Artistic Director

Michael Caldwell (he/him) is an artistic director, curator, producer, choreographer, dancer/actor, and arts advocate, based in Toronto (Tkaronto) Canada.

Currently, Michael serves as Artistic Director at SummerWorks in Tkaronto, and as a Co-Curator for Festival of Dance Annapolis Royal, in Nova Scotia. In addition, he is a Guest Curator in various national and international contexts, acts as a consultant with various arts organizations, and is a mentor to many emerging artists/curators in the Canadian arts community. Recently, as Creative Director: Programming at Generator, he led the re-imagination of the overall governance structure of the organization, moving towards a co-leadership framework. Previously, Michael played a pivotal role in the foundational growth and development of Fall for Dance North, serving as Executive Producer for eight years. He has also previously guided projects with CanAsian Dance, Dusk Dances, Older & Reckless, and Porch View Dances.

Garnering critical acclaim, his choreography has been commissioned and presented throughout Canada and abroad at major festivals, in traditional venues and in site-responsive and community-engaged contexts. He is currently working on two collaborative trans-disciplinary performance projects, in addition to a new international collaboration with Gerry Trentham. Michael is a two-time K.M. Hunter Charitable Foundation Artist Award finalist. Michael has performed and collaborated with over 55 of Canada’s esteemed performance creators and companies, working internationally and performing across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. His performances have earned him two (2) Dora Mavor Moore Awards for outstanding performance in dance.

With a bachelor’s degree in film/art history from Syracuse University in upstate New York, and professional dance training at Dance Arts Institute, Michael now serves as President of the Board of Directors at The CanDance Network and also, at Toffan Rhythm Productions Inc.