The beauty of a summer festival is that it can offer a string of wide ranging experiences and performances that any single event typically can’t match. Add to that the fact that the weather gods smiled on Toronto at the end of a long and dreary spring, and Luminato 2025’s weekend at Harbourfront was buzzing with crowds enjoying all of its offerings.
Outdoors in the commons, two acts made for a fun Sunday afternoon for adults, kids, and even a few dogs.
Cirque Kikasse
The genius of Le Cirque Kikasse is that it combines practicality and showmanship in a portable package. The company of acrobats travels in a converted van, doubling as cooks and servers.
Yes, as they told the crowd (and took orders after the end of the performance) it’s a functional food truck.
It’s also a craftily designed set up for acrobatics, which took place in, through, in front of, and on top of the van. A portable trampoline added to the impressive feats of death defying acrobatics, which included leaping onto and off of the truck, and balancing in living totems of two and three, juggling, and comedy.
It was their first time in Ontario, and they were performing two daily shows.
Dandyism
Patrick Ziza is based in the UK, but his Dandyism is inspired by the gentlemen known as Sapeurs in the Congo. First realized in 2018, Dandyism reflects the origins of its African creators, who appropriated the elaborate fashions of the 18th Century French and English Dandy. It was viewed as a sign of defiance against the institution of slavery, and its popularity grew and grew.
From June 7 to 15, Ziza and his dancers performed across Toronto in their Canadian premiere, from Love Park to Brampton Farmer’s Market, Scarborough Town Centre, The Well, and Harbourfront Centre itself.
The dance work combines movement with a sense of theatre, some politics and philosophy thrown into the mix as is only appropriate.
It’s about celebrating the joy in life and unfettered self expression, as well as reclaiming a sense of cool, and today, being able to confront gender and identity stereotypes.
The dance unfolded in an area of the Harbourfront Centre common area that was set aside, with audience members largely on one side, but encroaching from all sides of the informal set up. The dancers played with those dynamics, and made sure every side got a good view of the action.
The choreography was energetic and flamboyant, combining street and contemporary dance elements, along with classic Congolese moves, and some impressive splits and backside landings on the hard concrete (albeit with a thin covering).
The celebration of Black style and swagger was apparent through the dance; the message was hard to ignore.
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