May 29-31, 2026 at LabO (60 Waller Street, Ottawa)

Shaping Reciprocity is a multi‑day celebration of contemporary dance, harp, and ecological imagination, bringing together artists, composers, and community members to explore how humans live in relationship with the more‑than‑human world. The festival includes two artistic Reflections of original music and choreography, workshops, and Conversations with the Artists, inviting audiences to listen differently, move differently, and imagine futures shaped by care, responsibility, and interdependence.

Reflection 1, offered May 29th and 30th at 7:00 pm and May 31st at 3:00 pm, blends scientific insight, folklore and humour with works that move from melting ice to plastic toys, from endangered marine life to imagined futures held in kelp forests.

Reflection 2, offered May 31st at 12:00 pm, marks the first HarpSparks: Composer Lab Showcase, featuring the premiere of new works for harp and dance by seven emerging, local composers.

Alongside the performances, Shaping Reciprocity offers three workshops and conversations with the artists that deepen the festival’s themes through practice and dialogue, in partnership with Sectoral Climate Arts Leadership for the Emergency (SCALE), Ecology Ottawa, and Civic Imagination Lab.

For $99, the Festival Pass provides access to all workshops, two performances, and conversations with the artists.  There are also single tickets available for our two shows (Reflection 1 and 2), if you would prefer to attend the performances only.

Co-produced by HarpSparks and the Voices Dance Project. Featuring original music by nine local composers, choreography by Artists of the Voices Dance Project and guest choreographer Autumn Eckman, and performances by local artists, including harpists Angela Schwarzkopf, Audrey Morris, and Michelle Gott.