Claudia Moore

Claudia Moore (born April 14, 1953 in Buffalo, New York) is a dancer and choreographer who resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She is the artistic director of MOonhORsE dance theatre. Claudia Moore has been creating and performing movement for theatre, film, multi-disciplinary collaboration and her own dance theatre productions since the late 1970s. Recent works include "Ever thus" (2006), "By night" (2004), "Casa" (2003), "On earth" (2002) and "Small midnight" (2001), co-choreographed by Moore and Tedd Robinson. "Box pieces", her first dance film, was commissioned by director Paul Carrière from Canada's Bravo! art channel. Claudia's work has been presented in Montreal, Vancouver, Halifax, Peterborough, Buffalo and New York City. Claudia also choreographed the film Exotica by Atom Egoyan.

The dancer

Moore began ballet class with Stella Appelbaum at the Dance Arts Studio in Buffalo and fell in love with dancing. At age twelve, she became a student at the National Ballet School in Toronto. She began performing with the National Ballet of Canada at sixteen years old, touring Europe and the United States from 1971 to 1973. Her curiosity led her beyond classical ballet. She joined the Felix Blaska Company in France in 1973 and studied physical theatre with Lindsay Kemp in London. Returning to Canada, Claudia danced with the Contemporary Dance Theatre of Montreal. In 1976 she joined the Toronto Dance Theatre and in 1980, became a founding member of Desrosiers Dance Theatre, performing major roles with those companies until 1987. She performed on video and on film, including "L'Oiseau de Feu" for CBC Montreal and Leonard Cohen's "I am a Hotel". She also performed original works by Canadian choreographers including Serge Bennathan, Peter Chin, Ginette Laurin, James Kudelka, Lola MacLaughlin and Tedd Robinson.

The choreographer

She choreographed her first work, "Chrysalis", in 1977 in a workshop at Toronto Dance Theatre. Since that time, she has created more than forty works, which have been performed in Paris, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.

Her work is character-driven and displays a personal style of dance-theatre, influenced by her studies with physical theatre artists Lindsay Kemp, Yoshi Oida and Philippe Gaulier. Her movement vocabulary is rich in gesture and finds expression in the entire body. Texts are often incorporated into the work, with sources ranging from Shakespeare to the original work of Claudia's own cast. She also works closely with composers, musicians and designers to create in each project a hybrid of dance, theatre, music, performance art and visual design.

MOonhORsE Dance Theatre

In 1996, she founded MOonhORsE dance theatre ("moon" for poetry, "horse" for physical) as a forum for the deepening of her choreographic language and the creation of contemporary dance. Since its inception, the company has created an original body of dance theatre.

Moore's choreography is "body poetry", expressing the human condition with a startling physical imagination. Along with her gifted performers, she weaves movement from the whimsy, drama, and passion of life. MOonhORsE dance theatre encompasses a range of artistic endeavors including "Older and Reckless" - a performance series that features new work by senior dance artists and "Poetry in Space" - the company's professional development workshops. MOonhORsE dance theatre also commissions guest choreographers, co-produces dancefilm projects and contributes to the education of young people in the field of the performing arts.

Awards
  • Dora Award for the Best New Choreography with "wishes" in 1998.
  • Jacqueline Lemieux Prize (Prix Jacqueline-Lemieux) for her work as choreographer and performer in 2001.

Performances

Stage

- Moore performs Morning Blues by Carol Anderson, York Faculty Show, Jan. 31, 2008
- Claudia Moore at Verity; solos by Tedd Robinson; October 18, 2007
- Claudia Moore at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre; solos by Tedd Robinson and Carol Anderson; duet by Tedd Robinson with Rebekah Rimsay; June 2007
- Ever Thus, various; Moonhorse Dance Theatre; October 2006
- This Castle; various; Moonhorse Dance Theatre; October 2005
- Lady Macbeth solo from This Castle; Edgy Women Festival, Montreal; November 2005 the Hysteria Festival, Buddies in Bad Times and Nightwood Theatre November 2004
- By Night April 2004
- Lap Dogs and Other Restrictions, choreographer, Lola MacLaughlin, June 2003
- Three Women' (2000)
 - Wishes (1998)
- Duality, Première Dance Theatre, February 1997
- Building Jerusalem, Theatre Centre, January 1997
- NorthEastSouthWest, by Peter Chin Dancemakers Studio, November 1996
- Horse on the Moon, DuMaurier Theatre Centre, February 1993 - Desrosiers Dance Theatre. 1980-1988
- Toronto Dance Theatre. 1976-1980.
- Contemporary Dance Theatre of Montreal. 1975.

Video lead roles

- Lovers in a Dangerous Time Bruce Cockburn. 1984.
- Listen to the Radio Pukka Orchestra. 1984.
- I Am A Hotel Leonard Cohen. CBC Toronto. 1983.

Film

- Top of His Head Peter Mettler. 1987.
- I Want to be Alone Margaret Dragu. 1987.
- Lumière Rhombus/Desrosiers Dance Theatre. 1986.
- Nelligan Ann Ditchburn/Jurgen Lutz. 1984.

Choreography

Miscellaneous

- Ever Thus The Young Centre for the Performing Arts, September 2006 – 70 mins.
- This Castle The Theatre Centre, October 2005 – 70 mins.
- By Night Dancemakers Studio, April 2004 – 65 mins.
- CASA The Theatre Centre, June 2003 – 35 mins.
- On earth (Choreographer and performer) Theatre Centre, June 2002 - 60 mins.
- Small Midnight (Co-Choreographer with Tedd Robinson and performer) Artword Theatre, May 2001, Rockwell Hall at Buffalo State College, September 2001 - 60 mins.
- Three Women (Choreographer and performer) Theatre Centre and Peterborough New Dance, February 2000- 50 mins.
- Wishes (Choreographer and performer) du Maurier Theatre Centre, February 1998- 65 mins.
- Dragon singing in my belly leads me to the darkest night Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, Dec. 1995- 60 mins.

Theatre

- The Snow Queen, Alon Nashman, Young Centre for the Performing Arts, December 2007
- Dying to be Sick, Pleiades Theatre (co-production Theatre Centre, Pleiades Theatre and National Arts Centre) Oct.2007
- Juliet (and Romeo) Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People October 2004
- Romeo and Juliet ShakespeareWorks June 2004
- Building Jerusalem (Choreographer and performer) Factory Theatre, January 2000
- Opium Carbone 14 Choreographer and performer, Theatre Festival of the Americas, Mtl. May 1989.

Contemporary opera

- Facing South Tapestry New Opera – April 2003
- Requiems for the Party Girl du Maurier Theatre Centre, October 1993
- The Alchemical Theatre of Hermes Trismegistos Union Station, July 1992

Music theatre

- Gentleman Prefer Blondes, Shaw Festival 1993
- On the Town, Shaw Festival, Spring/Summer 1992

Resources

Christine Moynihan, Dance Umbrella of Ontario

"Reconstructing Sylvia" by Rebecca Todd, Eye magazine, January 27, 2000

"Ambitious wishes compelling theatre" by Paula Citron, The Globe and Mail, February 13, 1998

"Claudia Moore makes shifts in her sensibilities" by Daryl Jung, Now Magazine, February 5–11, 1998

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