Guillaume Côté (born September 17, 1981) is a Canadian ballet dancer, choreographer, composer and artistic director. He is a principal dancer and a Choreographic Associate at the

National Ballet of Canada The National Ballet of Canada is a Canadian ballet company that was founded in 1951 in Toronto, Ontario, with Celia Franca, the first artistic director. A company of 70 dancers with its own orchestra, the National Ballet has been led since 2022 ...

. In February 2024, he announced that the 2024/2025 season will be his last season before retirement. He has been the Artistic Director of the Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur since 2014 and is the Artistic Director of Côté Danse.

Early life

Côté was born in Lac-à-la-Croix, a small town in the region of

Lac Saint-Jean Lac Saint-Jean (, ) is a large, relatively shallow lake in south-central Quebec, Canada, in the Laurentian Highlands. It is situated north of the Saint Lawrence River, into which it drains via the Saguenay River. It covers an area of , and is ...

, in the province of Quebec, Canada. The municipality was since merged with Métabetchouan. His parents, René Côté and Germaine Tremblay, were both teachers with a passion for the arts. René plays the piano and Germaine convinced teacher friends Marie-Claire Bouchard and France Proulx to help her set up a ballet school in Alma to facilitate access to artistic training in their remote part of the country. In 1970, Le Prisme culturel was born. At the age of three, Guillaume took his first dance lessons there, along with his older sister Geneviève and several cousins. He stood out for his skills and was encouraged to take summer courses and then audition. At the age of 10, a trip to Montreal organised by Le Prisme Culturel enabled him to see his first ballet on stage: Fernand Nault's ''The Nutcracker'', produced by

Les Grands Ballets Canadiens Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal (GBCM) is a ballet company based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. A creative and repertory company, it performs works that reflect the diverse trends of contemporary ballet. History Les Grands Ballets Canadien ...

Education

At age 11, despite not speaking English, Guillaume Côté entered

Canada's National Ballet School Canada's National Ballet School, also commonly known as the National Ballet School of Canada, is a classical ballet school located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Along with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, it is a provider of professional ballet tr ...

in Toronto, where he trained from 1994 to 1999. His teachers included Sergiu Stefanschi, Reginald Amatto, Mavis Staines, Lindsay Fischer, Peggy Baker and

Christopher House Christopher House (born May 30, 1955) is a Canadian choreographer, performer and educator. For many years he was the artistic director of Toronto Dance Theatre. Early life and education House was born in St.John's, Newfoundland. He moved to Ott ...

. He received additional training at the summer School of the

Hamburg Ballet The Hamburg Ballet is a ballet company based in Hamburg, Germany. Since 1973, it has been directed by the American dancer and choreographer John Neumeier. In addition there is a ballet school, , established in 1978. The performances of the Hamb ...

in 1998 where he worked directly with

John Neumeier John Neumeier (born February 24, 1939) is an American ballet dancer, choreographer, and director. He was the director and principal choreographer of Hamburg Ballet from 1973 to 2024 and the artistic director of the ballet at the Hamburg State ...

and many other renowned European teachers. In 1999, he had an internship at The School of American Ballet, which is the associate school of the

New York City Ballet New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company's fir ...

. He studied

Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze;, : April 30, 1983) was a Georgian-American ballet choreographer, recognized as one of the most influential choreographers of the 20th-century. Sty ...

style with Peter Boal, Jock Soto and

Peter Martins Peter Martins (born 27 October 1946) is a Danish former ballet dancer and choreographer. Martins was a principal dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet and with the New York City Ballet, where he joined George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and J ...

Career

National Ballet of Canada

In 1998, at age 17, Côté joined the

as an apprentice. At age 19, he made his debut as Prince Siegfried in ''

Swan Lake ''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoje ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, links=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failu ...

'', making him the youngest person in the company to dance that role. In 2001, he danced Romeo in ''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

''. In 2004, at age 23, Côté became a principal dancer. His repertoire include '' The Sleeping Beauty'' and John Neumeier's ''Nijinsky''. He had originated the role Romeo in

Alexei Ratmansky Alexei Osipovich Ratmansky (, born August 27, 1968) is a Russian-Ukrainian-American choreographer and former ballet dancer. From 2004 to 2008 he was the director of the Moscow Bolshoi Ballet. He left Russia in 2008. In 2009 he was appointed the ar ...

's version of ''Romeo and Juliet''. Côté celebrated his 20th anniversary at the National Ballet in 2019, after a performance of ''

Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...

''. On June 18, 2023, Guillaume Côté bid a permanent farewell to the role of Romeo on The Four Seasons Centre's stage. Dancing Juliet for the first time of her career, special guest artist

Sara Mearns Sara Ann Mearns (born 19 January 1986) is an American ballet dancer. She is a principal dancer at New York City Ballet. Early life Mearns was born in Columbia, South Carolina. Her mother is a nurse. At age three, she began dancing with Ann Brodi ...

was his partner. In February 2024, Côté announced that the upcoming 2024/2025 season will be his last season with the company, as he will be retiring from dancing in 2025.

Guest Artist

"Dramatic and athletic, with an ability to jump as though his feet are equipped with hidden springs, it's not hard to figure out why Côté has been asked to guest perform with many of the best ballet companies on the planet." (National Post)

As a guest artist, Côté had performed with

La Scala Theatre Ballet The La Scala Theatre Ballet () is the resident classical ballet company at La Scala in Milan, Italy. One of the oldest and most renowned ballet companies in the world, the company pre-dates the theatre, but was officially founded at the inaugura ...

English National Ballet English National Ballet is a classical ballet company founded by Dame Alicia Markova and Sir Anton Dolin as London Festival Ballet and based in London, England. Along with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Northern Ballet and Scott ...

The Royal Ballet The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded ...

American Ballet Theatre American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant. Through 2019, it had an annual eight-week season at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center) in the spr ...

The Hamburg Ballet The Hamburg Ballet is a ballet company based in Hamburg, Germany. Since 1973, it has been directed by the American dancer and choreographer John Neumeier. In addition there is a ballet school, , established in 1978. The performances of the Hamb ...

and

Stuttgart Ballet Stuttgart Ballet is a leading German ballet company. Dating back to 1609, then the court ballet of the dukes of Württemberg, the modern company was founded by John Cranko and is known for full-length narrative ballets. The company received the ...

, as well as in ''

Kings of the Dance ''Kings of the Dance'' was a four night dance extravaganza starring: *Angel Corella, ''American Ballet Theatre'' * Ethan Stiefel, ''American Ballet Theatre'' * Johan Kobborg, ''The Royal Ballet, London'' * Nikolay Tsiskaridze, ''The Bolshoi ...

'', ''The Vision of

Manuel Legris Manuel Legris (born 10 October 1964) is a French ballet dancer. He was a danseur étoile (principal dancer) with the Paris Opera Ballet for 23 years. On 1 September 2010, he became the director of the Vienna State Ballet. In December 2020, he ...

'' and ''

Roberto Bolle Roberto Bolle (born 26 March 1975) is an Italian danseur. He is a principal dancer ''étoile'' at La Scala Theatre Ballet. Bolle also dances regularly as a guest artist with the world’s leading companies, including The Royal Ballet, the Ma ...

and Friends''. With English National Ballet, he originated the role of

Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American dancer, actor, singer, director and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...

in ''Strictly Gershwin''. On December 15, 2018, Côté was invited to dance

's ''Romeo and Juliet'' with Evgenia Obraztsova and the

Bolshoi Ballet The Bolshoi Ballet is an internationally renowned classical ballet company based at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia. Founded in 1776, the Bolshoi is among the world's oldest Ballet company, ballet companies. In the early 20th century, it ca ...

in Moscow, making him the first dancer from Quebec and one of the few Canadians to have danced on that stage. After the performance, Guillaume Côté was interviewed by

CBC/Radio-Canada The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its English-language and F ...

's reporter Tamara Alteresco and reflected on the experience he qualifies as one of the highlights of his career. In 2020, he made his debut at the

, dancing ''Swan Lake'' with

, in order to replace an injured Tyler Angle. The verdict? "from his mime to his partnering, he was a class act" (Gia Kourlas, ''The New York Times'').

Kings of the Dance

Produced by Sergei Danilian, "Kings of the Dance" was an all-star showcase of male ballet dancing that toured internationally between 2007 and 2012. "The evening consists not of gala showstoppers but instead of a thoughtful collection of pieces, mostly solos, including a few gems." (''The New Yorker''). The show offered an assortment of repertoire pieces and works by

Nacho Duato Juan Ignacio Duato Barcia, also known as Nacho Duato (born 8 January 1957) is a Spanish modern ballet dancer and choreographer. Since 2014, Duato has been artistic director of the Berlin State Ballet. He is openly gay. Career Nacho Duato st ...

Christopher Wheeldon Christopher Peter Wheeldon (born 22 March 1973) is an English international choreographer of contemporary ballet. Early life Born in Yeovil, Somerset, to an engineer and a physical therapist, Wheeldon began training to be a ballet dancer at th ...

Roland Petit Roland Petit (13 January 192410 July 2011) was a French ballet company director, choreographer and dancer. He trained at the Paris Opera Ballet school, and became well known for his creative ballets. Life and work The son of shoe designer Ro ...

Marco Goecke Marco Goecke (born 12 April 1972) is a German choreographer. He was the director of Hanover State Ballet between 2019 and 2023, and had also held positions at Stuttgart Ballet, , Nederlands Dans Theater and Gauthier Dance. He had additionally c ...

and Marcelo Gomes, among others. Guillaume Côté was part of a cohort that included José Manuel Carreño, Marcelo Gomes, David Hallberg, Leonid Sarafanov, Nikolay Tsiskaridze and Ivan Vassiliev. "It is a pleasure to watch some of the most talented artists in the world." (''Bachtrack''). In Kings of the Dance, Guillaume Côté performed ''Four Four'' by Christopher Wheeldon and ''Pas de deux'' by Roland Petit in Costa Mesa and at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. He also danced ''Jazzy Five'' by

Mauro Bigonzetti Mauro Bigonzetti (born 1960) is an Italian ballet dancer and choreographer. He trained at the ballet school of Teatro dell'Opera di Roma and entered their company in 1979. In 1983 Bigonzetti joined the Reggio Emilia company Aterballetto, renown ...

, ''Tue'' by Marco Goecke and ''KO'd'' by Marcelo Gomes, at the New York City Centre, the

London Coliseum The London Coliseum (also known as the Coliseum Theatre) is a theatre in St Martin's Lane, City of Westminster, Westminster, built as one of London's largest and most luxurious "family" variety theatres. Opened on 24 December 1904 as the Lond ...

, the

Mikhailovsky Theatre The Mikhailovsky Theatre () is one of Russia's oldest opera and ballet houses. It was founded in 1833 and occupies a Brulleau-designed building on 1, Arts Square in Saint Petersburg. It is named after Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia. ...

in Saint Petersburg, as well as in Novossibirsk, Riga, Rostov and Buenos Aires.

Body of work

"Respected internationally for his outstanding musicality, technique and dramatic interpretation"'','' Guillaume Côté has performed the main roles in the classical repertoire and may hold some sort of record for ''Swan Lake'', having danced versions by seven choreographers: James Kudelka, Peter Martins after Petipa, Mikhail Messerer, Vladimir Bourmeister, Patrice Bart, Derek Deane and Mario Galizzi. Côté also has extensive experience in neoclassical and contemporary works. "Much as he possesses a stage Côté also loves the studio – he describes himself as 'a crazy rehearsal freak' – and being part of the creation of new work is what excites him most". French critic Antonellla Poli wrote: "Guillaume Côté, star of the National Ballet of Canada, is unique: his talent, crystal-clear intelligence, ease on stage, musicality and artistic sensibility make him exceptional". Guillaume Côté danced the following works: * 24 Préludes de Chopin ( Marie Chouinard) * A Month in the Country (

Frederick Ashton Sir Frederick William Mallandaine Ashton (17 September 190418 August 1988) was a British ballet dancer and choreographer. He also worked as a director and choreographer in opera, film and revue. Determined to be a dancer despite the oppositio ...

) * A Streetcar named Desire (

) *

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...

(

) * An Italian Straw Hat (

James Kudelka James Kudelka, Order of Canada, OC (born September 10, 1955 at Newmarket, Ontario), is a Canadian choreographer, dancer, and director. He was the artistic director of the National Ballet of Canada from 1996 to 2005, now serving as the National Ball ...

) * Anna Karenina (

) *

(

George Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze;, Romanization of Georgian, : April 30, 1983) was a Georgian-American ballet choreographer, recognized as one of the most influential choreographers ...

) * Bernstein Dances (

) * Black Night's Bright Day (

) * Carmen ( Davide Bombana) * Chaconne (

) * Chopper (Matjash Mrozewski) * Cinderella (

) *

Concerto A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The ...

(

Kenneth MacMillan Sir Kenneth MacMillan (11 December 192929 October 1992) was a British ballet dancer and choreographer who was artistic director of the Royal Ballet in London between 1970 and 1977, and its principal choreographer from 1977 until his death. Ea ...

) * Contract (

) * Coppelia (

) * Cruel World (

) * Crypto (Guillaume Côté) * Danza delle ore /

Dance of the Hours ''Dance of the Hours'' (Italian: ') is a short ballet and is part of the Act III finale of the opera '' La Gioconda'' composed by Amilcare Ponchielli. It depicts the hours of the day through solo and ensemble dances. The opera was first performe ...

(Gheorghe Iancu) * X (DIX) (Guillaume Côté) *

Don Quixote , the full title being ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'', is a Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, the novel is considered a founding work of Western literature and is of ...

(Fischer & Krasnova, after Beriozoff, Petipa & Gorsky) * Emergence (

Crystal Pite Crystal Pite (born December 15, 1970) is a Canadian Choreography (dance), choreographer and dancer. She began her professional dance career in 1988 at Ballet British Columbia, Ballet BC, and in 1996 she joined Ballett Frankfurt under the tutelag ...

) * Four Four (

) *

Giselle ''Giselle'' ( , ), originally titled ''Giselle, ou les Wilis'' (; ''Giselle, or The Wilis''), is a romantic ballet () in two acts with music by Adolphe Adam. Considered a masterwork in the classical ballet performance canon, it was first perfor ...

( Peter Wright) * Grand Pas Classique ( Victor Gsovsky) * Hamlet (Kevin O'Day) * Hamlet (Guillaume Côté-

Robert Lepage Robert Lepage (born December 12, 1957) is a Canadian playwright, actor, film director, and stage director. Early life Lepage was raised in Quebec City. At age five, he was diagnosed with a rare form of alopecia, which caused complete hair lo ...

) * Incontri (Kristian Cellini) * In Peril ( Sabrina Matthews) * Jazzy Five (

) *

Jewels A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, semiprecious stone, or simply gem) is a piece of mineral crystal which, when cut or polished, is used to make jewellery, jewelry or other adornments. Certain Rock (geology), rocks (such ...

(

) * KO'd ( Marcelo Gomes) * La Traviata (

Veronica Paeper Veronica Paeper (born 9 April 1944) is a South African choreographer and dancer. Career Paeper was born on 9 April 1944 in Port Shepstone but trained with Dulcie Howes at the University of Cape Town Ballet School after her family moved to Cape To ...

) * Le Chant du compagnon errant (

Maurice Béjart Maurice Béjart (; 1 January 1927 – 22 November 2007) was a French dancer, choreographer and Theatre director, opera director who ran the Béjart Ballet Lausanne in Switzerland. He developed a popular expressionistic form of modern ballet, tac ...

) *

Le Corsaire ''Le Corsaire'' is a ballet typically presented in three acts, with a libretto originally created by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges loosely based on the poem '' The Corsair'' by Lord Byron. Originally choreographed by Joseph Mazilier to ...

(Anna Marie Holmes) * Le Spectre de la Rose (

) *

Les Sylphides () is a short, non-narrative '' ballet blanc'' to piano music by Frédéric Chopin, selected and orchestrated by Alexander Glazunov. The ballet, described as a "romantic reverie","Ballet Theater", until 1955. A compact disk of ABT's product ...

(Magdalena Popa after Michel Fokine) *

Manon ''Manon'' () is an ''opéra comique'' in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the 1731 novel '' L'histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut'' by the Abbé Prévost. It was f ...

(

) * Marguerite and Armand (

) * Nijinsky (

) * Onegin (

John Cranko John Cyril Cranko (15 August 1927 – 26 June 1973) was a South African ballet dancer and choreographer with the Royal Ballet and the Stuttgart Ballet. Life and career Early life Cranko was born to Herbert and Grace Cranko in Rustenburg in ...

) * Opus 19 - The Dreamer (

Jerome Robbins Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Among his nu ...

) * Papillon ( Ronald Hynd) *

Paquita ''Paquita'' is a ballet in two acts and three scenes originally choreographed by Joseph Mazilier to music by Édouard Deldevez and Ludwig Minkus. Paul Foucher received royalties as librettist. History ''Paquita'' is the creation of French c ...

(Marius Petipa) * Pas de deux (

) * Petite mort (

Jiří Kylián Jiří Kylián (born 21 March 1947) is a Czech former dancer and contemporary dance choreographer. He is considered one of the greatest contemporary dance choreographers in Czech history. Life Jiří Kylián was born in 1947 in Prague, Czecho ...

) * Pink Floyd Ballet (

) * Polyphonia (

) * Préludes CV (

) * Proust, Les intermittences du cœur (

) *

Raymonda ''Raymonda'' () is a ballet, grand ballet in three acts, four scenes with an apotheosis, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa to the music of Alexander Glazunov (his Opus number, opus 57) and libretto by Lydia Pashkova. ''Raymonda'' was creat ...

(d'après Petipa) *

(

) * Russian Seasons (

) *

Serenade In music, a serenade (; also sometimes called a serenata, from the Italian) is a musical composition or performance delivered in honour of someone or something. Serenades are typically calm, light pieces of music. The term comes from the Ital ...

(

) * Soul (Jera Wolfe) * Stravinsky Violin Concerto (

) * Strictly Gershwin (

Derek Deane Derek Deane (born 18 June 1953) is a British dancer and choreographer. Biography Derek Deane was raised in Redruth, Cornwall and trained in the Royal Ballet School. As a dancer, he eventually became a Principal Dancer with The Royal Ballet, la ...

) *

(James Kudelka, Peter Martins, Mikhail Messerer, Vladimir Bourmeister, Patrice Bart, Derek Deane, Mario Galizzi) * Symphony in C (

) * Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux (

) * The Calm Below (Roberto Campanella) * The Dream (

) * The End (

) * The Four Seasons (

) *

The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' ( ) is an operetta by the Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The Libretto, librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein (writer), Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's ...

( Ronald Hynd) *

The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' (, ), Opus number, Op. 71, is an 1892 two-act classical ballet (conceived as a '; ) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, set on Christmas Eve at the foot of a Christmas tree in a child's imagination featuring a Nutcracker doll. Th ...

(

) * The Seagull (

) * The Sleeping Beauty (

Rudolf Nureyev Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev (17 March 19386 January 1993) was a Soviet-born ballet dancer and choreographer. Nureyev is widely regarded as the preeminent male ballet dancer of his generation as well as one of the greatest ballet dancers of all ...

) * The Taming of the Shrew (

) *

The Winter's Tale ''The Winter's Tale'' is a play by William Shakespeare originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, many modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some criti ...

(

) * Theme and Variation (

) * Tué (

) * Two of us ( Marcelo Gomes) *

West Side Story Suite ''West Side Story Suite'' is a ballet suite choreographed by Jerome Robbins. Robbins conceived, directed and choreographed the 1957 musical ''West Side Story'', then co-directed its 1961 film adaptation, before including parts of the choreogr ...

(

) * Yondering (

)

Choreographic work

"Music can get very loud, but dance is very fragile. It's ephemeral. It's a play on geometry, space, and emotion." - Guillaume Côté

Guillaume Côté was appointed Choreographic Associate of the National Ballet in 2013. He had choreographed a number of one-act ballets for the company. He won the Audience Choice Award at the Erik Bruhn Prize for ''Enkeli'', and received the third prize at Ballet Society Hanover's 25th International Competition for ''#24''. His first full-length work, ''Le Petit Prince'', based on the novella of the same name, premiered in 2016. He collaborated with set designer Michael Levine and composer Kevin Lau, and consulted

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, vicomte de Saint-Exupéry (29 June 1900 – 31 July 1944), known simply as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (, , ), was a French writer, poet, journalist and aviator. Born in Lyon to an French nobility, aristocratic ...

authority

Adam Gopnik Adam Gopnik (born August 24, 1956) is an American writer and essayist, who was raised in Montreal, Canada. He is best known as a staff writer for ''The New Yorker,'' to which he has contributed nonfiction, fiction, memoir, and criticism since 19 ...

. The ballet had a cast of 27 dancers and Côté created different ways of moving for each character while making sure the overall production was coherent. His second full-length work, ''Frame by Frame'' (2018), was a multimedia work directed by

. Co-produced by The National Ballet of Canada, The National Film Board of Canada and Lepage's company, Ex Machina, It celebrated animator and filmmaker

Norman McLaren William Norman McLaren, LL. D. (11 April 1914 – 27 January 1987) was a Scottish-Canadian animator, director and producer known for his work for the National Film Board of Canada (NFB).Rosenthal, Alan. ''The new documentary in action: a caseb ...

by interweaving classical ballet and film animation in a multimedia experience. "''Frame by Frame'' Leaves Minds Reeling in Amazement" (''The Dance Current''). Côté and Lepage "reimagined" their groundbreaking multimedia ballet before it was reprised in 2023. In the ''Toronto Star'', Michael Crabb wrote: "''Frame by Frame'' is arguably the National Ballet's most ambitious production to date. With its mashing of dance, storytelling, film and hi-tech visual effects, the audience was wildly enthusiastic. There is never a dull moment. It's quirky, full of action, visually riveting and often quite funny." Intent on showcasing dance in a different light in order to reach out to a wider audience, Côté choreographed and starred in short film ''Lost in Motion'', and choreographed its sequel, ''Lost in Motion II,'' in which Heather Ogden danced on Leonard Cohen's ''Avalanche''. Côté also choreographed for Olympic-winning ice dancing duo

Tessa Virtue Tessa Jane McCormick Virtue (born May 17, 1989) is a Canadian retired ice dancer. With ice dance partner Scott Moir, she is the 2010 and 2018 Olympic champion, the 2014 Olympic silver medallist, a three-time World champion (2010, 2012, 2017) ...

and

Scott Moir Scott Patrick Moir ( ; born September 2, 1987) is a Canadian retired ice dancer and coach. With ice dance partner Tessa Virtue, he is the Figure skating at the 2010 Winter Olympics, 2010 and Figure skating at the 2018 Winter Olympics, 2018 Olym ...

that was performed during their farewell tour with "Rock the Rink". Informed by his classical ballet vocabulary, Guillaume Côté's choreography contours space with resonant geometries and fervent human connections. Contemporary lines and forms with a sleek edge and refined athleticism give his work a profound vitality.

Côté Danse

In 2021, Guillaume Côté founded Côté Danse in order to develop independent projects in collaboration with various and diverse artists and partners. At the helm of Côté Danse, he seeks to create original dance works and experiences through scalable productions aimed at a new generation of dance and theatre goers. His later choreographic works involve multimedia (''Frame by Frame, Crypto''), interdisciplinary collaboration and immersive experiences such as ''Touch,'' presented at the Lighthouse Immersive in Toronto from October 2021 to January 2022. Created with digital imagery wizard Thomas Payette, this unique experimental immersive multimedia work involved two dancers, state-of-the-art projections and three-dimensional choreography. Côté feels "there's so much potential in opening up our minds to dance and movement that can be developed beyond a formulaic proscenium stage."

"In work, Robert Lepage has no ego. Everyone is equal in the rehearsal room. If a collaborator or a young dancer has a better idea than his, he includes it in the show. I approach creative work the same way. Instinctive and organic." (Guillaume Côté)

Building on their passion for Shakespeare and the success of their previous collaboration (''Frame by Frame''), Guillaume Côté and Robert Lepage teamed up again to tell the complex story of ''Hamlet'' without words, through movement and music, smoke and mirrors, light and shadows, symbolic props and imaginative set design. A first draft of ''Hamlet'' premiered at Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur on July 26, 2023. Critics echoed the enthusiastic audience.

Selected choreographic works

* No. 24 (2010) * Impermanence (2010) * Fractals: A Pattern of Chaos (2011) * Bolero (2012) * Enkeli (2012) * Lost in Motion (2012) * Lost in Motion II (2013) * Being and Nothingness (2013) * Body of Work (2014) * Tonight will be fine (2014) * Dance Me To the End of Love (2015) * Le Petit Prince (2016) * Dark Angels (2016) * Into Me (2016) * Cadavre Exquis (2017) * Scheinriese (2017) * Une douce souffrance (2018) * Frame by Frame (2018) * Hamlet Redux (2018) * Wish You Were Here (2019) * Crypto (2019) * Burn-out fugue (2020) * Bach to the barre (2020) * Portraits – Guillaume Côté, Greta Hodgkinson, Sara Mearns (2020) * Echos (2020) * Lulu (2020) * Tiny Pretty Things S1E9 (Netflix series released in 2020) * Naraka (2021) * Phi (2021) * SM (2021) * X (Dix) (2021) * Touch (2021) * Faune (2021) * Spir (2022) * Passacaglia pour deux corps (2022) * Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (2023) With Director Robert Lepage * Burn Baby, Burn (2024) * Don't Go Home (2025) * Grand Mirage (2025)

Musician and Composer

Guillaume Côté grew up playing piano, clarinet and classical guitar. In later years, he learned to play cello and studied composition at

The Royal Conservatory of Music The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM; ), branded as The Royal Conservatory, is a non-profit music education institution and performance venue headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1886 by Edward Fisher as The Toronto C ...

. His extensive knowledge of music and musicality led to his writing scores for ballets and films, rehearsing small chamber works and working closely with classical musicians and conductors. He starred in the 2007 documentary ''Moving to His Music: The Two Muses of Guillaume Côté'', for which he composed the music. The film won a Gemini Award for Best Performance in 2007 and a Galileo 2000 Prize in 2008.

Selected musical works

* Sans Détour (2002) String quartet for Alberta Ballet * Still.nest (2003) For choreographer Dominique Dumais, presented by Stuttgart Ballet * KO'd (2007) Piano sonata performed as the finale of "Kings of the Dance" (2007–2012) * White Light (2008) Performed by The National Ballet Orchestra at the Richard Bradshaw amphitheater. * Impermanence (2010) Recorded by The National Ballet of Canada Orchestra, performed at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino * The Calm Below (2013) Composed and performed for a video by director / choreographer Roberto Campanella

Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur

In 2014, Guillaume Côté was appointed artistic director of Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur (FASS), a dance festival in the Laurentians region of Quebec. Founded in 1992 (as Festival des Arts Hiawatha), FASS has become the largest regional dance presenter in the country, inviting internationally acclaimed as well as up-and-coming artists and companies to perform under a Big Top in front of an avid and open-minded audience. Greta Hodgkinson,

Friedemann Vogel Friedemann Vogel (born 1 August 1979) is a German ballet dancer who performs with the Stuttgart Ballet as a Principal dancer and as a frequent guest artist at major ballet companies around the world including La Scala Theatre Ballet in Milan and ...

Louise Lecavalier Louise Lecavalier OC (born October 3, 1958) is a Canadian dancer known as one of the icons of Canadian contemporary dance. Biography Lecavalier was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec. She began her professional dance career at the age of ei ...

Misty Copeland Misty Danielle Copeland (born September 10, 1982) is an American ballet dancer for American Ballet Theatre (ABT), one of the three leading classical ballet companies in the United States. On June 30, 2015, Copeland became the first African Americ ...

Margie Gillis Margie Gillis (born July 9, 1953) is a Canadians, Canadian dancer and choreographer. Gillis has been creating original works of modern dance for over thirty-five years. Her repertoire includes more than one hundred pieces, which she performs as ...

, Cesar Corrales, Anne Plamondon,

Tiler Peck Tiler Kalyn Peck (born January 12, 1989) is an American ballet dancer who is a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet. As well as ballet, she has performed in musical theatre shows and has made cameo appearances in films including '' Don ...

, Xander Parish, Daniel Ulbritch,

Michelle Dorrance Michelle Dorrance (born September 12, 1979) is an American tap dancer, performer, choreographer, teacher and director. Awarded a MacArthur Fellows Program, MacArthur "Genius Grant", she is the Founder and artistic director of Dorrance Dance. Do ...

, Fabrice Calmels, Evelyn Hart, Julian MacKay.

Angèle Dubeau Angèle Dubeau, (born 24 March 1962) is a retired Canadian classical violinist. She has devoted a large part of her career to making classical music accessible to a wide audience and also frequently played works by contemporary composers. In O ...

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, are but a few of the stars who shone on the Festival's stage over the years. Under Guillaume Côté's tenure as Artistic Director, added emphasis was put on supporting creation, diversity and Quebec artists through showcases and commissioned works. The Festival received a Special Mention as Cultural Event of the Year at the 2000 Grands Prix du Tourisme des Laurentides awards, and won the "Grand Prix du Tourisme des Laurentides" in 2007, 2008 and 2014. In 2009 and 2022, FASS won the Cultural Ambassador of the Laurentians prize, awarded by the Grands prix de la culture des Laurentides, which celebrates the performing arts in the Laurentians. In 2020, FASS won the Prix Opus as the Specialized presenter of the year in Quebec for a digital edition that was put together with the collaboration of conductor

Yannick Nézet-Séguin Yannick Nézet-Séguin, CC (; born Yannick Séguin;David Patrick Stearns, "Nezet-Seguin signs Philadelphia Orchestra contract". ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', 19 June 2010. 6 March 1975) is a Canadian conductor and pianist. He is the music dir ...

and the

Orchestre Métropolitain The Orchestre Métropolitain (, OM) is a symphony orchestra in Montréal, Québec, formed in 1981. It performs primarily in the Montreal Symphony House at Place des Arts but also at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier and Théâtre Maisonneuve. Outside th ...

to make up for the impossibility of holding the event in its usual format during the pandemic. The Shared Solitude program consisted of a collection of works commissioned from 10 composers and 10 choreographers who were paired up. Each joint-creation was performed by a single dancer and one musician, filmed outdoors around Saint-Sauveur and uploaded on the festival's website to be seen worldwide.

Awards and accolades

* 2021 – Chevalier de l'Ordre national du Québec (Knight of the

National Order of Quebec The National Order of Quebec ( French: ), also known as the Order of Quebec, is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Governor Jean-Pierre Côté granted royal assent to the (Natio ...

.) * 2020 – Milan International Film Festival Awards (MIFF) for ''Lulu'' * 2019 – Dora Mavor Moore Awards (Toronto) for Best Choreography and Best Production (shared with Robert Lepage) for ''Frame by Frame'' * 2018 – Danse avec la plume (Paris). The National Ballet of Canada won the Plume d'or for ''Nijinsky'' and Guillaume Côté received a Mention for his performance at the Théâtre des Champs Élysées in Paris * 2015 – ''Enkeli'' wins Best Choreography and Audience Choice at the 10th International Competition for The Erik Bruhn Prize (Toronto) * 2012 – Médaille de l'Assemblée nationale du Québec (Medal of the Québec National Assembly) awarded by the members of the Assembly as a token of recognition for performances as a dancer, choreographic works and musical compositions. * 2011 – Appointed Member of the Société de l'Ordre du Bleuet pour les Arts et la Culture for his contribution to the cultural renown of the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean region through dance performances, choreographic works and musical compositions. * 2011 – Dora Mavor Moore Awards (Toronto) for Best Choreography for ''Fractals: A Pattern of Chaos'' * 2011 – Ballet Society Hanover's 25th International Competition (Germany) ''No. 24'' wins Best Choreography (3rd Prize) * 2010 – Rolex Dancers First Award (Totonto) Best Performance for ''The Sleeping Beauty'' with The National Ballet of Canada * 2008 – Fondazione Premio Galileo (Florence) Pentagramma d'Oro for the music composed for ''Moving to his Music : The Two Muses of Guillaume Côté'' * 2008 – the Commission Scolaire du Lac-Saint-Jean (Alma) gave his name to a room set up to meet the needs of students enrolled in the dance programs at the Pavillon Wilbrod-Dufour. * 2007 – Gemini Awards (Toronto) Best Performance and Best Music for ''Moving to His Music: The Two Muses of Guillaume Côté'' * 2003 – Dora Mavor Moore Awards (Toronto) for Best Dance Performance for ''The Contract'' * 1998 – International Competition for The Erik Bruhn Prize (Toronto) Best Performance in Dance * 1998 – YTV Achievement Awards 98 (Toronto) * 1996 – Diana Brown Awards of The National Ballet School (Toronto) * Peter Dwyer Award for Best Performance in Dance

Personal life

In 2010, Côté married fellow National Ballet of Canada principal dancer Heather Ogden. The couple has two children. They separated in 2022.

External links

Côté Danse official website

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Côté, Guillaume Living people Canadian male ballet dancers National Ballet of Canada principal dancers People from Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean 21st-century Canadian ballet dancers 1981 births