The choreographer André Gingras passed away

With sadness we report that at the age of 46 the choreographer André Gingras passed away. He suffered from an agressive form of colon cancer. Gingras began his activities as a choreographer in the Netherlands in 1999. After an extensive career in dance and theatre, his desire to explore a highly physical and visual language began to manifest itself. His exploration of movement finds its inspiration in martial arts, freerunning, the physical symptoms related to specific medical conditions, and in post-modern dance and theatre. His desire is to interface dance with the visual and digital arts and to engage audiences in a dialogue based in contemporary issues. In 2009 Gingras was awarded a Clore Fellowship to further his development as a leader in the arts. In March 2010 he was appointed artistic director of Dance Works Rotterdam.

André Gingras was born in Canada and studied in Toronto, Montréal and New York City. His studies in Canada encompassed theatre, English literature and contemporary dance. He received a Canada Council Arts Award to pursue his dance education in New York City. In NYC he worked with Christopher Gillis, Doug Varone, and the Doris Humphrey Repertory Co. In 1996 Gingras became a regular member of Robert Wilson’s creative team, developing and performing TSE, The Days Before, Prometheus, 70 Angels on the Facade and Relative Light among others, all over the world.

CYP17 – the beginning

His first stage work, the Korzo production CYP₁₇ premiered at the CaDance Festival 2000 and made a large impact internationally. An extensive tour throughout the Netherlands was followed by many invitations from festivals and theatres in Europe, Asia and North America, including the Rencontres Chorégraphiques de Seine-Saint Denis (Bagnolet), Bangalore Biennale, Romaeuropa Festival, Sydney Opera House, Baryshnikov Arts Center and the Biennale of Venice. Gingras was rewarded forCYP₁₇with the Encouragement Prize 2001 by the Amsterdam Art Fund. Dancer Kenneth Flak received a Bessie Award for his performance.

(inter)national collaborations

In 2002, Gingras collaborated as a choreographer for Peter Stein’s production Penthesilea, which was premiered at Epidauros Amphitheater (Greece) and toured throughout Europe. In the following years, his collaboration with Korzo and other European and Asian producing partners continued with The Sweet Flesh Room, The Lindenmeyer System, Hypertopia, zeropoint, trans.form, The Autopsy Project, IDORU and Les Commerçants. Gingras’ work has successfully toured through North America, Europe, Australia and Asia garnering critical acclaim throughout the years.

Since 2002 his work has been commissioned by a number of prestigious artists, organizations and companies worldwide including Netherlands Dance Theatre I Mean Free Path (2004) and excessive second body smile (2005), Robert Wilson/Les Rencontres d’Arles, Staatstheater Nürnberg, Iceland Dance Company, Tanztheater Beilefeld, PPS Danse, Cinedans Festival, Bangalore Biennale, Scapino Ballet Rotterdam and Rambert Dance Company.

His visionary work in community art has led him to develop projects such as Carmina Burana (2004) in collaboration with the Liverpool Symphony Orchestra and the Liverpool Cathedral and [U Bevindt Zich Hier] ([You Are Here]), a large scale work for 230 non-professional dancers and musicians, made for the closing of the Springdance Festival 2005. Since 2010, Gingras is spearheading a new initiative with choreographers from the Palestinian Occupied Territories through laboratories and exchange programs with El Funoun Dance Group. His choreography, coaching and teaching are deeply tied to the fabric of society, contemporary political questions and the aim to challenge traditional views about dance.

choreographies

2012 The Sweet Art of Bruising – Dance Works Rotterdam/André Gingras
2011ANATOMICA– Dance Works Rotterdam/André Gingras
2011 Anatomica#1 – part of ANATOMICA
2010 LIBIDO – Cie. Dave St-Pierre/Dance Works Rotterdam/Stichting Gingras
2009IDORU– Korzo Producties/Stichting Gingras
2007 The Autopsy Project – Korzp Producties
2007 Anatomica#3 – Rambert Dance Company
2006 trans.form – Korzo Producties
2006 Hypertopia – Korzo Producties
2004 zeropoint – Korzo Producties
2004 The Lindenmeyer System – Korzo Producties
2002 The Sweet Flesh Room – Korzo Producties
2000 CYP₁₇ – Korzo Producties

installations & community art

2012 Cultural Olympiad London
2012 Skipping Dance XL – for Springdance 2012
2011Obscenitas– coproducting with Dancing on the Edge
2009Les Commerçants– Korzo Producties
2006 [U Bevindt Zich Hier] – Springdance