David Norsworthy is a Toronto-based dance artist of mixed Japanese/British descent and the Festival Director for Common Ground Dance Festival, which will celebrate its 5th Anniversary between September 18-20, 2025, in North York. A graduate of The Juilliard School in New York City, he has performed with dance companies in Canada, the USA, Sweden and Australia, and his choreographic career has included full-length creations and international tours. He now seamlessly slides between the roles of choreographer, teacher, community activator, and curator/producer, bridging the poetic and the practical wherever he lands.
As described by the Globe and Mail, David is “an exceptionally lucid performer, impressive and articulate” — this is not exclusive to his impact on stage. David’s exceptional ability to harness presence, precision, and play is evident in all of his work and interactions. His practice centres on community-building through co-creation; cultivating participatory environments that work with the materiality of emotion and dialogue through improvisational scores. He values curiosity and believes deeply in the transformative power of dancing.
David has been recognized with the Ron Lenyk Award and was a finalist for the Toronto Arts Foundation’s Emerging Artist Award. He has served as a Board Member of CanAsian Dance, Rehearsal Director with Sweden’s Norrdans, Co-Executive Artistic Producer for DanceWorks, and is the Co-Founder/Co-Director of TOES FOR DANCE.
-Written by Katherine Semchuk, a dance artist, instructor, and arts coordinator, as well as David’s friend and colleague.
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Which ’hood are you in?
I live in midtown Toronto, near Yonge and Eglinton. Yes, the construction hub that seems to constantly be in a state of ‘creative process’. As an artist, I am really inspired by continuous evolution (lifelong learning!) and recognize that dance, on some level, is always about change and transformation … but that doesn’t mean I am not frequently annoyed by the never-ending construction in my neighbourhood!
What do you do?
I dance through life while wearing many metaphorical hats! Out of desire and necessity, my artistic life has included working as an interpreter/performer within choreographic works authored by other artists, collaborating with dear friends and colleagues on the co-creation of performance and education projects, and spearheading new programs that support artistic exchange, professional development, and audience building within the field of dance and choreography. In other words, a lot of grant writing/reporting, meetings, budgets and general administration! After a few years of primarily supporting other artists through my work as an Artistic Director, Curator/Producer, and Rehearsal Director, I am now re-focusing towards my own artistic practice as a dancer and choreographer! I am interested in full-bodied improvisation that intentionally articulates time and space; working through lineages of European and American modern/contemporary dance as well as more experimental approaches with a wide range of global influences.
What are you currently working on?
As the Co-Artistic and Executive Director of TOES FOR DANCE, my primary focus at the moment is preparing for our upcoming Common Ground Dance Festival (CGDF) that will take place from Sept 18-20 at Lee Lifeson Art Park in Willowdale, North York. It’s our fifth anniversary season! CGDF began as a silver lining of the pandemic’s dark cloud and was precipitated through questions like: ‘Why does dance matter?’ and ‘What can dance do for us, that is both essential and irreplaceable?’. Activating an outdoor shared space with free, participatory, intercultural workshops and performances seemed like the best way to answer these questions with action! Since the festival’s modest beginnings in 2021, we’ve deepened our intercultural practice and have learned a lot about what it means to foster appreciation, understanding, and mutual respect across differences of identity, lived experience, and artistic values. To be embraced by the local community as a cherished annual tradition has been our greatest accomplishment, and we are looking forward to cultivating the beautiful relationships that have emerged for many years to come.
As a dance artist myself, I am currently in rehearsals for a repertoire piece with ĀNANDAM Dance Theatre and starting a new creative process with an emergent collective called In Good Company (Rakeem Hardy, Katherine Semchuk, and Judy Luo). In the autumn, I will be choreographing a new work for the students at Dance Arts Institute, a post-secondary professional training program here in Toronto. Being back in the studio comes with its challenges (sore muscles, etc!), but I am reminded of the great privilege of being a professional dance artist. I am so grateful for the ways that dance calls me back into my body and into presence.
Where can we find your work?
You can learn more about Common Ground Dance Festival on our website or by following TOES FOR DANCE on social media. We recommend that audience members RSVP for the festival (FREE!) so they can receive weather-related updates directly to their email inbox! To engage with my work as an artist, the best way to stay connected is through Instagram. Thanks for reading! If you attend an event, please come say hi!
