{"id":1079,"date":"2026-08-09T01:04:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-09T05:04:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linitiative.ca\/english\/1er-au-7-septembre-2026-joat-festival-international-de-street-dance-au-coeur-du-quartier-des-spectacles\/"},"modified":"2026-08-09T01:04:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-09T05:04:14","slug":"1er-au-7-septembre-2026-joat-festival-international-de-street-dance-au-coeur-du-quartier-des-spectacles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/linitiative.ca\/english\/1er-au-7-septembre-2026-joat-festival-international-de-street-dance-au-coeur-du-quartier-des-spectacles\/","title":{"rendered":"September 1 to 7, 2026. JOAT International street dance festival in the heart of the Quartier des Spectacles"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/linitiative.ca\/?attachment_id=90130\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/linitiative.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/JOAT-Festival-international-de-street-dance-2026.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800px\" height=\"417px\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-90130\" srcset=\"https:\/\/linitiative.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/JOAT-Festival-international-de-street-dance-2026.jpg 800w, https:\/\/linitiative.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/JOAT-Festival-international-de-street-dance-2026-768x400.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The vibrant energy of street dance is preparing to once again invade the Quartier des Spectacles: JOAT International Street Dance Festival, the largest festival of its kind in the Americas, is back for a new edition, from September 1 to 7, 2026, in co-production with Danse Danse.<\/p>\n<p>Faithful to its unifying DNA, the festival promises an effervescent week punctuated by Breaking, Hip Hop and Popping battles, music composer battles, initiation workshops, master classes, conferences, art markets and much more to discover the world of street dance. As always, the program takes place in the heart of the Quartier des Spectacles, is intended for all ages, and includes a large number of free outdoor activities. Through this diverse offering, the festival\u2019s artistic director, Handy Yacinthe, highlights the street dance community, both local and international.<\/p>\n<p>Breaking, Hip Hop and PoppingIn a one-on-one format, the artists will take turns improvising to music chosen live by the DJ, all hosted by an MC. International judges will then choose the winners of each category. Among the judges and distinguished guests, Mr Wiggles, emblematic figure of breaking from the Bronx and member of one of the oldest breaking collectives, MASS, three-time champion of the Red Bull BC One Canadian national finals and double winner of the JOAT breaking final, as well as Acky, world champion and one of the most influential figures in popping. DJ FLEG is back, who we saw as a breaking DJ during the 2024 Olympic Games as well. More than 250 dancers are expected at the Preselections which will take place during the day on the Esplanade at Place des Arts. After a solo improvisation, the 16 best dancers will be chosen for the final battle which will take place at Club Soda. All participants will receive a monetary prize, an unusual initiative in the world of battles.<\/p><div id=\"linit-3937168098\" class=\"linit-dans-le-contenu linit-entity-placement\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-8992136571741975\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:inline-block;width:728px;height:90px;\" \ndata-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8992136571741975\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"6185130430\"><\/ins> \n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>The JOAT KidzBattle returns to Club Soda! Since its beginnings, the Festival has opened its doors to all generations with the JOAT KidzBattle, an All Styles dance battle for children and pre-teens initiated by Urban-Element Zone. For a second year, the KidzBattles offer the same formula as the adults: the final will take place at Club Soda in the presence of international judges. In order to offer everyone the chance to participate, young people will not be chosen in advance and will have to go through the selection process on the main stage of the Esplanade at Place des Arts. This year, the media partner of the JOAT Festival, Stance, welcomes the global phenomenon and street dance prodigy MIYU as a special battle guest. Originally from Indonesia and only 12 years old, with over a million fans on Instagram, she has quickly established herself on the international scene, captivating audiences with her exceptional mastery of movement and magnetic energy.<\/p>\n<p>The unmissable The JOAT Festival will begin on September 1 with CH\u014cRA. Imagined by the dancer PAX, the composer Lunice and the audiovisual artist Neurotypical, CH\u014cRA is an immersive and interdisciplinary work where dance, music and digital arts converge into a living language. Presented in collaboration with the Society of Technological Arts (SAT) as part of its residency program, a first for the festival, the show will take place from September 1 to 5, then will be broadcast on film from September 8. As always, the public is invited to gather and take part in all the activities offered free of charge on the Esplanade at Place des Arts. Young and old will also be able to take part in introductory street dance workshops open to all skill levels. At the same time, master classes will be given by battle judges and international guests, offering a unique opportunity for dance enthusiasts and novices alike. The festival will also offer the SPOT Session, a free practice space for all street dance fans, hosted by the organization 100Lux. This edition will also see the return of krump performance battles with the MKA Sessions, or even clashes between music composers with C&rsquo;est quoi les DAWs, presented in collaboration with the Center des M\u00e9moires Montr\u00e9alaises (MEM). Presented at the MEM throughout the week of the festival, DECYPHER is a documentary which traces the history of Breaking in Montreal from its very first steps in the metropolis until today. Finally, the Festival will present Dialogue with History at MEM, a discussion activity highlighting artists linked to street dance from the 1980s and 1990s through their respective archives. Guided by an approach favoring intergenerational transmission, this meeting will rely on these documents to explore the discussion.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"_ytid_35254\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" data-origwidth=\"640\" data-origheight=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vXZBqvftcuw?enablejsapi=1&amp;autoplay=0&amp;cc_load_policy=0&amp;cc_lang_pref=&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;loop=0&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;playsinline=0&amp;autohide=2&amp;theme=dark&amp;color=red&amp;controls=1&amp;disablekb=0&amp;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__ epyt-is-override no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\" allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\" name=\"_ytid_35254\">[embedded content]<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>4 BATTLES | BREAKING \u2013 HIP HOP \u2013 KIDZ \u2013 POPPING September 3, 4, 5 and 6, 2026 Club Soda, 1225 Boul. Saint-Laurent.<\/p>\n<p>FREE FESTIVAL ACTIVITIESAt the Quartier des spectaclesPlace des Arts, MEMIntroductory activities | Hip Hop, popping, hustle, krump, beatmaking, freestyle rapJOAT Kidz Battle | Dance battle of all styles for children\/tweensPrelims | preselection battle for JOAT Battle at Club SodaConcerts | Hip Hop\/R&#038;B music artists on the Esplanade of the Quartier des Spectacles, followed by DJ sets until 11 p.m. What are DAWs | clash of music composers Hip HopSpot Session | Dance circle for street dance artistsMKA Session | Battles-Performances by Krump and other stylesBeatmaking | Beatmaking station available to the publicJOAT Parties | Dance parties and DJ sets to celebrate street dance styleDocumentary film screening | DecypherRound table | Dialogue with historyAnd also | Art market, Barber shop, DJ, Beach area, refreshments, food and more!<\/p>\n<div id=\"linit-490351130\" class=\"linit-apres-contenu linit-entity-placement\"><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-8992136571741975\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:inline-block;width:728px;height:90px;\" \ndata-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8992136571741975\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"6185130430\"><\/ins> \n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The vibrant energy of street dance is preparing to once again invade the Quartier des Spectacles: JOAT International Street Dance Festival, the largest festival of its kind in the Americas, is back for a new edition, from September 1 to 7, 2026, in co-production with Danse Danse. Faithful to its unifying DNA, the festival promises [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1080,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/linitiative.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/JOAT-Festival-international-de-street-dance-2026.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"1er au 7 septembre 2026. JOAT Festival international de street dance au c\u0153ur du Quartier des Spectacles","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1079","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communiques"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/linitiative.ca\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1079","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/linitiative.ca\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/linitiative.ca\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linitiative.ca\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linitiative.ca\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1079"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/linitiative.ca\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1079\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linitiative.ca\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1080"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/linitiative.ca\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linitiative.ca\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1079"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linitiative.ca\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}