Crystal Pite
Encyclopedia
Canadian choreographer and performer Crystal Pite (born 1970) has created works for the Cullberg Ballet
, Netherlands Dans Theater, Ballett Frankfurt, The National Ballet of Canada
, Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal (Resident Choreographer 2001–04), Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet
, Ballet British Columbia, Alberta Ballet, Ballet Jorgen Canada
, and several independent dance artists; most recently Louise Lecavalier
.
), Pite is currently the associate choreographer of Nederlands Dans Theater and associate dance artist of Canada’s National Arts Centre
. In 1996, Pite joined Ballet Frankfurt in Germany under the directorship of William Forsythe, performing world wide in works such as Eidos: Telos, The Loss of Small Detail, and Endless House. She was involved in the creation of Forsythe's CD-ROM, Improvisation Technologies, and has participated as both performer and creator in Forsythe's work.
Pite's choreogpraphic debut first appeared in 1990, at Ballet British Columbia. In 2001, she formed her own company, Kidd Pivot, which tours nationally and internationally and has been resident company at Künstlerhaus Mousonturm in Frankfurt
since spring 2010. Pite's dancers express her choreography through more than one style of movement. Her company performs such acclaimed works as Dark Matters (2009), and Lost Action (2006). Critic Heather Wisner states: "Kidd Pivot's dancers blended classical contemporary, and hip hop with exquisite control, and their rendition of Pite's work etched itself into the space as well as the memory" in their performance of Lost Action. They also perform less known pieces such as Uncollected Work (2002), Double Story (2004), and Fault (2008). The newest work being performed as of 2011 by Pite and her company, is a dance piece based on motifs from Shakespeare's The Tempest.
Cullberg Ballet
The Cullberg Ballet is a Swedish contemporary dance company.It was founded by the modern dancer and pioneer choreographer Birgit Cullberg in 1967, who brought it to fame...
, Netherlands Dans Theater, Ballett Frankfurt, The National Ballet of Canada
National Ballet of Canada
The National Ballet of Canada is Canada's largest ballet troupe. It was founded by Celia Franca in 1951 and is based in Toronto, Ontario. Based upon the unity of Canadian trained dancers in the tradition and style of England's Royal Ballet, The National is regarded as one of the premier classical...
, Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal (Resident Choreographer 2001–04), Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet
Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet
Cedar Lake is a New York City-based contemporary ballet company dedicated to the continued development of dance by providing choreographers a comprehensive environment for creation as well as curating work for presentation to a worldwide audience...
, Ballet British Columbia, Alberta Ballet, Ballet Jorgen Canada
Ballet Jörgen Canada
Ballet Jörgen Canada is Canada’s fifth largest ballet company and the nation’s only major ballet company with a repertoire consisting exclusively of original works. It was founded in 1987 by Bengt Jörgen and Susan Bodie and is based in Toronto, Ontario. The company also has hubs in Ottawa,...
, and several independent dance artists; most recently Louise Lecavalier
Louise LeCavalier
Louise Lecavalier, OC is a Canadian dancer, known as one of the icons of Canadian contemporary dance.Lecavalier was born and raised in Montreal, Canada. She began her professional dance career at the age of eighteen when she joined Le Groupe Nouvelle Aire. It was there that she met Édouard...
.
Biography
A former member of Ballet British Columbia and Ballett Frankfurt (where she was a student of William ForsytheWilliam Forsythe (dancer)
William Forsythe is an American dancer and choreographer resident in Frankfurt am Main in Hessen. He is known internationally for his work with the Ballett Frankfurt and The Forsythe Company...
), Pite is currently the associate choreographer of Nederlands Dans Theater and associate dance artist of Canada’s National Arts Centre
National Arts Centre
The National Arts Centre is a centre for the performing arts located in Ottawa, Ontario, between Elgin Street and the Rideau Canal...
. In 1996, Pite joined Ballet Frankfurt in Germany under the directorship of William Forsythe, performing world wide in works such as Eidos: Telos, The Loss of Small Detail, and Endless House. She was involved in the creation of Forsythe's CD-ROM, Improvisation Technologies, and has participated as both performer and creator in Forsythe's work.
Pite's choreogpraphic debut first appeared in 1990, at Ballet British Columbia. In 2001, she formed her own company, Kidd Pivot, which tours nationally and internationally and has been resident company at Künstlerhaus Mousonturm in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
since spring 2010. Pite's dancers express her choreography through more than one style of movement. Her company performs such acclaimed works as Dark Matters (2009), and Lost Action (2006). Critic Heather Wisner states: "Kidd Pivot's dancers blended classical contemporary, and hip hop with exquisite control, and their rendition of Pite's work etched itself into the space as well as the memory" in their performance of Lost Action. They also perform less known pieces such as Uncollected Work (2002), Double Story (2004), and Fault (2008). The newest work being performed as of 2011 by Pite and her company, is a dance piece based on motifs from Shakespeare's The Tempest.
Awards
- 1995 Banff Centre's Clifford E. Lee Award
- 2004 Paul D. Fleck Fellowship in the Arts from The Banff Centre
- 2004 Bonnie Bild North American Choreography Award
- 2005 Isadora Award
- 2006 Alcan Performing Arts Award – Dance, administered by the Vancouver East Cultural Centre
- 2006 Jessie Richardson Theatre Award
- 2006 Kidd Pivot, recipient of the Rio Tinto Alcan Performing Arts Award
- 2008 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Mentorship Award
- 2009 Work has received four Dora Mavor Moore Awards
- 2011 Jacob's Pillow Dance Award