Martine Époque (April 30, 1942 – January 18, 2018) was a French-born Canadian dance educator and choreographer living in Quebec.[1]
She was born in Six-Fours-les-Plages and studied music and dance at the, the Schola Cantorum de Paris and the in Geneva. She was recruited by the Université de Montréal to develop a dance course for the physical education program and came to Canada in 1967.[2]
Époque founded the contemporary dance company Le Groupe Nouvelle Aire and served as its artistic director from 1968 to 1982. In 1999, she published a memoir Le Groupe Nouvelle Aire en Mémoires, 1968-1982. Choreographers and educators who grew out of that company included Édouard Lock, Louise Lecavalier, Ginette Laurin, Paul-André Fortier, Daniel Léveillé and Louise Bédard. She also started the company Danse Actuelle Martine Époque, which operated from 1981 to 1988.[3] [4]
She helped establish the dance program at the Université du Québec à Montréal and played an important role in the creation of the dance department in 1985 and the development of a master's program in dance in 1993. She helped establish the Agora de la danse, a creative space for contemporary dance in Montreal, and Passerelle 840, a laboratory ans showcase for experiments in choreography.
She received the in 1983. In 1994, she was awarded the Prix Denise-Pelletier.[5]
Her short film Coda: the Finale for The Rite of Spring, co-directed with Denis Poulin, was presented at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.[6]