Grant Strate – 2024 Inductee
DCD Hall of fame Inductee
grant strate, C.m., FRSC
Grant Strate was born in Cardston, Alberta in 1927. While studying law at the University of Alberta, he also studied dance with Laine Metz, a student of the influential German Expressionist Mary Wigman. Grant was a charter member of The National Ballet of Canada as a dancer in 1951 and was resident choreographer from 1964 to 1970. He was guest choreographer in Antwerp for the 1966/67 season and with the Royal Swedish Ballet in 1968/69. Among his more than 50 ballets for many companies are Ballad and The House of Atreus with music by Harry Somers, Bird Life, and Cyclus. Strate’s choreography brought an original Canadian perspective and a contemporary aesthetic to the repertoire of the National Ballet, but his contribution as an educator and nurturer of choreographic talent has been even more important for the development of Canadian dance.
Join us in celebrating the late Mr. Strate’s extraordinary achievements on November 10th. Click the button below to get your tickets:
Inspired by his experience as a guest teacher at the Juilliard School in New York City in 1962/63, a time of great artistic ferment, Grant fostered and facilitated artistic experimentation, the explosion of independent dance in Canada, and the development of post-secondary dance training. He was founder of Canada’s first degree program in dance at York University (1970) and of the Dance in Canada Association (1973), instigator of National Choreographic Seminars (1978, 1980, 1985, 1991), and director of Simon Fraser University’s School for Contemporary Arts (1980-89) and the Contemporary Arts Summer Institute (1985-1995). He became professor emeritus in 1993. In 1999, Grant was elected the President of the World Dance Alliance – Americas.
