Hi! I’m Alida Esmail, a bilingual dance and theatre artist based in Tio’tia:ke/Mooniyang/Montreal. My works sits at the crossroads of movement, research, and accessibility, and draws from contemporary dance, Indian movement forms, Ballroom and Latin dance, and Pilates practices.

For over 12 years, I’ve been creating, performing, teaching, researching, and most recently, audio describing dance-related work. I’m most interested in work that explores identity, ancestry, and social connection - especially how movement can become a tool for dialogue (not just expression) and how artistic spaces can be more accessible, inclusive, and genuinely human.

I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Major Contemporary Dance, Minor Psychology) from Concordia University and a Master in Rehabilitation Sciences from the Faculty of Medicine at Université de Montréal, and my research has been published in peer-reviewed journals focusing on dance, wellbeing, fashion, and equity.

In 2021, my work on gender-neutral partner dance was featured on TED.com. I’ve had the chance to work across Canada, the Unites States, India, Austria, and South Africa, collaborating with artists, scholars, and communities from many disciplines.

I value processes that are thoughtful, curious, and socially-engaged, and I’m not afraid of questions that don’t come with clear-cut answers.

Want to work together? Get in touch here.

I’m deeply grateful for support from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, the Conseil des arts de Montréal, the City of Montreal, the Fondation des Sourds du Québec, and for residencies with numerous cultural organizations locally and internationally.