Groundwork Dance Festival
April 11 & 12, 2026
LSPU Hall
Groundwork is a foundation.
Groundwork is a two-day dance festival built to create professional performance opportunities in a supportive environment. It exists to make space for dancers and movement artists at all stages to show work, be seen, and build momentum.
Ethically non-curated, Groundwork is rooted in equity of access and trust in artists. We aim to create space to present dance and to build dance audiences.
This festival is for artists who want to put their work in front of an audience, and for audiences at every stage of their relationship with dance: those who are deeply familiar, as well as those just beginning to discover dance.
Groundwork is a partnership between Cameo and Untellable Movement Theatre, and is artistically directed and produced by Andrya Duff and Lynn Panting. Founded February 6, 2026, 3:12PM.
Why Groundwork
Dance in Newfoundland and Labrador is often confined to short festival seasons and limited presentation windows. Opportunities to show work, without massive financial or technical overhead, are rare.
Groundwork responds to that gap.
This festival creates space for artists to:
share work in front of an audience
gain professional experience and visibility
build momentum and connection
receive photos and video to leverage for future opportunities and funding
It also creates space for audiences to:
encounter dance outside of a single festival moment
build literacy in how to watch and experience movement
see the breadth of what dance can be
Origin
Groundwork grew out of ongoing conversations between Lynn Panting and Andrya Duff about community, opportunity, and what has been missing for dancers.
Andrya’s Cameo model demonstrated the power of short-form sharing in an intimate, supportive context. Groundwork takes that seed and expands it across two full days, creating a larger container for participation, learning, and presentation.
Performance Opportunities
Groundwork offers two performance formats:
Five-minute works (20 slots available)
These works can be at any stage of development.Longer-format works (up to 6 slots available)
These works should be further along in development or complete, and may be 10–30 minutes in length. While our initial plan was for 20-minute works, we recognize that artists are at different stages and welcome flexibility within this range.
You may express interest in one or both formats. You may not be accepted to both as we aim to program as many artists as possible.
Ethically Non-Curated
Groundwork is ethically non-curated.
Participation is first-come, first-served. All dance and movement practitioners are welcome. All stages of practice are necessary.
Ethical non-curation at Groundwork means open participation within a clear container. Artists are asked to work within set time limits and shared community standards. This year, all work is PG or family-appropriate to support broader participation.
What to Expect
Groundwork unfolds over two days and is designed to balance practice, conversation, learning, and performance.
Each day includes:
A shared class to begin the day together
Time to connect, talk, and network
A learning opportunity programmed by participants
Evening feature performance:
A mixed program of ten short format performances (5 minutes each maximum)
A short break
An evening mixed program of longer works (10-30 minutes)
