After 30 years of creation, tours and triumphs, O Vertigo’s founder and choreographer Ginette Laurin launched the Centre de Création O Vertigo. After helping to make Montreal an “El Dorado of dance,” Ginette Laurin decided she would like to help a new generation of artists to reinforce and sustain this reputation. To this end, she is backed by three young choreographers: Mélanie Demers, Catherine Gaudet and Caroline Laurin-Beaucage. Together, they began transforming O Vertigo into the Centre de Création O Vertigo, appointing Paul Caskey as Executive Director in January 2016. With the restructuring foundations in place, the position of Artistic Curator was created to develop activities involving the public, artists and local partner organizations. In January 2017, Andrew Tay thus joined CCOV as its first Artistic Curator, entrusted with a three-year mandate.
O VERTIGO’S LEGACY
Since its inception in 1984, O Vertigo has made its mark with cutting-edge technology, monumental sets, large casts and stages. This large-scale model, in fact, is one of the main legacies of O Vertigo. The CCOV will pass on the most salient features of Ginette Laurin’s style and approach. The centre will thus launch a fresh cycle, allowing new artists to reach the highest standards of creativity through these large-scale productions. The objectives: to spark new compositional forms, to present challenges to both choreographers and dancers, to broaden the range of Quebec dance, and to raise its international profile.