Our Story

Decades of Cat’s Corner

Cat’s Corner has many stories embedded in it. We can pull a string and bring to light a series of events, of people, of connections, different from another one. It will always take the single point of view of the person who speaks, remembers, writes, asks their own questions. But there are more. Ubuntu again. I am, because we are.

Some names you will often hear are the ones that made lasting organizational impact, such as founders, directors, teachers. They deserve to be named. And. And also. The people, the dancers, the volunteers, the visitors, the ones that left, the ones that are on their way to us, every contribution bring a piece to what Cat’s Corner is today and will become tomorrow. This community is made up of all and every single one of you that steps foot and shares a dance.

The founder and the directors

Cat’s Corner was founded in 1998 by Fred Ngo, whose vision was:

• To create an organization around which a collective of dancers could gather, learn to speak a common dance language and build the tools to connect with and participate in a wider community of original and swinging jazz music and dance practitioners.

• To honour the elders of the dance, share and learn from their legacy.

• To put Montreal on the lindy hop world map as a vibrant and dynamic community of dancers.

• To  create a home where everyone feels welcome, where we feel invited to come back and develop lasting relationships, with the common interest in social dancing to swinging jazz music.

Those years enabled to create a strong sense of identity and hospitality that Cat’s Corner is known for all around the world. The musical taste grew with self-made DJs like Danny Toye. The Reflective Practice unique to Cat’s Corner started then thanks to Sylwia Bielec (2005). The Lindy U program took off with Alain Wong and Ann Mony. André Deslauriers, Mira Fisher and others built a local taste of dance exchanges, bringing dancers from all around the continent. The Elders of the dance visited Montreal on this occasion: Ms Norma Miller, Ms Dawn Hampton and Mr Frankie Manning.

After Fred Ngo left Montreal in 2010, this vision kept on living through the work of many for close to a decade, thanks to the leadership of Debbie Carman, supported by Alain Wong, Owen Hortop and later Cara De Granpré (office manager) and Geneviève Raoult (community manager) and a team of loyal advisers. This new chapter saw the birth of a legendary event: The Cat’s Corner Exchange, an annual social dance celebration on Halloween weekend. A strong Blues program and community was built (Tanya Teal, Gab Kern, Mireille Schnitzer…), as well as a Balboa counterpart (Sylvain Tchang, then Cara and Felix Rioux Sabourin) and finally a Tap program (Pablo Gimeno, Aleix Prats Ferrer, Tanya Rivard and Majiza Philip). An educational change took place in 2013 via Anaïs’ doctoral research, to start integrating a more “culturally informed” pedagogy, supported by an Annual Teacher Training event bringing special guests like Angela Andrew (UK) and other dancers who were mentored by the Elders.
It was also the era of late night dinners at the Quartier Chinois, black sesame milkshakes at Big in Japan, “Bohemian Rhapsody” karaoke, and influential creative dance crews like the Northern Lights, the W Project, the Strutting Trousers, the Cats Club Chorus Line, the Bal Gals and so much more.

In 2019, after having already contributed to the many facets of Cat’s Corner for a decade, Meghan Gilmore and Anaïs Sékiné partnered to build the next leadership: starting with building a lively monthly live music programming, a Kids program, the monthly Social Potlucks and the first edition of a gem among the gems : the Vernacular Spectacular Festival. But little did they know about the World Pandemic that was about the follow. The biggest changes that the organization ever went through took place these past 5 years: surviving the pandemic in the most difficult sector, moving twice in opposite neighbourhoods, re-evaluating the whole organization and its educational & cultural purposes, and coming out with a stronger sense of our vision for the future. Cat’s Corner finally became a Non Profit with a board of directors and governance structure.

In 2023, a new co-director is integrating the organization: Helene Bernardot. There is no doubt that she, also, will bring forward a fresh perspective.

Locations

Cat’s Corner has had many ‘homes’ over the years. Fred always had the intention for Montrealers to have a space where we could meet, practice, socialize and learn together.

• Since the fall of 2023 we share space with the Polish White Eagle Society in the beautiful hall at 1956 Frontenac

• Post pandemic we collaborated with Share the Warmth to use space at the old Grace Church in Point St Charles (2021-2023)

• For 12 years we were on the main at 3451 Boulevard Saint Laurent, in a loft style space (2010-2021)

• Our first brick-walled spaces were on St Catherine Street before that, near McGill station

• We learned the hard way the difficulty to co-exist too close to residential buildings in Berri-Uqam area.

• The very first studio was at Vendôme metro station