AGORA DE LA DANSE is unique in North America. Located on Cherrier Street in Montreal’s trendy Plateau area, the Agora is an entire building dedicated to the exploration and creation of contemporary dance. This year, the new season opens with a North American exclusive of DESTINATION DANSE FRANCE, which showcases France’s most talented dancers. From September 16-26, you can catch Julie Nioche’s Matter, a dance performance about feminism and identity, Pierre Rigal’s Press, a choreographic work about solitude from a dancer who was first an athlete, then economist and filmmaker, Nacera Belaza’s Le Cri, which borrows elements from traditional Algerian folklore with music from Maria Callas and Amy Winehouse, as well as Fabrice Lamber’s Abstraction + Gravité, a remarkable experience on memory. Agora de la danse’s regular program also includes many works from incredibly talented Canadian choreographers from the Montreal dance scene, such as Chantal Lamirande’s Projet X and Jocelyne Montpetit’s Nuit_Nacht_Notte.

DANSE DANSE, a Montreal-based dance promoter, also offers a vast program of performances from the four courners of the world. (Last year, Juliette Binoche presented a dance performance in collaboration with Akram Khan.) This season’s line-up includes Uprising in Your Rooms from British artist Hofesh Shechter, a flamenco performance from Myriam Allard called La Otra Orilla, and Grupo Corpo’s new creation, Breu Parabelo. All Danse Danse events take place in the downtown area, usually at the Place des Arts Theatre Maisonneuve or Centre Pierre-Péladeau.

LES GRANDS BALLETS CANADIENS, one of the top ballet companies in Canada, presents impressive creations from both local and international artists every year. From the classic Nutcracker during the holiday season to a retrospective of Jirí Kylián’s work with three exclusive dance performances, this season’s program is quite amazing.

There’s something unspeakable you can communicate with dance. Something that theatre, cinema and even everyday conversations will never achieve. Silence and physical movement can be much more powerful than words. Every time I attend a dance performance, I feel the urge to go back to contemporary dance and never write a single paragraph again.