Montreal is the cultural capital of French speaking North America. A city buzzing with world class music, dance, circus and comedy. And that’s just the performing arts. As the largest city in Quebec, Montreal residents and cultural institutions alike take its art scene very seriously. In regards to international connections with contemporary dance, Montreal is home to CINARS and Festival TransAmérique, two of the largest international performing arts festivals in Canada. While in the city that was once home to Leonard Cohen, I met with Caroline Ohrt from Danse Danse, a dance series hosted at Place des Arts. Her personal journey and expertise taught me about the not-so-distant connection between visual arts and dance. When speaking with Francine Gagné, director of Circuit-Est Centre I got an idea of the strong sense of community within the local contemporary dance scene and how that came to be. Montreal is not only the city with the best bagels and smoked meat sandwiches, it is an essential hub for contemporary dance in North America.