Belinda McGuire Dance Projects
MISSION
Established in 2007, Belinda McGuire Dance Projects (BMDP) supports the research, development, production, and presentation of international and collaborative multidisciplinary dance performance as a means to stimulate the conscientious capacity of wide-ranging publics through exposure to creative experimentation and artistic excellence.
HISTORY
The launch of BMDP on the international dance scene began in 2007, with the inception of McGuire’s first evening-length production: The Desert Island Project. BMDP’s second full-length production, The Heist Project, was nominated for a 2013 Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Performance. This project, among others, has lead to the creation of vibrant, impactful work, the best of which remains currently active, while new and exciting projects are in-progress.
Workshops, residencies and master classes are coordinated between BMDP and various companies and schools, to introduce other dancers to the technical methods and expressive power of the repertoire.
BELINDA MCGUIRE (Dancer, Director, Choreographer), originally from Toronto, graduated from The Juilliard School (BFA 2006). Through Belinda McGuire Dance Projects, she performs primarily solo work, choreographs and engages in collaboration and production. McGuire was nominated for the 2013 Dora Award for Outstanding Performance (The Heist Project), was an Artiste en Passant at The International Choreographic Arts Centre Amsterdam in 2010, a recipient of the 2008 Bessie Schönberg Residency at the Yard, and was recognized by the 2007 Susan Braun Award of The Dance Films Association. Her choreography has been presented at the Festival de la Ciudad 2009 (Merida, Yucatan Mexico), the Canada Dance Festival (Ottawa), in Toronto and in New York City on the stages of the Peter Jay Sharp Theater and Alice Tully Hall, Joyce Soho as well as in DUMBO, Brooklyn. She has danced with The José Limón Dance Company, Gallim Dance, Doug Varone and Dancers, and The Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre. She teaches and choreographs as a guest artist in New York City for The Limón Institute, The Juilliard School, and Gallim Dance, for the New Jersey Dance Theater Ensemble, for CCDT in Toronto and for various other schools and universities across North America. As a producer, Belinda launched her one-woman show The Desert Island Project in New York City and Toronto (autumn, 2008) and The Heist Project in NYC (December 2011) and in Toronto (March 2013). Through these solo endeavors, she has commissioned new work from Kate Alton, Andrea Miller, Sharon B. Moore, Idan Sharabi and has collaborated with Emio Greco and Pieter C. Scholten.
“McGuire has the kind of preternatural talent that makes her a turbulent force onstage. You watch McGuire and you think: Ah yes, I see how dance is singular, fascinating and relevant.” - Martha Schabas, The Globe and Mail
"... a dancer whose beauty, presence and intensity reminds me of why dance has been the inescapable throughline of my life." - Martha Schabas, The Globe and Mail
"Like a great narrator, she’s a dancer you want non-stop closeness to, that sustained feeling of intimacy in both stillness and motion. While her lexicon of movement is broad, I came to trust the power of her delivery – the sense of motivation, the possibility of surprise – in every step."
- Martha Schabas, The Globe and Mail
"Ravishing" - Paula Citron, The Dance Current
‘Dynamism in a style all her own...’
Lauren Kay - DANCE MAGAZINE
‘[McGuire] is like a Greek god, a temptress…’
Elizabeth Zimmer - METRO
‘This modern dancer is making a splash as a solo artist, teacher and choreographer’
Kathryn Holmes - DANCE SPIRIT
‘A tireless whirlwind’
Susan Walker - TORONTO STAR
‘Reaching her arms out, with her dark hair flying, Ms. McGuire uses momentum to whip in and out of twists that place her body on a ragged edge of control. There are stops and starts; she arches her back, allowing the fine muscles of her shoulders to glimmer, nearly ghostlike, in Kate Ashton’s lighting. Even though it ends up where it starts, there is a hint of mystery along the way.’
Gia Kourlass - NEW YORK TIMES
‘Her ability to go instantly from light to dark, still to explosive, silly to deep, is impressive and continually startling… McGuire, though, throws off flashes of virtuosity from nowhere, blasting fast jumps or other large explosive devices so quickly they seem improbable. The power in her body is remarkable, as is the sheer volume of movement in this piece and the evening...’
Quinn Batson - OFFOFFOFF
“Even in a stark studio setting, without benefit of theatrical lighting, dancer Belinda McGuire is riveting… Her lithe body pulses with potential. It explodes into complex sequences of spiralling turns and jutting arms that suddenly give way to moments of intense stillness. Every movement is clearly articulated and purposeful, even when McGuire seems to be riding a wave of momentum.”
Michael Crabb - TORONTO STAR
“Wise in her commissioning choices and courageous for undertaking such an ambitious work as a solo endeavour, Belinda McGuire succeeded brilliantly with The Heist Project. Hopefully, she will visit home again, bringing more choreographic treasures with her.”
Marie France Forcier - THE DANCE CURRENT
Learn More: http://www.belindamcguire.org