Espace Danse Adagio Opens a New Chapter in Old Hull

Drazen Seslija

After several months of preparation, Espace Danse Adagio officially inaugurated its new space on July 4, 2026, located at 210 Champlain Street in Old Hull. Much more than just a move, the organization is embarking on a significant transformation of its mission by focusing on accessibility, artistic creation, and community engagement.

Founded in 1979 as the École de ballet Adagio by Denise Lavigne, the institution continues to evolve today by adopting a new identity and organizational model. Now organized as a worker cooperative, Espace Danse Adagio aims to place collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and collective participation at the heart of its development.

“It’s a mix of happiness, anticipation, and fear. It’s a big deal—it’s a huge project. We’ve worked extremely hard to make this happen, and we really hope people will enjoy it and come see us,” says co-director Jasmine Van Schouwen.

The new space offers better-suited facilities, including a third studio, allowing for a greater number of classes and activities.

“We’ve opened a third studio in the space. It’s more welcoming and better suited for classes,” notes Bill Desrochers, the administrative director.

An expanded offering to meet the community’s needs

Espace Danse Adagio is also taking advantage of this new chapter to enhance its programming.

In addition to classical ballet classes for children, teens, and adults, the organization now offers more classes for adults, including modern dance, jazz, fitness, and yoga, as well as occasional workshops exploring different dance styles.

“We’ve expanded our course offerings. We now offer more classes for adults, including ballet, yoga, fitness training, and a wide variety of dance styles,” explains Jasmine Van Schouwen.

This new program is the result of a community survey.

“The focus is really on the community. We conducted surveys to offer classes that meet residents’ needs, and we want to remain flexible so that people feel comfortable here,” adds Bill Desrochers.

To allow as many people as possible to discover the facilities, the first class is offered free of charge to non-members.

A space dedicated to the creation and promotion of dance

Beyond teaching, Espace Danse Adagio aims to become a true pillar of the dance community in the Outaouais region.

The organization will therefore make its studios available to artists and community organizations in the region, while also hosting the Voices Choreographic Project, a resident dance company founded in 2022.

This collective brings together dancers from diverse artistic and cultural backgrounds to foster choreographic creation, mentorship, and the development of new works.

“The most important thing for us was to preserve this space. We’ve been here for decades, and it’s one of the few dance schools in the Hull area. Hosting a resident troupe contributes to the region’s cultural vitality and helps bring the community together around dance,” says Jasmine Van Schouwen.

With this new location in Old Hull, Espace Danse Adagio hopes to continue its growth while remaining true to its mission: to make dance accessible, support local artists, and create a gathering place where learning, creativity, and community thrive together.