DANCE WORLD CUP
Over 8,000 dancers from Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Cyprus, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guam, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, South Korea, Turkey, and USA have competed at Dance World Cup. Dance World Cup which is recognized by the International Dance Council CID is celebrating its 13th anniversary season at Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu July 7-11, 2021.
​
2008, 5678 Showtime hosted its first Dance World Cup competition in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
​
2010, 5678 Showtime applied for the trademark from the government of Canada to host Dance World Cup, and received the trademark in 2012 as the only organization legally entitled to host Dance World Cup.
​
2011, Dance World Cup gained global recognition as the first CID event hosted in Canada. CID (International Dance Council) was founded in Paris, France in 1973 with memberships in 155 countries. CID is the only non-profit organization representing dance, recognized by UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organization).
​
2012, Cirque du Soleil has brought wonder and delight to more than 160 million spectators in more than 400 cities in over 60 countries on 6 continents. Cirque du Soleil Casting has offered workshops, tours of their headquarters, group tickets for their shows, and have been on the jury of Dance World Cup since 2012. Dancers were treated to the Michael Jackson, The Immortal World Tour in 2012, and Luzia in 2016. Mona D’Amours, Director of Dance World Cup was invited to attend the Cirque du Soleil dance audition in Montreal, June 29 - 30, 2013. This is an honour no other dance competition director has ever been offered. .
​
2013, CBC News covered Dance World Cup, and named Mona D’Amours, “Creator of Canada’s Dance Competitions”. Mona D'Amours, Director of Dance World Cup has hosted over 250 dance competitions across Canada since 1994.
RADIO CANADA INTERNATIONAL
Creator of Canada’s Dance Competitions
Mona D’Amours is the driving force behind Canada’s dance competitions. There’s one in every province now, except for Prince Edward Island. The competitions bring together dancers in every category; from ballet to jazz, contemporary to hip hop, to tap & folkloric dance, the performers bring their passion and skill to these arenas.
Today in Montreal, an exciting 10 days that brought dancers and delegates from over 20 countries, such as Japan, China, Indonesia, Ecuador and Portugal to name just a few, is culminating in the medal ceremony for the Dance World Cup.
Dancers and choreographers were among the top 10 growth occupations in Canada.
Back in the mid-1990’s when Mona D’Amours organized the first competition, the dance landscape in Canada was very limited. But a combination of events, beginning with an “Economic Services Bulletin” Mona saw in her position as a training consultant for Human Resources Development Canada, changed everything. The bulletin stated that dancers and choreographers were among the top 10 growth occupations in Canada.
​
For Mona, the seed was planted. Since then it has been a labour of love and a family affair. Mona and her husband, Desiderio Fortunato met as dance partners in Italy 34 years ago. Now they’re partners in this venture. The couple’s three children, who grew up dancing, made their contributions and have gone on to various careers in the world of dance. But it was Mona’s vision.
​
Diversity is the key to success today
​
Mona D’Amours credits the growth of dance, in its many forms, to Canada’s multi-cultural society, to more boys participating, and money! In the competitions she has organized over the years, the best performers have been awarded over C$1.5 million in cash. And Mona D’Amours is demanding.
For the coveted Dancer of the Year award, the winner must perform well in three categories, such as ballet, hip hop and tap for example. Her motto is that ‘diversity is the key to success’ and that goes for dancers too.
​
Again this year, talent scouts from Canada’s Cirque du Soleil will be involved in the competitions, looking for the individuals that have what it takes to make a career of their passion. A quarter of the Cirque du Soleil’s performers are former dancers.
​
This has been a special gathering in Montreal. It was the occasion of the first International Dance Council World Congress outside of Europe. But closer to home, it is the beginning of the twentieth anniversary of the 5678 Showtime in Vancouver, where it all began, and a family reunion for the D’Amours-Fortunato’s.
​
By Carmel Kilkenny | english@rcinet.ca
Wednesday 10 July, 2013
Radio Canada International