What Eddy Toussaint will be doing for The Uber Project: Eddy will begin working with closely with composer, Katherine Gilliam, as well as sculptors George Sellers & Mary Ann Thompson-Frenk. They will work from two directions: Eddy will choreograph works inspired by the frozen poses of George's sculptures. and Eddy will also work with Mary Ann to choreograph the motion of "kinetic sculptures" that will interact with the dancers on stage during the production.

Eddy Tousaint: Uber's Choreographer

Choreographer Dancer

Eddy Tousaint is the founder and Artistic of The Ballet de Montreal, the recipient of The Great Montrealer Award, Winner of The Golv Medal for Choreography at The Helsinki International Competition, Firts Artistic Directr of The Sarasota Ballet of Florida and Ballet Eddy Tousaint USA and the choreographer of more than 104 ballets worldwide. He was born in Haiti where he began his classical ballet studies at the Acadamie de Ballet de Port-au-Prince under the direction of Lavania Williams, an American dancer who was associated with Katherine Dunham and Alvin Ailey. When he was eleven years old, Toussaint's family fled Haiti and settled in Montreal where he continued his studies with Seda Zara and Eva von Gencsy of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. Then, Eddy followed his parents to Paris where he studied for three years with numerous French masters of ballet such as Rosella Hightower and Roland Petit. He later took classes with JoJo Smith, Luigi, Matt Mattox, and the renowned Bill Griffith. After recieving his bachlor's degree in pedagogy from the University of Montreal and a bachlor's degree in physical education (with a dance major) from the University of Quebec, Eddy founded his first company, Les Ballet Jazz de Montreal, in 1971. He was a Principa Dancer as well as a choreographer and adminstrator of this Company. That same year, he recieved a grant from The Minister of Cultural Affairs of Quebec to further his studies in New York. Three years later, he founded Ballet Eddy Tousaint de Montreal and L'Ecole de danse Eddy Tousaint. The school had an enrollement of more than 700 students, out of whom he personally formed international stars Anik and Sophi Bissonnete, Louis Robitaille, Denis Delude, Mario Thibodeau and Brigitte Valette. For the Company, he developed a diversified repertoire of 70 pieces that included 56 of his own ballets as well as work by Oscar Araiz (Ballet de Geneve), Salvatore Aiello (North Carolina Ballet), Jaques Fabre (Avignon and Toulkouse Ballet), Jean Garcia (Strassbourge Ballet), Frenand Nault (Les grands Ballets Canadiens), Domy Reiter-Soffer (London Festival Ballet), VAssilli Sulich (Nevada Dance Theatre) and Eva von Gencsy (Les Ballet Jazz). In 1976, the Company performed the Toussaint ballet Dam Ballah at the closing ceremonies of The Summer Olympic Games in Montreal, and then embarked on a 40 city tour of Quebec and eastern Canada in1997. From 1976 to 1989, The Toussaint Company toured internationally, performing in the major capitals of Europe, The West Indies, South America, Mexico, Haiti, Martinique, Thailand, and Canada. The company also accepted invitations from the government of Columbia to open the Teatro Municipal Amirica de las Rosa in Barranquilla, the Spoleto Dance! Dance! Dance! Festival in Melborne Australia, Spoleto Festivals in Italy, The 1985 Arts festival in Ann Arbor, Michigan, The 1987 Gala of Stars in New York City and was one of the six companies invited to participate in the 1985 International de Danse Porsche. In 1981, they made their U.S. Premier in Washington, D.C. with Eddy's famous ballet Alixis le Trotteur. in 1979, The Company, performed at the inaugural Rencontre de la Francophonie Mondiale in Quebec City and opening of The Quebec City Summer Festival. The following year, company dancers Jean-Marc Lebeau and Louis Robitaille joined with the renowned Montreal Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Charles Dutroit, in the televised production of Stravinsky's L'Oiseau de Feu. the performance won a Gold Medal in Prague, Czechoslovakia and an Emmy Award in New York. For his personal contribution to the arts in the city of Montreal, Toussaint was named Great Montrealer in 1983. (A co-recipient of the award that year was Brian Mulroney, the former Prime Minister of Canada at that time.) He also was guest of honor at The Canadian Dance Fesitival with his pas de deuz A Simple Moment. In 1984, Eddy recieved the Gold Medal for Best Contemporary Choreography at The First International Ballet Competition in Helsinki, Finland, for A Simple Moment. In 1987, he was invited by Mr. Yuri Gregorovich, President of Nyon International Dance Festival, to be judge at this prestigious competition. In 1986, the Company particiapted by invitation in the Tenth Anniversary Gala of The Dei Due Mondi Festival in Charlston, S.C. along with Mikhail Baryshnikov and Alicia Alonso. They also danced for the 75th birthday of Gian Carlo Menotti in Italy and at The Montreal Place de Arts with Patrick DuPont and Sylvie Guillem from The Opera de Paris at The Don des Etoiles. In 1987, the Opera de Toulouse paid tribute to Eddy Touissaint by performing his works exclusively for two weeks and added many of his ballets to their repertoire. In 1987, Eddy recieved a grant from The Florida Arts Council for a residencey in Fort Lauderdale from which he toured throughout Florida with his company. 1988 marked the start of a fruitfuol exchange betwen the Ballet Eddy Touissaint de Montreal and The Odessa Opera in Russia. On July 28th, they performed with Rudolf Nureyev for the Gala benefit of the Festival de Ete de Lanaudiere. In 1990, Eddy, along with the core of his Montreal compnay, merged with The Sarasota Baller Series to form the Srasota Ballet of Florida. As Sarasota Ballet of Florida's first artistic director, he created five new ballets, two of which (Encounters and Quatre-Quatre) use the music of composers living in Sarasota. He brought teachers and ballet stars from Milan, Brazil, Struttgart, Canada, and the U.S.A. for the Sarasota Summer International workshops and galas. He also appointed Russian-trained teachers as ballet masters of the Company and for Dance: The Next Generation, as seven year program for talented economically disadvantaged children which he directed. The United States government presented him with an O-1 visa, given only to artists of distinguished merit and ability evidenced by critical reviews, recognition, and acclaim for outstanding achievement in their fields. On July 19, 1993, Ballet Eddy Toussaint U.S.A. was born. Eddy Touissaint L'Ecole de Danse was established and the new company opened in Quebec City in June 1994. It premiered in Sarasota, the company's winter home, in September 1994. During the company's inaugural season, Eddy created foru ballets as well as remounting ten of his earleir works. The company's international summer workshops of 1993 and 1994 again brought some of the world's finest teachers to Sarasota including Azari Plissetski, Athena Pallas, Patricia Straus, William Anthony, Kataline Lolnar, and Dee Darwin. Luminaries of the ballet world such as Julia Makalina of the Aleksander Antinijevic of The National Ballet of Canada, and Maggie Wright and Gilles Maidon of Salt Lake City's ballet West, were brought to Sarasota for an international Gala considerably enriching the cultural life of Sarasota. In 1997, he founded a school for disadvantaged children in Haiti and gave the rights of his ballets to the corporation called Les Grands Ballet D'Haiti. This corporation gives the opportunity for children to have food, housing, normal education, and education in dance. With Eddy's assiciates, Regine Mont Rosier and Natalie Bonnefill, he established the structure for a serious institution which will in time develope into a professional company for those students who wish to pursue a career in professional dance as well as those students who will benefit from the discipline learned through their ballet education. In 1998, Eddy was named Artistic Advisor and Resident Choreographer of The National Ballet of Moravia-Silaisia, Czech Republic. Due to popular demand, his Mozart's Requiem was performed for three months longer than originally scheduled. In 1999, Eddy was invited to bring the National Ballet of Moravia-Silaisia to perform alongside the Kirov Ballet at the Montreal International Festival. He was also named judge of that prestigious competition. In October 1999, his ballet Souvenance was declared a masterpiece by the jury of the 14th International Contest of Choreographers in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Eddy was invited to choreograph his ballets at the following places: THE NICE BALLET BALLET D'AVIGNON TOULOUSE BALLET BALLET DE CARACAS BALLET WEST (Salt Lake City) SARASOTA BALLET BALLET JAZZ DE MONTREAL SAN DIEGO BALLET ST. LOUIS BALLET JACKSONVILLE BALLET TULSA BALLET BALLET CONCIERTO DE PUERTO RICO LES GRANDS BALLET DE HAITI BRNO NATIONAL BALLET NATIONAL BALLET OF MORAVIA SILESIA (Czech Republic) BRANDYWINE BALLET THEATRE DETROIT CITY DANCE THEATRE

What Eddy Toussaint will be doing for The Uber Project: Eddy will begin working with closely with composer, Katherine Gilliam, as well as sculptors George Sellers & Mary Ann Thompson-Frenk. They will work from two directions: Eddy will choreograph works inspired by the frozen poses of George's sculptures. and Eddy will also work with Mary Ann to choreograph the motion of "kinetic sculptures" that will interact with the dancers on stage during the production.

About the artist: