For the September, 2012 1st birthday edition of CreativeMornings/Vancouver, we were honoured to have world famous dancer and choreographer Crystal Pite from Kidd Pivot as our speaker.

Born and raised on the Canadian West Coast, choreographer and performer Crystal Pite is a former company member of Ballet British Columbia and William Forsythe’s Ballett Frankfurt. Crystalʼs choreographic debut was in 1990, at Ballet British Columbia. Since then, she has created works for Nederlands Dans Theater I, Cullberg Ballet, Ballett Frankfurt, The National Ballet of Canada, Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal (Resident Choreographer, 2001-2004), Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, Ballet British Columbia, Alberta Ballet, Ballet Jorgen, and several independent dance artists; most recently Louise Lecavalier. Crystal is Associate Choreographer of Nederlands Dans Theater and Associate Dance Artist of National Arts Centre in Ottawa.

In 2002, she formed Kidd Pivot and continues to create and perform in her own work. The company tours nationally and internationally, performing such highly demanded and critically acclaimed works as Dark Matters and Lost Action. Kidd Pivot’s residency at the Künstlerhaus Mousonturm (2010-2012) in Frankfurt provided her the opportunity to create and tour her most recent works, The You Show and The Tempest Replica, with her dancers and collaborators.

Crystal is the recipient of the Banff Centreʼs Clifford E. Lee Award (1995), the Bonnie Bird North American Choreography Award (2004), and the Isadora Award (2005). Her work has received several Dora Mavor Moore Awards (2009, 2012), and a Jessie Richardson Theatre Award (2006). She is the recipient of the 2008 Governor General of Canadaʼs Performing Arts Award, Mentorship Program. Most recently, she was awarded the 2011 Jacobʼs Pillow Dance Award.

Notable quotes from Pite’s talk: “Balance feels still and peaceful.” “Conflict is part of breakthrough creativity.” “Your body is your location. When you dance you are profoundly engaged in being there.” “Do I want the audience to like my work? Yes, but it’s about reaching them. I try to build many pathways to connect.” “I’m not an artist, I’m a craftsperson. I don’t rely on inspiration. I just work and create.”