Paul-André Fortier (born 30 April 1948) is a Canadian

choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

and dancer living in Montreal. He is a recipient of the

Governor General's Performing Arts Award A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

for lifetime achievement.

Early life and training

Fortier was born in

Waterville, Quebec Waterville is a city of 1,800 people in southeastern Quebec, Canada, in the Coaticook Regional County Municipality. Prior to January 1, 2002, it was in La Région-Sherbrookoise Regional County Municipality, and was the only member of that RCM ...

, in Canada. His career as a dancer started in 1973 with Groupe Nouvelle Aire in Montreal and trained choreographers Edouard Lock, Ginette Laurin, and Daniel Léveillé.

Early works

In 1979 Fortier created his own dance company called Danse-Théâtre Paul-André Fortier. He used this company to showcase his choreography, including ''Parlez-moi donc du cul de mon enfance'' (1979) and ''Violence'' (1980). In 1981 he won the Jean A. Chalmers National Dance Award, and in 1983 he renamed the company Fortier Danse-Création. His next creations were ''Pow !…t’es mort'' (1982), ''Ça ne saigne jamais…'' (1983), ''Chaleurs'' (1985), ''Le Mythe décisif'' (1987) and ''Désert'' (1989). Gradually, Fortier's works slipped from the "narrative into the abstract" leaving "the way open to multiple interpretations, giving the viewer free to his feelings". In 1986 Fortier and Daniel Jackson founded Montréal Danse to create new works by other choreographers. They featured the work of Françoise Sullivan,

James Kudelka James Kudelka, OC (born September 10, 1955 at Newmarket, Ontario), is a Canadian choreographer, dancer, and director. He was the artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada from 1996 to 2005, now serving as the National Ballet's artist in r ...

and Fortier himself. He resigned as co-artistic director in 1989 but continued to choreograph for the company.

Teacher and choreographer

In 1989 Fortier joined the faculty of dance at

Université du Québec à Montréal The Université du Québec à Montréal ( English: University of Quebec in Montreal), also known as UQAM, is a French-language public university based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the largest constituent element of the Université du Qu� ...

. He also created dance solos for himself by reactivating his old dance company Fortier-Danse Création. As a solo artist, he created the trilogy ''Les Males Heures'' (1989), ''La Tentation de la transparence'' (1991), and ''Bras de Plomb'' (1993), the latter two created with the collaboration of Betty Goodwin. ''La Tentation de la transparence'' received the

Dora Mavor Moore Award The Dora Mavor Moore Award (also known as the Dora Award) is an award presented annually by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts which honours theatre, dance and opera productions in Toronto. Named after Dora Mavor Moore, who helped est ...

. In addition to choreographing, Fortier was a dance consultant for the

Canada Council The Canada Council for the Arts (french: Conseil des arts du Canada), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It acts as the federal government's principal in ...

from 1993 to 1995. He was also president of Regroupement Québecois de la danse. Fortier returned to choreographing group compositions in 1996 after an eight-year absence. To celebrate the ten-year anniversary of Montréal Danse, he created ''Entre la mémoire et l'oubli''. Later that year he created ''La Part des anges'', a quartet with himself,

Peggy Baker Peggy Laurayne Baker (née Smith; born October 22, 1952) is a Canadian modern dancer, choreographer and teacher. She has been awarded the Order of Canada and she was the first person to receive the Ontario Premier’s Award for Excellence in the Ar ...

, Robert Meiller and Gioconda Barbuto that explored the chemistry that connects and disconnects feelings between people.

Solo and duet choreography

In 1998 Fortier retired from the

to devote more time to teaching and choreographing. Later that year he created ''Jeux de Fous'' which included

Dada Dada () or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century, with early centres in Zürich, Switzerland, at the Cabaret Voltaire (Zurich), Cabaret Voltaire (in 1916). New York Dada began c. 1915, and after 192 ...

-inspired choreography. Two years later Fortier again choreographed for Peggy Baker, this time in a solo piece called ''Loin, très loin'' (2000). He created ''Tensions'' for the 10th edition of the Festival international de nouvelle danse in 2001. Robert Meiller returned to dance in this duet with Fortier. The piece looked at the dynamics between youth and age. From 2003 to 2007, Fortier was appointed choreographer-in-residence at la Cinquième Salle de la

Place des Arts Place may refer to: Geography * Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population ** Census-designated place, a populated area lacking its own municipal government * "Place", a type of street or road name ** Often ...

in Montreal. He was also a member of the Sponsorship Committee at the Grand Théâtre de Lorient (France), created during its inauguration in June 2003. In 2006, Fortier returned to solo dances with ''Solo 1 x 60 - Un jardin d'objets'' in which he performed alone for 60 minutes. Later that year he debuted ''Solo 30 x 30 - Trente minutes-trente jours''. Hw danced in various outdoor locations for thirty minutes a day for thirty days. He brought this idea to England, Italy and Japan, always performing regardless of the weather conditions. ''Cabane'' (2008) was created and performed in collaboration with Robert Racine. It takes place in and around a modular shed. This piece toured around Canada and Europe.

Later achievements

In 2009, Fortier was appointed Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by France. In 2012 he received the

for Lifetime Artistic Achievement and an appointment to the Order of Canada. In 2013, he received a Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec career grant. In 2013, Fortier joined the board of directors of the

Governor General's Performing Arts Awards A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Foundation as co-chair.

Honours

* 1993 : Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Choreography * 1981 : Prix Jean A. Chalmer * 2009 : Appointed Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by la République Française * 2012 :

for Lifetime Artistic Achievement * 2012 : Appointed to the Order of Canada * 2013 : A career grant from the Conseil des Arts er des Lettres du Québec

Works

*2012 : ''Vertiges'' *2011 : ''Box, l'homme au carton'', ''Bras de plomb''(revival) *2008 : ''Cabane'', ''Spirale'' *2007 : ''-20°'' *2006 : ''Solo 1x60 - Un jardin d'objets'', ''Solo 30x30'' *2004 : ''Lumière'' *2003 : ''Risque'', ''Sparks'' *2002 : ''Excès'' *2001 : ''Tensions'', ''MVTS'' *2000 : ''Loin, très loin'' *1998 : ''Jeux de fous'' *1996 : ''La part des anges'', ''Entre la mémoire et l'oubli'', ''Tête d'ange'' *1995 : ''Novembre'' *1993 : ''Bras de plomb'', ''Double silence'' *1991 : ''La tentation de la transparence'', ''Lost'', ''Plein le coeur'' *1989 : ''Les males heures'', ''L'été latent'', ''Désert'' *1987 : ''O-Pé-Ra Savon'', ''Sans titre et qui le restera'', ''Le mythe décisif'', ''Tell'' *1986 : ''Brûler'' *1985 : ''Chaleur'' *1984 : ''Venus 84'', ''Assis soient-ils'' *1983 : ''Gravitation'', ''Ça ne saigne jamais…'' *1982 : ''Non coupable'', ''Moi King Kong'', ''Lavabos'', ''Pow!... T'es mort'' *1981 : ''Fin'', ''Bande dessinée'' *1980 : ''Violence'' *1979 : ''Parlez-moi donc du cul de mon enfance'', ''Rêve 1'' *1978 : ''Images noires'', ''Derrière la porte un mur''

References

External links

*
Fortier Danse-CréationBlog on Solo 30x30''Paul-André Fortier''
a short film tribute on his Governor General's Performing Arts Award,

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

website {{DEFAULTSORT:Fortier, Paul-Andre Canadian choreographers Dora Mavor Moore Award winners French Quebecers People from Estrie Canadian contemporary dancers 1948 births Living people Officers of the Order of Canada Governor General's Award winners