Crystal Pite

Crystal Pite

Crystal Pite in 2010
Born December 15, 1970
Terrace, British Columbia
Citizenship Canadian
Occupation Dancer and choreographer
Current group Kidd Pivot
Former groups Ballet British Columbia, Ballett Frankfurt
Dances Contemporary dance
Website
http://kiddpivot.org

Canadian choreographer and performer Crystal Pite (born 1970) is the founder and artistic director of Kidd Pivot. Pite is also currently the associate choreographer of Nederlands Dans Theater, associate dance artist of Canada’s National Arts Centre and an Associate Artist of Sadler's Wells, London.

Biography

Early career

Crystal Pite was born in Terrace, British Columbia on December 15, 1970.[1]

Crystal Pite grew up in Victoria, BC, studying dance under Maureen Eastick and Wendy Green. She also studied at the Banff Centre in summer programs and the School of Toronto Dance Theatre.[1]

She joined Ballet British Columbia as a dancer in 1988 and performed with the company for eight years.[2] She created her first professional choreography at Ballet British Columbia in 1990 called Between the Bliss and Me. This allowed her to create other choreographic works with Ballet British Columbia, Les Ballets Jazz De Montreal and Canada’s Ballet Jörgen.[1]

Ballett Frankfurt

In 1996, Pite left Canada to join Ballett Frankfurt in Germany under the directorship of William Forsythe.[3] Pite was excited to work with Forsythe and develop choreography with technology.[1]

Under the directorship of Forsythe, Pite performed around the world with Ballett Frankfurt, in works such as Eidos: Telos, The Loss of Small Detail, and Endless House. She also continued choreographing, creating Excerpts from a Future Work in 2000. She was involved in the creation of Forsythe's CD-ROM, Improvisation Technologies: A Tool for the Analytical Dance Eye as one of the four featured dancers.[1]

Return to Vancouver

Pite returned to Vancouver in 2001 and continued to dance and choreograph. Later that year she created a duet called Tales – New and Abridged with Cori Caulfield. She was also appointed as resident choreographer with Les Ballet Jazz de Montréal in 2001. Her first dance with the company, Short Works: 22, premiered that same year.

Since then, she has created pieces for many other companies, including Cullberg Ballet, Netherlands Dans Theater, Ballett Frankfurt, The National Ballet of Canada, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, Ballet British Columbia, Alberta Ballet, Ballet Jorgen Canada, and several independent dance artists including Louise Lecavalier.

Pite has been described as "one of the hottest choreographers on the planet."[4]

Kidd Pivot

Main article: Kidd Pivot

In 2002, Pite formed Kidd Pivot, an inter-disciplinary performing arts company based in Vancouver, Canada.

Kidd Pivot is based in Vancouver, Canada and tours internationally. The company is a platform for Pite to create original choreography. She began by creating shorter works, sometimes billed with other choreographers. Double Story explored two perspectives of the same story, where her choreography mirrored that of choreographer Richard Siegal.[1] In Lost Action Pite explored the theme of the disappearance of dance. The piece blended classical contemporary and hip hop movements with immense control from the dancers.[5]

In 2009 Pite created her first two-hour choreography with Dark Matters. This dance explored the capabilities of unseen external forces on the body and mind. In 2010 she created The You Show which explored different conflicts that humans may have with each other. [1]

In 2010 Kidd Pivot became the resident company of Kunstlerhaus Mousonturm in Frankfurt. This caused her to split her time between Frankfurt and Vancouver. Kidd Pivot also increased their touring schedule that year as they were invited to perform in various countries.[1]

Awards

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Meyers, Deborah; Howe-Beck, Linde (2015-03-04). "Crystal Pite". Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. Retrieved 2015-04-30.
  2. ↑ "Arts Alive". Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  3. ↑ Sulcas, Roslyn (15 March 2012). "Roots in New York, but Stretching to Europe: Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet at Joyce Theater". New York Times (New York, United States). Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  4. ↑ Meyers, Deborah (15 September 2012), "Tempest Replica Takes City by Storm: Acclaimed Choreographer Crystal Pite's Riff on Shakespeare is the Don't-Miss Event of the Season", The Vancouver Sun: E6 (subscription required)
  5. ↑ Wisner, Heather. “Kidd Pivot.” Dance Magazine 83.2 (2009)
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 http://kiddpivot.org/company/company
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 http://artsalive.ca/en/dan/meet/bios/artistDetail.asp?artistID=128
  8. ↑ http://www.bcscene.ca/en/events/eventDetails.asp?eID=335
  9. ↑ http://www.jacobspillow.org/about/jacobs-pillow-dance-award.php
  10. ↑ http://www.straight.com/article-623076/vancouver/crystal-pite-wins-first-lola-award
  11. ↑ Smith, Janet (20 August 2012). "Choreographer Crystal Pite nabs national award". The Georgia Straight.
  12. ↑ "Best of Vancouver 2012". Georgia Straight.

Bibliography

External links