Sylvain Lafortune

Born in Montreal, Sylvain Lafortune began dancing professionally at Les Grands Ballets Canadiens (GBC) in 1979 after completing his training at the school of the same name. This first experience allowed her to dance a repertoire that was both classical and modern (notably the works of Nault, Kudelka, Taylor, Limon, MacDonald and Lubovitch).

In 1984, after receiving a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Jacqueline Lemieux Prize, she made an important resourcing trip to Europe and New York. He remained in New York until 1990 where he worked mainly at the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company but also with Susan Marshall & Co. and Martha Clarke in her Off-Broadway production of The Garden of Earthly Delights.

Back in Montreal, he danced again at the GBC as a principal dancer where he performed the works of Joss, Tudor, Balanchine, Kudelka, Duato, Kylian and Godden, among others. In 1995, he became a member of O Vertigo Danse directed by choreographer Ginette Laurin, then of Montréal Danse in 1998 where he danced the works of Navas and De Vasconcelos. Sylvain Lafortune has also appeared in numerous films, including Norman McLaren’s Narcissus, Barbarra Sweete’s Fandango and Romeos and Juliets, Bernar Hébert’s La nuit du déluge and Raymond St-Jean’s Le violon magique.

Freelancer since 1999, he has worked on several independent dance projects, including Monsieur et S’envoler by Estelle Clareton, Prisme by Benoît Lachambre with the Montréal Danse company and Les chaises by Pierre-Paul Savoie, an adaptation of Ionesco’s play for young audiences. He divides his time between the professions of performer, dance teacher and artistic advisor in the circus world. For the École nationale de cirque de Montréal, where he teaches, he has directed several productions, including Faërie as part of the 2006 annual show at La Tohu.

In addition to her professional career, her interest in the choreographic duo led her to pursue graduate studies at UQAM. Obtaining a master’s degree (La classification des portés en danse, 2003) and a doctorate (L’apprentissage d’un duo chez des danseurs experts, 2010) allows him to deepen his practical and theoretical understanding of the work of a dance partner. The workshops he gives, the conferences he gives and the articles he publishes make him an authority on this subject.