Company Marie Chouinard

Choreographer Marie Chouinard is the Executive & Artistic Director of Company Marie Chouinard, Founding Chair of the Prix de la Danse de Montréal, an Associate Dance Artist of the Canada’s National Arts Centre and Director of Dance at the Venice Biennale. Today, her company enjoys an international reputation. Its trajectory began in 1978, when Chouinard presented her first creation, “Cristallisation”. This work was followed by thirty solos performed on stages in Canada and abroad, including “Marie Chien Noir” (1982), “S.T.A.B.” (Space, Time and Beyond, 1986), and “Afternoon of a Faun” (1987), landmarks in contemporary dance of the past 40 years.In 1990, the soloist and choreographer founded her own company. Since that time, Company Marie Chouinard has performed all over the world, and co-produces its creations with renowned partners such as Venice Biennale, ImPulsTanz in Vienna, Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, Fondazione Musica Per Roma, Place des Arts in Montreal, Festival TransAmériques in Montreal and National Arts Centre in Ottawa. In 2007, the Company moved to its own building, Espace Marie Chouinard in Montreal. For Chouinard, each creation is an odyssey through the history of humanity that evades the linearity of a narrative. The intimate intelligence of the body, the inexhaustible complexity of its articulations and mutations command constructions that are achieved through form. The choreographer is thoroughly engaged in every aspect of a work, from music to scenography, lighting, costumes, and hairstyles, so they resonate with each other in a whole with great power of evocation. Hailed for their technique, versatility and performance skills, the ten permanent dancers of the company, trained in different somatic approaches, bring Chouinard’s iconic works to the stage. The company has a vast repertoire of works, most still performed internationally:“The Rite of Spring”, “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun”, “24 Preludes by Chopin”, “Le Cri du monde“,“Étude no 1“,“bODY_rEMIX/gOLDBERG_vARIATIONS“,“Henri Michaux: Mouvement“,“Soft virtuosity“,“still humid“,“on the edge“ and “Hieronymus Bosch: The Garden of Earthly Delights“.The “Rite of Spring“ has been performed for almost 25 years and become a classic in the history of contemporary dance.Chouinard’s works also appear in the repertoires of major ballet companies such as National Ballet of Canada, São Paulo Dance Company, Monte Carlo Ballet, Göteborg Ballet, Gulbenkian Ballet, Martha Graham Dance Company…In 2009, Marie Chouinard, the dancer, returned to the stage after a 20 year absence with her solo creation “morning glories :)-(:”andsince 2012, has danced “In Museum”, a three-hour solo performance-installation.An author, set and lighting designer, photographer and film director, her opus includes numerous multimedia works, music videos, poems collections, photo-installations, art exhibitions… Whatever the medium (stage, screen, digital, print, etc.), the crux of the work is always the body.Over the years, Company Marie Chouinard has developed her own dance technique, taught by the dancers during workshops or master classes in tour.A true cultural ambassador for Quebec, Marie Chouinard has received several awards and distinctions in recognition of her contribution to the arts, including Bessie Award (New York, 2000), Grand Prix du Conseil des arts de Montréal (2006), title of Officer of the Order of Canada (2007), title of Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France, 2009), Denise Pelletier Award (Quebec, 2010), Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec Award for best choreography (2012), Samuel de Champlain Award (France, 2014),title of Companion of the Ordre national des arts et des lettres du Québec (2015),title of Chevalier of the Ordre national du Québec (2015), Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement (Canada, 2016), Positano “Choreographer of the Year” Award (Italy, 2016) and Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts (Canada, 2016). The name of Marie Chouinard became a dictionary entry in Le Petit Larousse, illustrated edition, in 2010 and in Le Robert in 2011.