Recognized Canadian choreographer and teacher, Daniel Léveillé holds a prominent place in the contemporary dance landscape. Over 40 years of practice, he has contributed to the development of choreographic art by creating a major body of work performed by exceptional dancers.
Trained with the Groupe Nouvelle Aire, Daniel Léveillé worked for many years as an independent choreographer before founding Daniel Léveillé Danse in 1991. While creating works for various dance and theatre companies, he also joined the dance department at the Université du Québec à Montréal, where he was a professor in creation and dance performance from 1988 to 2012. Balancing these dual careers, he deepened his choreographic writing practice and developed a distinctive approach to dance interpretation, without yielding to the dictates of the art market.
In 2001, the piece Amour, acide et noix established his reputation on the international scene, where he later presented La pudeur des icebergs (2004) and Crépuscule des océans (2007). He developed a choreographic language built on repetition and short phrases, designing scores at the limits of the impossible that reveal the beauty of being in all its imperfections, and adopting nudity as the only possible costume.
With Solitudes solo (2012), winner of the CALQ Award for Best Choreographic Work 2012–2013, he began a new creative cycle marked by more fluid movement, the return of costume, and a powerful reaffirmation that much can be expressed with very little. This cycle continued with Solitudes duo (2015). This new phase questions the nature of relationships still possible in a world where the omnipresence of technology increasingly isolates individuals. The couples in the piece expose, in all their complexity, the shifting states of love and human connection.
Since 2006, Daniel Léveillé Danse has also pursued a unique adventure: producing works by talented Québec choreographers on various national and international stages.
JURY NOTES
The jury wished to highlight both the impact of Daniel Léveillé—one of the most prominent choreographers on the international stage and an outstanding teacher—on the dance community, as well as the longevity of his career. An uncompromising artist, Daniel Léveillé has a unique signature, and his body of work stands out for its integrity. The jury was also particularly attentive to the remarkable work of support and transmission he carries out with his company, by accompanying the artistic processes of several creators in the production and presentation of their works, as well as in the development of their artistic paths, thereby contributing actively to the sustainability of Montréal’s choreographic community.
Peggy Jarrell Kaplan
