Barbara Bourget
Encyclopedia
Barbara Bourget is the artistic director of Kokoro Dance
Theatre Society in Vancouver
, British Columbia
. She was born in Port Alberni, British Columbia on October 10, 1950. Bourget began tap dancing at age four and went on to take ballet
class at age nine. From 1961 to 1967 she studied with Mara McBirney and from 1967 to 1969 Bourget was a scholarship student at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. Her teachers at the Royal Winnipeg School included Arnold Spohr
, Gwynne Ashton, Jean McKenzie and Maria Fay. She danced with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens from 1969 to 1972 and then began working in modern dance
. She performed from 1974 to 1978 in Mauryne Allan's Mountain Dance Theatre in Vancouver. In 1975, encouraged by Allan she choreographed "Trio for Three Women". She met Jay Hirabayashi in 1979 when both were dancing with Paula Ross's company and they married in 1981.
In 1982 Bourget and Hirabayashi with Peter Bingham, Ahmed Hassan, Lola MacLaughlin, Jennifer Mascall, and Peter Ryan, co-founded Experimental Dance and Music (EDAM). They left EDAM after four years to co-found Kokoro Dance
. Since forming Kokoro Dance, Barbara has choreographed over one hundred dances. In 1998 Kokoro Dance began producing the Vancouver International Dance Festival
.
Kokoro Dance
Kokoro Dance is one of Canada's leading butoh dance troupes. Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, it was founded in 1986 by artistic directors Barbara Bourget and Japanese Canadian Jay Hirabayashi. They have performed across Canada, in the United States, and abroad.As is characteristic of butoh...
Theatre Society in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. She was born in Port Alberni, British Columbia on October 10, 1950. Bourget began tap dancing at age four and went on to take ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
class at age nine. From 1961 to 1967 she studied with Mara McBirney and from 1967 to 1969 Bourget was a scholarship student at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. Her teachers at the Royal Winnipeg School included Arnold Spohr
Arnold Spohr
Arnold Theodore Spohr, was a Canadian ballet dancer, choreographer, and artistic director.Spohr was born in Rhein, Saskatchewan...
, Gwynne Ashton, Jean McKenzie and Maria Fay. She danced with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens from 1969 to 1972 and then began working in modern dance
Modern dance
Modern dance is a dance form developed in the early 20th century. Although the term Modern dance has also been applied to a category of 20th Century ballroom dances, Modern dance as a term usually refers to 20th century concert dance.-Intro:...
. She performed from 1974 to 1978 in Mauryne Allan's Mountain Dance Theatre in Vancouver. In 1975, encouraged by Allan she choreographed "Trio for Three Women". She met Jay Hirabayashi in 1979 when both were dancing with Paula Ross's company and they married in 1981.
In 1982 Bourget and Hirabayashi with Peter Bingham, Ahmed Hassan, Lola MacLaughlin, Jennifer Mascall, and Peter Ryan, co-founded Experimental Dance and Music (EDAM). They left EDAM after four years to co-found Kokoro Dance
Kokoro Dance
Kokoro Dance is one of Canada's leading butoh dance troupes. Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, it was founded in 1986 by artistic directors Barbara Bourget and Japanese Canadian Jay Hirabayashi. They have performed across Canada, in the United States, and abroad.As is characteristic of butoh...
. Since forming Kokoro Dance, Barbara has choreographed over one hundred dances. In 1998 Kokoro Dance began producing the Vancouver International Dance Festival
Vancouver International Dance Festival
The Vancouver International Dance Festival is an annual, month-long contemporary dance festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia. The festival, produced by Kokoro Dance Theatre Society, began in 1998 as a Butoh Festival...
.
External links
- Kokoro Dance Website Kokoro Bio Page