Toronto Dance Theatre (Toronto), Joshua Beamish (Vancouver), Dancenorth (Melbourne), ZviDance (New York), Brian Brooks (New York), The Merce Cunningham Trust (New York), Skånes Dansteater (Malmö), Anderson Dance (Stockholm) and Helena Franzén (Stockholm). Notable performances include international tours of who we are in the dark, a choreography by Peggy Baker with live music by Sarah Neufeld and Jeremy Gara of the Grammy-award-winning rock band Arcade Fire, and the Merce Cunningham Centennial Night of 100 Solos at the BAM Opera House in NYC, which garnered a Bessie Award for Outstanding Production.
David has presented choreographic works at the Superior Theatre Festival (Thunder Bay), CanAsian Dance KickStart Festival (Toronto), Dixon Place (New York), Our Voices (Stockholm), OnSite/InSight (Winston Salem) and Kinetic Studio (Halifax) among other festivals and series. Commissions have included Lamondance (Vancouver), Point Park University (Pittsburgh), and the School of Toronto Dance Theatre (Toronto).
Teaching experience includes workshops at several high schools, studios and universities including Simon Fraser University (Vancouver), Point Park University (Pittsburgh), Wake Forest University (Winston Salem), and York University (Toronto). David was a part of the annual guest artist faculty for summer school at Canada’s National Ballet School, and engaged in two teaching residencies with HSPro, at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.
In 2016, David was named one of the 25 Most Influential Young Choreographers by Narcity Toronto. David is also the grateful recipient of the Living Arts Centre’s 2016 Ron Lenyk Award and was one of three finalists for the Toronto Arts Foundation’s Emerging Artist Award in 2018, receiving a prize and recognition at the Mayor’s Arts Lunch.
LEADERSHIP & CURATION
I lead with vulnerability, and work to organize a team with everyone’s needs in mind. By prioritizing care, we do better work together.
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Photo Credit: Common Ground Dance Festival, a program of TOES FOR DANCE (Pictured with festival Co-Host Chantelle Good, Photo by Aidan Tooth)
PERFORMANCE
For me, performance is a practise of balancing listening and transparency with spontaneity and action.
Photo Credit: Slow Death (Choreography by Marie Lambin-Gagnon / Photo by Moïse Marcoux-Chabot)
CHOREOGRAPHY
My choreographic process is driven by questions that can be explored through intersections of people, time and space.
Photo Credit: Possibilities of Dialogue (Choreography by Marielis Garcia and David Norsworthy / Photo by Frank Baratta)
asking questions to invite possibility
I am committed to continuous learning and unlearning.
Dancing is doing, resting, thinking and feeling—
the beauty of performance emerges from the simultaneity of these four elements.
Everything depends — specificity equals intelligence — Let’s consider the context!
I believe that anything is possible and find joy in contemplating what could be…
Listening first and honesty above all else, when you can manage it.
The value of art can never be assumed — the work of an artist is to be both:
personal and relevant,
indulgent and considerate,
irrational and purposeful all at once.
Questions create change…
Change is needed— there is work to do.
Enthusiasm!