Biographical notes on the dancers
Rémi Laurin-Ouellette
Rémi Laurin-Ouellette began his performing arts training in theatre. At age eleven, he acted in the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde production Les Troyennes, directed by Alice Ronfard. He later joined theatre company Carbone 14 for two years. He also participated in a number of other television and theatre projects, including productions by Montreal's Conservatoire d’art dramatique. Fascinated by movement, he decided to train at Les Ateliers de danse moderne de Montréal, where he worked with dancers and choreographers such as Marc Boivin, Anne Lebeau, and Andrew Harwood. He became a member of O Vertigo in 2007.
Brianna Lombardo
Brianna Lombardo, a native of Toronto, started dancing at a very young age. After completing her training at the Toronto Dance Theatre School, she received a Chalmers grant to study with various international artists at the Impuls Tanz Festival in Vienna. As an independent dancer, Brianna worked with Matjash Mrozewski, Michael Trent and the Empty Collective, and Isabelle Van Grimde Corps Secret. She also performed in the film The Year of the Lion directed by Moze Mossanen. She is a founding member of the improvisation collective Instant. In 2004, Brianna performed in Jean-Pierre Perrault's Joe in Quebec and Europe before joining O Vertigo this summer.
Robert Meilleur
Robert Meilleur began his career in contemporary dance in Montreal, with choreographers Hélène Blackburn and Martine Époque. He moved to Calgary for three years, where he worked in theatre and as a choreographer and teacher. When he returned to Montreal, he joined O Vertigo, performing in Train d'enfer, La Chambre blanche, and Déluge. After four years with the troupe, he began working as an independent dancer with choreographers William Douglas, Benoît Lachambre, Anne-Marie Giroux, José Navas, Sacha Waltz, Catherine Tardif, and Jean-Pierre Perreault. For the last few years, he has worked closely with Isabelle van Grimde and Paul-André Fortier. He is also rehearsal master for Van Grimde Corps secrets and Carpe Diem Danse.
Marie-Ève Nadeau
Marie-Ève Nadeau started dancing as soon as she could walk. She studied with the school and company Création Temps, then continued her professional training at Les Ateliers de danse moderne de Montréal. Graduating in 1998, she participated in various collaborative projects, including the founding of the collective, La Fabrique rouge, where she choreographed and performed three works. Before joining O Vertigo in 2002, she taught, and performed in works by Dominique Porte, Danièle Desnoyers and Tassy Teekman, as well as in works by younger choreographer colleagues.
Michelle Rhode
Originally from Vancouver Island, Michelle Rhode joined O Vertigo this season. Her dance experience in Toronto gave her the opportunity to perform all over Canada in works by Michael Trent, Julia Aplin, Serge Bennathan and Shannon Cooney, among many others. In 1999, she co-founded the successful ensemble, Company Blonde, now in its fourth season. In addition, Michelle finds great inspiration in craniosacral therapy and Ashtanga Yoga.
Gillian Seaward
Gillian Seaward began her dance training in her native province of Nova Scotia and completed an intensive training program in Halifax. Parallel to her dance training, she obtained a B.A. at Dalhousie University. In 2004, she continued her dance training at Les Ateliers de danse moderne de Montréal. After graduating in 2006, she worked with Montreal-based choreographers Roger Sinha, Lucie Grégoire and Paula de Vasconcelos. She joined O Vertigo in 2007.
Neil Sochasky
A native of New Brunswick, Neil Sochasky received his dance training at York University in Ontario. In 2001, he began working with Toronto Dance Theatre, later joining Dancemakers. As an independent artist, he worked with choreographers Danny Grossman, Eryn Dace Trudell, Christopher House, Allen Kaeja, Julia Sasso, and Michael Trent, among others. He is also a certified Thai Massage practitioner. He recently moved to Montreal and became a member of O Vertigo in 2007.
Audrey Thibodeau
Audrey Thibodeau's path has led her ever closer to a career in professional dance. After studying modern dance at the Cegep Montmorency, she continued her training at the Ateliers de danse moderne de Montréal with the help of two grants. When she emerged from LADMMI in 2002, she worked with choreographers Sylvain Poirier and Emmanual Jouthe. She performed in Jacques Languirand's play Man Inc, choreographed by Laurence Lemieux, and then danced in two works by Paul-André Fortier, Risque and Lumière. In the fall of 2004 she joined the cast of Passare for O Vertigo's 2004-2005 season.
Wen-Shuan Yang
Wen-Shuan Yang grew up in Taiwan, and obtained her B.A. at the University of Florida. She began her career as an independent dancer in New York where she performed with companies and choreographers such as ZviDance, Larry Keigwin, The Metropolitan Opera et Cheng-Chieh Yu. In 1997, she co-founded the Modern Dance Awareness Society with Despina Stamos. Their creations have been presented in the United States, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Austria, Germany, and Greece. In 2007, she participated in the latest film production by American director Julie Taymor. She has been a member of O Vertigo since 2007.
John Ottmann, Rehearsal Master
John Ottmann has worked with several important dance companies, including the National Ballet of Canada, the Dutch National Ballet, Ballet British Columbia , Holy Body Tattoo, Toronto Dance Theatre, and Fortier Danse Création. Since returning to Montreal in 2005, Mr. Ottmann has been solicited as a guest teacher and a rehearsal master by the Grand Ballets Canadiens, BJM Danse, LaLaLa Human Steps, and Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie. He joined O Vertigo as Rehearsal Master in Fall 2006.
photo : Dean Buscher
