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Across the other border: the dance scene is booming in Montreal.

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Head north and cross the border to Montreal and you'll find a place of unbridled creativity. Ardent travelers know that this bilingual city resonates with both the style and charm of Europe and the bright-lights allure of a North American hub. Long dance traditions in New York, Paris, London, and Berlin might eclipse Montreal in historical terms. But the city's current boom, which is rooted in artistic renewal, shifting cultural identities, and vibrant social buzz, makes it a fulcrum for powerful invention.

Montreal blasted forward as a center of contemporary dance in the mid-'80s. Its diversity of voices included large established companies like Les Grands Ballets Canadiens and Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal, as well as artists ranging from Margie Gillis, Edouard Lock, Marie Chouinard, and Ginette Laurin to Paul-Andre Fortier and Jean-Pierre Perreault.

Because the Quebecois are proud of their artists, financial support from government agencies and arts councils kept apace with the burgeoning dance community. This has resulted in a stimulating environment with a strong sense of continuity over the last nearly 30 years. Many of the city's dance artists have not only established ties within the borders of Quebec and Canada, but also across the globe.

Before the boom, there were perhaps a handful of professional dance companies. According to the Regroupement quebecois de la danse (RQD), an umbrella advocacy organization for professional dance practitioners, Montreal is now home to about 30...