Laurence Lemieux Biography
Born in Quebec City, Laurence Lemieux received her training at the School of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens in Montreal, and at the School of the Toronto Dance Theatre.
In 1986 she joined the Toronto Dance Theatre and danced in the works of David Earle, Peter Randazzo, Patricia Beatty, and Christopher House. During her years at Toronto Dance Theatre (1986-1994), while teaching in the School's professional program, Lemieux choreographed and presented her own work. Crosswalk, a haunting minimalist solo she performed at the Canada Dance Festival in 1994, typified what has become her choreographic trademark: a gentle nostalgia offering subtle glimpses into her past.
Amber Silence, La Mer, Les Limbes, Déserteurs and Nuit de la St- Jean, all delve into the realm of memory and deliver a mysterious atmosphere and evocative mixture of characters.
In 1997, she choreographed Hiver Dernier for Toronto Dance Theatre, and created a group work as part of a choreographic lab with Peter Boneham for Toronto’s Dancemakers. Laurence has also danced for: James Kudelka, Margie Gillis, Tere O’Connor, William Douglas, Benoit Lachambre, Bill Coleman, and Jean-Pierre Perreault.
In 1998, she performed Cryptoversa, a solo created by Christopher House, at the 1998 Dancers for Life event, for which she won a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Dance Performance. In January 2001 Over Lockerbie, a solo commissioned by dancer/choreographer Michael Trent, premiered at Artworld Theatre in Toronto, and her dance work Novembre premiered in New York City, in September 2001. Her latest work, Varenka, Varenka! premiered in Montreal in January 2003.