Contemporary Dance Departement
Concordia University

SOURCE

Full-Time Faculty

Michæl Montanaro, Associate Professor - Chair

• Graduate of Hartford Conservatory
• former Assistant Artistic Director of le Groupe de la Place Royale
• founder and choreographer of Montanaro Dance
• has choreographed for a number of companies such as Winnipeg Contemporary Dancers, Danse Partout, the National Film Board of Canada, l'Opéra de Montréal
• collaborated on video sensing systems to create interactive works at the "Institute for Studies in the Arts", Arizona State University
• has travelled world-wide as a consultant for an interactive image museum project based in Portugal.
• Choreographer for Varekai, a Cirque du Soleil production.

Silvy Panet-Raymond, Professor 

• Studied with Elizabeth Langley, and many of the prominent choreographers and teachers in New York and London, England
• Was a member of the Rosemary Butcher Dance Co. in London, UK
• Co-founder of Dancework (London), Tangente, Danse Actuelle (Montréal)
• Extensive experience in Europe, Canada and Mexico, as choreographer, performer, critic and collaborator with visual artists and musicians - with funding from provincial and federal arts councils and intergovernmental affairs.
• Winner of Best Director award with René-Richard Cyr and Michel Lemieux for "Solide Salad" by Michel Lemieux, A.D.I.S.Q. 1985.
• Was commissionned by UNEQ (Quebec's Writers' Union) and l'Agora de la Danse to collaborate with writer Yolande Villemaire for the 1997 Festival de la littérature.
• Guest lecturer in Russia, the Rotterdam Dance Academy, the Netherlands, Croatia.
• Solo commissioned by Marija Scekic premièred at the International Music Biennale in Zagreb April 07.
• Presented her performance work 'Permis d'exploitation' for performers Caroline Dubois and Chrisitian LeBlanc and with band Bellerocaille at Artivistic/The Upgrade Mtl 2007, Studio 303, Off TransAmériques and installation performance 'Logement Alloué' with Belinda Campbell, Caroline Dubois, Christian LeBlanc, Marianne Lamarre
• Choreography mentor for emerging and established dance artists

kg Guttman, Assistant Professor 

• Her interdisciplinary practice includes choreography, video, drawing and installation.
• Was invited artist in residence at the Palais de Tokyo and Pointe Éphémère(Paris), le Transpalette (Bourges), the international network Les Pépinières européennes pour jeunes artistes (France).
• Elapse I & II, her artist project book, is part of the collection at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal and the Library of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa.
• Exhibited, performed and presented her choreography across Canada and internationally.
• Received commissions for the Canada Dance Festival, LeGroupe Lab de Danse, the Dance department of the University of Sonora, Hermosillo, Mexico, the School of Dance in Ottawa, and Montréal Danse.
• Received research funding from the Canada Council for the Arts, Centre Interuniversitaire des Arts Médiatiques (CIAM), Culturesfrance, and the City of Ottawa Cultural Affairs Office.
• Obtained her Masters in Fine Arts in Open Media at Concordia University completing her degree as an invited guest student of advanced studies in performance at DasArts Post Graduate Studies, (Amsterdam).
• Was a full time company dancer at LeGroupe Dance Lab (Peter Boneham) from 1999-2003.

Elizabeth Langley, Professor Emeritus, retired

Founder of the Modern Dance program, precursor to the Contemporary Dance Department. She received the 1997 Jacqueline Lemieux Prize given by the Canada Council for the Arts in recognition of her contribution to dance. Retired in 1997.

Michæl Montanaro, Silvy Panet-Raymond, Elizabeth Langley

2009-2010

Course Name & Number	Credits	Professor
Danc 201/3 Sec. 01  01  - Fall & Winter   Creative Process I	6	Jacques Brochu & Marie-Stéphane Ledoux
Danc 205/3 Sec 01 - Fall Technique I	3	Ginelle Chagnon (Sept 8- Oct 23) Isabelle Poirier (Oct 26 - Dec 7)
Danc 205/3 Sec. 01 - Winter Technique I	3	Caroline Laurin Beaucage (Jan 4- Feb 19) Ken Roy (March 1- Apr 12)
Danc 211/4 Sec. 01 - Winter Dance Traditions	3	Philip Szporer
Danc 240/2 Sec. 01 - Fall Sound & Silence for the Dancer Danc 260/4 - Winter Aspects of Production	3   3	Gaetan Leboeuf   Amy Keith
Danc 301/3 Sec 01  01 - Fall & Winter   Creative Process II	6	Silvy Panet-Raymond **
Danc 305/3 Sec. 01 - Fall Technique II	3	kg Guttman ** (Sept 8 - Oct 23) Pam Newell (Oct 26 - Dec 7)
Danc 305/3 Sec. 01 - Winter Technique II	3	Ginelle Chagnon (Jan 4-  Feb 19) Annebruce Falconer (March 1- April 12)
Danc 320/3 Sec. 01 - Fall Choreography I	3	Michael Montanaro**
Danc 320/3 Sec. 01 - Winter Choreography I	3	kg Guttman **
Danc 350/2 Sec. 01 - Fall Practical Anatomy for the Moving Body	3	Warwick Long
Danc 401/3 Sec. 01 01 - Fall Creative Process III	3	Florence Figols
Danc 401/3 Sec. 01 01 - Winter Creative Process III	3	Michael Montanaro **
Danc 405/3 Sec. 01 - Fall Technique III	3	Ken Roy (Sep 8- Oct 23) Ginelle Chagnon (Oct 26 - Dec 7)
Danc 405/3 Sec. 01 - Winter Technique III	3	kg Guttman **
Danc 420/3 Sec. 01 - Fall Choreography II	3	kg Guttman ** (Sept 8 - Oct 23) Jacques Brochu (Oct 26 - Dec 7) Marie-Stéphane Ledoux (Oct 26 - Dec 7)
Danc 420/3  Sec. 01 - Winter Choreography II	3	Silvy Panet-Raymond **

** Full-time Faculty

Part-time faculty

Part-time faculty members are also very active here and abroad:

• Jacques Brochu and Marie-Stéphane Ledoux,both BFA in Contemporary Dance alumni and pursued graduate studies in dance at UQAM. They are choreographers, performers, artistic directors of Mia Maure Danse.
• Florence Figols, BFA in Contemporary Dance, Concordia University and completed a Masters in Dance at UQAM, focusing on the creative process for choreography; during that time she was a teaching assistant for Paul-André Fortier’s course on expressive movement. She has received grants from CALQ for her recent choreographic works.
• AnneBruce Falconer has performed with major dance companies in Montreal. With Robert Lepage, she developed the idea and performed for the award winning short film 'Danse Macabre' filmed by Pedro Pires.
• Ginelle Chagnon, much in demand as rehearsal director, is also a movement coach and teacher. She is rehearsal director and assistant to choreographer-performer Paul-André Fortier. She is also responsible for the preservation of dance works by the late choreographer Jean-Pierre Perreault.
• Amy Keith, graduated from the California Institute for the Arts and teaches Design for the Theatre in the Theatre Department as well as working as Art Director for the cinema, set and lighting designer for theatre and dance.
• Caroline Laurin-Beaucage graduated from the School of Toronto Dance Theatre, worked as choreographer for theatre, music and dance and is also active as organizer of the OFF -T.A. festival
• Gaétan Leboeuf is a Montreal-based writer and composer who has worked with dance and theatre companies, including Paul-André Fortier and Margie Gillis.
• Warwick Long, hails from New-Zealand, where he developed his work as a choreographer, performer. He is a certified Feldenkrais practitioner and is currently training to be an osteopath.
• Pamela Newell and Isabelle Poirier were company members and are currently rehearsal directors for ‘la compagnie Marie Chouinard’, Montréal.
• Philip Szporer is a freelance writer, broadcaster, filmmaker and international lecturer based in Montreal. He is co-founder with filmmaker Marlene Millar of Mouvement Perpétuel, producing award-winning documentaries on dance.
• Ken Roy is an active performer with many of Montreal's choreographers.

John Plant retired after 15 years of teaching music. John and spouse Jocelyne Fleury, singer and pedagogue, are surrounded by students, faculty and staff of the departments of dance, theatre and music- after the fantastic going-away Cabaret of dance and music. The couple have settled by the ocean in their Nova Scotia home, to catch up on reading and making music… (photo by John Winiarz)

Helen Athanassiadis - Department Administrator for Music, Theatre and Contemporary Dance

Carol Plathan - Department Assistant for Music, Theatre and Contemporary Dance

Robert Lépine, Miguel Medina, Louis-Phillipe Simard, Kattam Laraki Coté - Musicians for technique classes

 

Among the graduates and students who are making their mark here and abroad:

JoDee Allen & Helen Simard, founders/directors of Studio Sweatshop and artistic directors of Solid State Dance collective, an all-female breakdance group.

K8 Alsterlund, aka b-girl Lynx. An active organizer and teacher in the breakdance community. Involved with Blueprint for Life projects in Nunavut

Zelma Badu-Younge is Assistant professor of African Dance (and African Studies) at Ohio University, in Athens, Ohio.

Christiane Bourget, choreographer/performer, recipient of the Paula Citron Award, Ffida 2005, Toronto

Jacques Brochu and Marie-Stéphane Ledoux, co-artistic directors of Mia Maure Danse. See part-time lecturers

Isabelle Choinière, new media performance artist, artistic director of Corps Indice

Noam Gagnon, choreographer and co-founder of Holy Body Tattoo

Hinda Essadiqi, Choreographer, performer - see her website

Katie Ewald, recipient of Canada Council grant, to pursue her studies at P.A.R.T.S. school, Brussels. Performed with Daniel Léveillé. Catch her performing at the Festival TransAmériques in Martin Bélanger's new work

Tammy Forsythe, choreographer/performer with a particular brand of urban, post-punk aesthetic. Founder, director of Tusket Dance

Jenn Goodwin Artistic Director of Turbo Bonz Dance Projects. Dancer,choreographer,film maker.

Kelly Hargraves, co-director Dance Camera West, international dance festival, California

Ame Henderson and her company Public Recordings, based in Toronto

Emmanuelle Le Phan performed in Las Vegas for the Cirque du Soleil's Beatles show 'Love' and is currently with the Rubberbandance company based in Montreal.

Linda Mancini, performance artist, winner of a Bessie Award, now in New York City

Dana Michel, Winner of Studio 303/Montreal Fringe Festival 2005 Dance prize. Voted Best Emerging Choreographer of 2006 by Toronto's newspaper, The Globe and Mail. Follow her blog

Teoma Naccarato is currently her Masters studies on full scholarship at Ohio State University. She recently launched Nacando productions, with filmmaker Desh Fernando

Kathy Ochoa based in Alberta. Independent choreographer and performer with such companies as Human Behaviour Explorers in Brooklyn

Christian O'Leary, director of communications and development, Conseil des Arts de Montréal

Livia Pellerin, b-girl, capoeira, contemporary dance...

Pierre-Paul Savoie choreographer and director of PPS Danse

Marija Scekic, artistic director of her company HisteriaNova in Croatia.

Lys Stevens, a resourceful person, working at Studio 303 in Montreal

Andrew Tay & Sasha Kleinplatz, co-founders of Wants & Needs Co. Organizers of performance events such as Short and Sweet and the summer hit- Piss in the Pool. Follow Andrew's blog http://www.myspace.com/andrewtay

Melissa Weigel & Pamela Schneider (Interdisciplinary Studies/Dance) co-founded with Dylan David Wagner the multimedia collective Perpetual Productions in 2002. Often work with Moment Factory and Cirque du Soleil for multimedia special events.

Sandy Williams is currently performing with various Belgian dance companies including Rosas

Shae Zukiwsky, former competing ice skater with Skate Canada. Is a recent graduate of Simon Fraser University MFA program. Guest choreographer for the Contemporary Arts annual faculty show at SFU

 

Last updated: January 15, 2010
© 2006 Contemporary Dance Department