The members of the jury wished to recognize France Geoffroy’s invaluable contribution for over 20 years to the development of integrated dance, which she pioneered in Montreal. They also sought to highlight the unwavering energy she dedicated to expand the practice of integrated dance and share it with an impressive number of people of all ages, disabled or not, through a variety of means: workshops, conferences, exhibitions, training, documentation, etc. In a world where intolerance presents itself almost daily, France Geoffroy chose to value differences by establishing a stimulating meeting space for artists with or without disabilities. Her work contributes to changing the audience’s perception of disability beyond the stage.
FRANCE GEOFFROY
A pioneer of integrated dance, France Geoffroy has been dancing in a wheelchair for over 20 years and is actively involved in the artistic development of disabled persons. In 2000, she co-founded the company Corpuscule Danse, and has been Executive and Artistic Director ever since. She teaches and creates shows with children, teenagers, and adults, and also works as a dancer, consultant, and lecturer. Since those early beginnings in 1994, France Geoffroy has had a rich and eclectic career. She danced for choreographers Johanne Madore, Estelle Clareton, John Ottmann, Benoit Lachambre, Hélène Langevin and Chantal Lamirande, among others. Her artistic approach explores the aesthetics and possibilities of movement in the atypical body, using physical constraints as a starting point, but without stopping there. That is why dancing and making people dance is her priority. She has done so much to prove that a dancer in a wheelchair is first and foremost … a dancer.