Desrosiers Dance Theatre

Desrosiers Dance Theatre

  The Desrosiers Dance Theatre was founded in Toronto in 1980 to present the work of its choreographer and artistic director, Robert DESROSIERS. The company's size varied according to economic circumstances and the needs of the choreography. Because of the theatrical nature of his work, Desrosiers often chose what from a strictly dance point of view might have been considered unconventional dancers, but they excelled in their ability to project his madcap humour, whimsical sense of character and often acrobatic choreography. In 1990 he significantly revamped his company to put more emphasis on pure movement, but by 1996 he had returned to the highly theatrical style and surreal imagery that had secured his early popularity.

 Because of Desrosiers's interest in presenting a total theatrical experience of sound, movement and spectacle, his company has tended to attract a broader audience than regular dance troupes. It toured internationally and was commissioned to dance Desrosiers's Incognito at the Calgary Olympic Arts Festival in 1988.

In 1996 an unfortunate financial setback followed the company's move into the 3200-seat Hummingbird (then O'Keefe) Centre and triggered a period of severe retrenchment. Although Desrosiers has continued to work on a variety of projects, his work began to lose favour with government funding bodies and the company ceased operations in 1999.