Led by Stephanie Lake Company, this three-week intensive brings together a large ensemble of contemporary dancers to train, rehearse, and perform Colossus, Stephanie Lake’s internationally acclaimed work for 50+ dancers.
Colossus is a monumental work in which 50 dancers become a single, continually transforming organism. Moving between unison and disruption, control and unpredictability, the work examines how individuals negotiate agency, leadership, conformity, resistance, and connection within a group. Colossus premiered in Australia in 2018 and has since been performed in 17 countries worldwide by nearly 1000 dancers. For the first time, the Banff version of Colossus invites dancers from across the glove to learn and perform the show.
Through the teaching and performance of this large-scale work, participants will engage with Lake’s choreographic language while developing precision, stamina, spatial awareness, responsiveness, and trust. The program combines rigorous professional training, fun and fast paced rehearsals, artistic development, and performance, offering firsthand experience of Stephanie Lake Company’s creative practice and strengthening the technical, interpretive, and collaborative skills required for contemporary dance.
This program is intended for emerging, early-career and professional contemporary dancers interested in rigorous physical practice, large-scale ensemble performance, and collaborative choreographic process.
Scholarships are available.
Application Deadline November 18, 2026
Program Dates Jun 07, 2027 - Jun 26, 2027
Residency Eligibility
Residency Experience Summary
Application Information
This program is intended for emerging, early-career and professional contemporary dancers interested in rigorous physical practice, large-scale ensemble performance, and collaborative choreographic process. Applicants should demonstrate:
- Strong contemporary dance training or equivalent experience.
- Physical coordination, stamina, musicality, and spatial awareness.
- The ability to learn and retain complex movement material.
- A responsive and expressive performance presence.
- Openness to rigorous rehearsal, improvisation, and task-based choreographic processes.
- The ability to work generously and attentively within a large ensemble.
- Readiness to participate fully in an intensive three-week rehearsal and performance process.
No specific degree or formal credential is required. Dancers who have previously participated in a Colossus production are welcome to apply.
This program and all correspondence are conducted in English. Basic English-language proficiency is required.
Participants must attend all elements of the program for its full duration; variable participation dates cannot be accommodated.
Total Program Fee $9 075.15
Banff Centre Arts Scholarship $6 250.55
Participant Cost * $2 824.61
Application Fee
$65 for individuals or groups, $35 for applicants who identify as Indigenous.
This non-refundable fee covers the full cost of processing your application, including the SlideRoom fee.
We are pleased to offer a range of scholarships to support participants in our programs.
- Banff Centre Arts Scholarship
Program participants receive a Banff Centre Arts Scholarship that covers the cost of tuition, plus a contribution towards accommodation and meals.
*Participant costs shown above reflect the cost after the scholarship has been applied. To be eligible for Banff Centre scholarship, please complete the Financial Aid section when uploading your supporting materials.
- Canadian Indigenous Arts Scholarship
Canadian Indigenous Arts applicants receive a scholarship that covers the full cost of tuition, accommodation and meals.