The STAND Festival is an arts festival showcasing the works of immigrant and refugee artists with performances in both Vancouver and on the North Shore.
The festival ran from November 1st to 10th last year. Visit standfestival.com for full details. Organizers are to confirm the 2026 dates.
The STAND Festival
STAND is an acronym for Strength Through Art Network Diversity. The festival has been running since 2021. It celebrates the stories, passion and artistic talents of newcomers to Canada. The festival is a wonderful series of events that gives immigrant and refugee artists a platform to share their talents. Performances include music, dance and live theatre. There are knowledge-sharing workshops and art exhibitions as well.
When and Where?
Last year’s festival ran from Saturday, November 1st, until Monday, November 10th.
Most shows happen at Presentation House Theatre in North Vancouver. Performances also take place in downtown Vancouver at both The Annex and Scotiabank Dance Centre.
Presentation House Theatre is at 333 Chesterfield Avenue in North Vancouver. It’s about a 10-minute walk from the Lonsdale Quay SeaBus Terminal and a block west of Lonsdale Avenue.
The Annex’s address is 823 Seymour Street. It is a cabaret-style venue with two levels owned and operated by Vancouver Civic Theatres.
The Scotiabank Dance Centre, meanwhile, is at 677 Davie Street. It’s home to several dance studios and the Faris Family Studio black box theatre.
STAND Festival Ticket Costs
Tickets for all STAND Festival performances are available online. Prices for each show vary. Last year, for example, some shows were priced at $18.00, $25.00 or $30.00 along a pay-what-you-could gradient. Other shows cost $20.60, $28.07 or $33.40.
Visit standfestival.com for tickets and full details.Â
STAND Festival Shows
The festival line-up for 2025 is below for an idea of what you can expect at the next event.
Las Mujeronas
(Saturday, November 1st, 2025)
Las Mujeronas is a flamenco performance with six dancers, a singer and two musicians. Choreographed and directed by Jhoely Triana, the show expressed the influence of immigration on cultural identity and expression. The show started at 7:30 pm at the Annex.
Collapse & FE
(Sunday, November 2nd, 2025)
Collapse was a performance that demonstrated cycles of resistance and oppression with elements of dance, spoken word and multimedia. Ines Chiha did the choreography for the show and it was performed in Arabic, English and French. It began at 7:30 pm at The Annex.
After a 15-minute transition period, the theatre put on an additional performance of FE with no additional ticket required. Directed and choreographed by Mariem Valdes and Niosbel Gonzales of Quebec, FE embodied migration and exile with two dancers and original music.
Forest / Flux / Frequency & Confusion
(Monday, November 3rd, 2025)
Rafael Zen and Khalil Alomar performed and co-directed Forest / Flux / Frequency. They presented a multimedia performance depicting the natural world through electronic sounds, textures and visuals. This was meant to give the impression of a future where the natural world is reduced to simulations. It began at 7:30 pm at the Annex.
After a 15-minute transition period there was an additional performance of Confusion, presented by Hamed Mafakheri. This was a live soundscape performance emphasizing the concept of acoustic ecology. Environmental sounds were introduced into unfamiliar context to evoke an immersive experience.
Confined Spaces, Boundless Movements
(Tuesday, November 4th, 2025)
Performed by Shalaleh Rismani, Ghazal Nikjou and Asal Ahadi, Confined Spaces, Boundless Movements used Azerbaijani dance to channel modern storytelling. They told a story of women limited by cultural boundaries in Iran finding their freedom. The show began at 7:30 pm at The Annex.
The Catrina and the Whispers of Flowers
(Tuesday, November 4th, 2025)
The Catrina and the Whispers of Flowers occurred after Confined Spaces, Boundless Movements at The Annex. It was a contemporary dance inspired by La Catrina of Mexico’s Day of the Dead. Performed by Silene Razo and Judith ColibrÃ, the performance embodied identity and cultural heritage.
The Opposite
(Wednesday, November 5th, 2025)
The Opposite was inspired by the resettlement of over 40,000 Syrian refugees in Canada during the Syrian Civil War. Directed by Sleman Aldib, the performance used role reversal to put the audience in the place of so many refugees who came before to ask the question “where would you find refuge?” The show began at 7:30 pm at the Presentation House Theatre.
The Voice of Ruan & Liham: A Song Cycle
(Thursday, November 6th, 2025)
The Voice of Ruan was a musical performance incorporating instrumental and vocal components. It utilized the Ruan, an instrument traditionally only used in Tang dynasty courts 2,000 years ago. The show began at 7:30 pm at the Scotiabank Dance Centre.
After a 15-minute transition period there was an additional showing of Liham: A Song Cycle. This show was a Filipino song cycle concert that bridged classical music and modern storytelling. Using music and spoken word, this musical performance spoke of strength and cultural resilience.
To Be or Not to Be Chica Chica Boom Chic
(Friday, November 7th, 2025)
To Be or Not to Be Chica Chica Boom Chic was a solo performance by Luciana S. Fernandes. The performance was a dance through a Shakespearean verse lecture. Humour, movement and spoken word all worked together to illustrate the experiences of immigrants. The show began at 7:30 pm at the Presentation House Theatre.
A Dictionary of Emotions in Wartime
(Saturday, November 8th, 2025)
A Dictionary of Emotions in Wartime, written by Olena Astavieva and performed by Anastasiia Konstantynova, was a fusion of documentary and experimental staging. It depicted the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and focussed on the trauma and displacement of the conflict’s victims. The show began at 7:30 pm at the Presentation House Theatre.
Mami
(Sunday, November 9th, 2025)
This piece was written and performed solo by isi bhakhomen. Inspired by the poem Me gritaron negra, Mami was a monodrama that confronted the plights that pass from mothers to daughters. The play used storytelling, visuals and sounds to explore the black identity. The show began at 7:30 pm at the Presentation House Theatre.
Banana Musik
(Monday, November 10th, 2025)
The final show of the STAND Festival started at 7:30 pm at Presentation House Theatre. Banana Musik was a three-performer piece created by Kris Alvarez. It spoke about ageing through the eyes of an “immigrant kid” watching their parents lives through their belongings.
Stand Festival Workshops
The STAND Festival in 2025 featured five different workshops. They mostly took place at 6:30 pm on different days at North Vancouver’s Presentation House Theatre. Below were the workshops presented.
- Intro to Flamenco: a dance workshop led by Jhoely Triana where participants were introduced to the basics of flamenco. No prior experience was required. (October 27th, 2025)
- Fundamentals of Contact Improvisation: an introduction to contact improvisation working individually and in partners led by Natalie Tin Yin Gan. No prior experience was required. (October 28th, 2025)
- Dancing our Identity: an Indigenous dance workshop that spanned all sorts of Coastal Indigenous dance led by Margaret Grenier. An all-level movement-based exercise. (October 29th, 2025)
- Between The Lines – Building Theatrical Action: a practical workshop about grant guidelines and funders guided by Mary Ann Anderson. This workshop took place remotely online. (October 30th, 2025)
The above knowledge-sharing workshops were not only for immigrant artists but also for immigrants, refugees and members of the public who enjoy art and wanted to build connections.
The Migration of Objects Art Exhibition
There was an art exhibition with the Vancouver STAND Festival last year and it took place at the Presentation House Theatre Studio on the North Shore.
2025’s exhibition was The Migration of Objects, curated by Gabriela Rosillo. It was a showcase of belongings of primarily immigrant women. The exhibition asked “what do we carry when we leave home, and what carries us forward?”
The exhibition was only open from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm from November 7th to 10th.
Other Information
Visit standfestival.com for more information about the festival.
See our articles about Presentation House Theatre or the Scotiabank Dance Centre to learn about the venues where the festival takes place. See the Vancouver Civic Theatres website for information about the ANNEX.
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