Work presented in Montréal in 2016-2017: Amour, acide et noix and La pudeur des icebergs, La Chapelle Scènes Contemporaines, December 2016.
The jury sought to recognize Daniel Léveillé, one of Québec’s bestknown choreographers on the international stage and a master teacher, for his impact on the dance community and the longevity of his career. Daniel Léveillé is an uncompromising artist with a unique signature, and his production has been marked by its integrity. The jury also considered his remarkable support and transmission efforts through his company. Mr. Léveillé has helped numerous artists produce and tour their works, thus playing an active part in sustaining Montréal’s choreographic community over the long term.
BIOGRAPHY
Widely recognized Canadian choreographer and teacher Daniel Léveillé holds a prominent place on the contemporary dance landscape. In 40 years of practice, he has contributed to the development of the choreographic art by creating a body of major works that have been performed by exceptional dancers.
Daniel Léveillé was trained under the Groupe Nouvelle Aire. For years he worked as an independent choreographer before founding Daniel Léveillé Danse in 1991. He also created works for various dance and theatre companies, and in 1988 he joined the dance department at the Université du Québec à Montréal, where he held a position as a professor of dance creation and performance until 2012. He continued to lead this dual career, deepening his choreographic writing practice and developing an unique approach to dance performance, without catering to the demands of the art market.
In 2001, the work Amour, acide et noix cemented Léveillé’s reputation on the international stage, as did his subsequent works, La pudeur des icebergs (2004) and Crépuscule des océans (2007). This period would see him develop a choreographic style made up of repetition and short phrasing, with choreographic scores that pushed the limits of the impossible, revealing the beauty of being in all its imperfections, and erring in favour of nudity as the only conceivable costume.
Solitudes solo (2012), winner of the 2012-2013 Prix du CALQ pour la meilleure oeuvre chorégraphique, marked the start of new creative cycle characterized by a more fluid gestural language and a return to costumes. The work eloquently reaffirmed that a great deal can be done with very little. The cycle continued with Solitudes duo (2015). This new phase saw Léveillé question the nature of relationships and their continued existence in a world where ubiquitous technology further adds to our isolation with each passing day. The couples featured in the work reveal shifting states of love and relationships with the other in all their complexity.
Starting in 2005, Daniel Léveillé Danse embarked on a unique adventure: the company began producing works by talented performing artists from Québec on various national and international stages.