15.11.2018
THE EIGHT WINNERS OF THE PRIX DE LA DANSE DE MONTRÉAL 2018
Betroffenheit © Michael Slobodian
Choreographer Crystal Pite is the winner of the GRAND PRIX,
alongside Choreographers and Dancers Louise Bédard, Katia-Marie Germain, Emmanuelle Lê Phan, Elon Höglund and France Geoffroy,
Curator and Researcher Dena Davida, Cultural Manager Francine Bernier and company Cas Public
The PRIX DE LA DANSE DE MONTRÉAL (PDM) today announced the recipients for 2018. Held under the Honorary Presidency of choreographer Mélanie Demers and hosted by Anik Bissonnette, Artistic Director of the École supérieure de ballet du Québec, the ceremony took place in attendance of: Marie Chouinard, President and Founder of the PDM; Christine Gosselin, Director of Culture, Heritage and Design of the Ville de Montréal; Sylvie Cordeau, Vice-President of Philanthropy and Sponsorships at Quebecor; Fabienne Cabado, Executive Director of the Regroupement québécois de la danse; Stéphanie Perron, Communications Associate at the Caisse Desjardins de la Culture; Stéphane Labbé, Executive Director of Tangente; Martin Brière and Marie-Alice Philips, respectively Acting President and Treasurer of the Board of Directors of Diagramme – gestion culturelle; Alain Paré, President and Founder of CINARS; Anne-Marie Jean, President-Executive Director of the CALQ ; Nathalie Maillé, Executive Director of the CAM; along with members of the PDM’s Board of Directors, partners, many personalities, and this year’s winners.
The GRAND PRIX de la danse de Montréal 2018, presented by Quebecor and the Ville de Montréal
Choreographer Crystal Pite is the winner of the GRAND PRIX de la danse de Montréal 2018. Awarded this year with a $25,000 cash prize offered by Quebecor and the Ville de Montréal, this prestigious reward was presented by Sylvie Cordeau, Vice-President of Philanthropy and Sponsorships at Quebecor, and Christine Gosselin, Director or Culture, Heritage and Design of the Ville de Montréal. The jury sought to recognize Crystal Pite’s remarkable influence abroad, her talent, her diligent approach, her constant research, her keen direction of choreography, her mastery of various stage elements, and her ability to tackle complex and dark topics. Lastly, this artist has a beautiful history with Montreal, a connection she has forged and nurtured to this day. She presented Betroffenheit with the Festival TransAmériques in the Salle Pierre-Mercure in June 2018.
The Prix INTERPRÈTE de la danse de Montréal 2018, presented by the Regroupement québécois de la danse and Caisse Desjardins de la Culture
The Prix INTERPRÈTE, presented by the Regroupement québécois de la danse and the Caisse Desjardins de la Culture, comes with a cash prize of $10,000 and is awarded toLouise Bédard. The jury sought to highlight Louise Bédard’s performance in the last opus of a trilogy of solos, Tout ce qui va revient by Catherine Gaudet, presented at La Chapelle Scènes Contemporaines in Spring 2018. They cited her ability to interact and collaborate with artists from different backgrounds throughout her long and distinguished career. They also emphasized the finesse, rigor, openness, and curiosity of this artist “through and through”, a dancer with a touching presence, whose work as a performer remains topical and timeless. Louise Bédard received her award from Fabienne Cabado, Executive Director of the RQD, and from Stéphanie Perron, Communications Associate at the Caisse Desjardins de la Culture.
The Prix de la danse de Montréal 2018, catégorie DÉCOUVERTE, presented by the Agora de la danse and Tangente
The Prix DÉCOUVERTE, including a $5,000 cash prize and a one-week creative residency, is awarded to the choreographer and performer Katia-Marie Germain, who presented Habiter with the OFFTA in the Spring of 2018. This prize highlights Katia-Marie Germain’s unique interdisciplinary and nonconformist approach, and the minimalism and extreme precision of her concise, restrained and deep-felt work where she explores different languages. Presenting her with the award were Francine Bernier, Executive and Artistic Director of the Agora de la danse, and Stéphane Labbé, Executive Director of Tangente.
Le Prix de la danse de Montréal 2018, catégorie GESTIONNAIRE CULTUREL(LE), presented by Diagramme – gestion culturelle
Francine Bernier, Executive and Artistic Director of the Agora de la Danse, won this prize combined with a cash prize of $5,000, awarded by Martin Brière and Marie-Alice Philips, respectively President and Treasurer of the Board of Directors of Diagramme. This acknowledgment highlights Francine Bernier’s long career at the helm of the Agora de la danse, which she has been running for 25 years now, and recognizes her commitment to support local choreographic creation by welcoming choreographers and artists and offering them the best conditions to develop their practice in a beacon of the dance scene. A unifying and pragmatic visionary with audacity and determination, she was able to reconcile the community’s vital strengths and was instrumental to the realization of the ÉDIFICE WILDER – Espace danse.
The Prix de la danse de Montréal 2018, catégorie CONTRIBUTION EXCEPTIONNELLE
This prize is awarded to Dena Davida, curator, dance professor, and researcher, Artistic Director of Tangente, in recognition of her tremendous contribution to the dance community during her long career, her interest for emerging voices and the development of professional artists, and her ability to analyze and constantly seeks to renew the discipline. The Prix de la danse’s Board of Directors is particularly inspired by her current reflections on curating.
The Prix DIFFUSION INTERNATIONALE de la danse 2018, presented by CINARS
The dance company Cas Public was presented this inaugural prize, along with a $5,000 cash prize, to highlight its tour conducted between February 25th to May 5th, 2018, with 34 representations of the choreographic work 9 in 18 cities and 3 countries. This new prize, created to mark CINARS’s 35th years of existence, will be awarded to a Canadian dance company that distinguished itself by the quality of an international tour. Alain Paré, President and Director of CINARS, presented the award to Hélène Blackburn, Artistic Director of Cas Public, accompanied by Mickaël Spinnhirny, the artist agent who designed this tour.
Awards presented as part of the Prix de la danse de Montréal 2018
The CALQ prize Best choreographic work of the 2017-2018 artistic season
This prize, combined with a $10.000 cash prize, was awarded to Emmanuelle Lê Phanand Elon Höglund for threesixnine, presented at the Cinquième Salle in the Place des Arts, as part of Festival Quartiers Danses in September 2017. This work, which draws from hip-hop dances and culture, dazzled the members of the Selection Committee. Alternating intelligently between chaos and synchronicity, the choreography gives rise to a full, evocative, and decidedly physical dance. Both organic and mechanical, this dance seems to evoke a cosmopolitan lifestyle and reflects our society through the expression of Tentacle Tribe’s performers, whose flair and virtuosity must be highlighted. Presenting the Tentacle Tribe duo with the award was Anne-Marie Jean, President-Executive Director of the Council.
Envol, Award for Cultural Diversity and Inclusive Practices in Dance
This prize, combined with a $10,000 cash prize, was awarded by an independent jury toFrance Geoffroy, in recognition of her 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 and share the practice of integrated dance with an impressive number of people of all ages, disabled or not, through a variety of means. The prize was awarded to France Geoffroy by Nathalie Maillé, Executive Director of the Conseil des arts de Montréal.