Martine Époque (April 30, 1942 – January 18, 2018) was a French-born Canadian dance educator and choreographer living in Quebec.[1]
She was born in Six-Fours-les-Plages and studied music and dance at the Conservatoire de Toulon, the Schola Cantorum de Paris and the Institut Jaques-Dalcroze in Geneva. She was recruited by the Université de Montréal to develop a dance course for the physical education program and came to Canada in 1967.[2][3][4]
Époque founded the contemporary dance company Le Groupe Nouvelle Aire and served as its artistic director from 1968 to 1982. In 1999, she published a memoir Le Groupe Nouvelle Aire en Mémoires, 1968-1982. Choreographers and educators who grew out of that company included Édouard Lock, Louise Lecavalier, Ginette Laurin, Paul-André Fortier, Daniel Léveillé and Louise Bédard. She also started the company Danse Actuelle Martine Époque, which operated from 1981 to 1988.[2][3][5]
She helped establish the dance program at the Université du Québec à Montréal and played an important role in the creation of the dance department in 1985 and the development of a master's program in dance in 1993. She helped establish the Agora de la danse, a creative space for contemporary dance in Montreal, and Passerelle 840, a laboratory ans showcase for experiments in choreography.[2]
She received the Clifford E. Lee Award in 1983. In 1994, she was awarded the Prix Denise-Pelletier.[2]
Her short film Coda: the Finale for The Rite of Spring, co-directed with Denis Poulin, was presented at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.[6]
References
edit- ^ Lalonde, Catherine (2018). "Décès de Martine Époque, une des mères de la danse contemporaine québécoise". Le Devoir (in French). Retrieved 2018-01-21.
- ^ a b c d "Époque, Martine". Prix Denise-Pelletier (in French).
- ^ a b "Fonds Martine Époque" (in French). Archives Canada.
- ^ "Martine Époque". Arts Alive.
- ^ Holmberg, Arthur; Solorzano, Carlos (2014). World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre: The Americas. Vol. 2. p. 257. ISBN 978-1136118449.
- ^ "TIFF Women Directors: Meet Martine Époque – 'Coda: The Finale for The Rite of Spring'". IndieWire. September 4, 2014.
External links
edit- Époque, Martine (1999). Le Groupe Nouvelle Aire en Mémoires, 1968-1982: Les Coulisses de la Nouvelle Danse Au Québec. ISBN 2760521524.
- Martine Époque at IMDb