You dance love, and you dance joy, and you dance dreams.
Gene Kelly
In Canada, dance prevails as one of the most popular activities for people of all ages. You'll find studios and classes from a variety of genres, from Hip Hop to Ballet or Bollywood. As a result, the country has produced exceptional dancing talent - Breaking Olympian Phil Wizard, modern dance legend Emma Portner, and the iconic ice dancer Tessa Virtue, to name a few.
In this article, you will discover the world's most famous Canadian dancers and the impact they made over their careers. You may be surprised to see how many legendary Canadian dancers there are!
Dance is one of Canada's most popular extracurricular activities for children and adults like - learn all about the most popular dance styles in Canada.
Who are the Most Famous Canadian Dancers?
From breakdancing to icedancing, Canadians have always been at the forefront of excellence in dance. The top Canadian dancers are truly masters of their craft, thanks to years of training that often starts in childhood.
Let's take a look at some of the most famous Canadian dancers!
Gold Medal Break Dancer Phil Wizard
Born in 1997 in Toronto to Korean-Canadian parents, Phil "Wizard" Kim became a household name at the 2024 Olympics at Paris when he won a Gold medal for the inaugural "Breaking" category. He also earned gold an silver medals at the World Dance Sport Federation breaking championship, and Gold in the 2023 Panamerican Games.
Known for his jaw-dropping movements and seamless transitions, Kim developed an interest in break dancing at the young age of 11. He joined summer camps and trained with members of Now or Never, a break dancing crew in Vancouver, where he spent much of his life.
Years of dedicated training paid off when Kim started receiving sponsorships and awards for his break dancing prowess. He now trains full-time, and has made history by introducing breaking as a sport to the world.
Want to Learn more about the history of dance in Canada?
Choreographer Crystal Pite
Crystal Pite is a choreographer and former ballerina for the Ballet of British Columbia and William Forsythe's Ballett Frankfurt. In her 35 year career, Pite created 60+ works for companies that include the National Ballet of Canada, The Royal Ballet, and The Paris Opera Ballet.
Born in British Columbia on December 15, 1970, Pite showed interest in dance and choreography from the age of a toddler. She grew up in Victoria, BC, where she started training in dance at the age of 4. She trained under Maureen Eastick and Wendy Green, also taking summer courses at the Banff Centre and The School of Toronto Dance Theatre.
In 1988, Pite started performing with Ballet BC. In 1995, she left Canada to dance for Ballett Frankfurt in Germany, and choreographed with the company's director William Forsythe. She retired from dancing at age 40 after the birth of her son. She currently resides in British Columbia, where she founded a multidisciplinary dance company, Kidd Pivot.
Pite has been recognized for her critically acclaimed choreography and work. She has received the:
- 2022 Governor General of Canada’s Performing Arts Award
- 2011 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award
- Canada Council’s 2012 Jacqueline Lemieux Prize
- Benois de la Danse for her creation The Seasons’ Canon at the Paris Opera Ballet
- Grand Prix de la danse de Montréal
- 4 Sir Laurence Olivier awards for creations with Kidd Pivot and The Royal Ballet
Modern Dance Canada Legend Emma Portner
Emma was born on November 26th, 1994 in Ottawa, Ontario. From age 3, she developed a strong interest and love for dance and spent summers dancing at the National Ballet of Canada.
Emma attended Canterbury High School in Ottawa for its specialized arts program, which was helpful in her dance career. She left Ottawa for New York City at 17, taking dancing classes at Ailey School, and she trained for five months before leaving to kick-start her professional dance career.
By the young age of 20, Portner's professional dance career skyrocketed when she was awarded the Young Choreographer of the year award (2014) at the American Dance Awards. She also earned the top spot at the Capezio ACE Awards that year.
Emma's work is marked by her edgy, athletic performances and stellar choreography. Her work in Justin Bieber's "Life is Worth Living" music video is mesmerizing, and she has directed movement for indie stars like Blood Orange and Maggie Rogers. She also contributed choreography to Justin Bieber's Purpose World Tour and Jim Steinman's Bat Out of Hell: The Musical.
Looking to learn a new dance style or genre? Find out where you can find local dance classes.
Hollywood Star Yvonne De Carlo
Very few Canadians can claim a spot on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and Vancouver's Yvonne De Carlo is one of them. Born originally as Margaret Yvonne Middleton on September 1, 1922, De Carlo became known for her dancing and acting skills.
De Carlo started dancing at the age of 3. She and her mother moved from Vancouver to Los Angeles, where Yvonne performed in nightclubs and competed in beauty contests. She screen tested with Universal Studios, and soon was cast in Salome (1945) - her first big break.
She would go on to star in numerous films and musicals on stage and screen over five decades, and even released music as a vocalist. DeCarlo leveraged all of her skills as a dancer, actress, and vocalist to become famous around the world. She was exceptionally popular in Israel, where she toured and performed live.
Later in her career, she starred in the popular television show, the Munsters. Yvonne was awarded the Topliner Supporting Actress Award by the Laurel Awards in 1957.
Her outstanding performances earned her the love of many fans. Yvonne also received two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as a motion picture and television star, respectively.
Yvonne DeCarlo Film Timeline
1942
Harvard, Here I Come, This Gun for Hire, Road to Morocco
1943
For Whom the Bell Tolls
1945
Salome
1947
Song of Scheherezade, Slave Girl
1951
Hotel Sahara
1953
Captain's Paradise
1956
The Ten Commandments
1964-1966
The Munsters
Canadians have also made significant contributions to the world of music. Read more!
Olympian Ice Dancer: Tessa Virtue
Ice dancing is a uniquely athletic and beautiful dance form involving artistic movement and skating, and no other Canadian has dominated the sport quite like Canada's Tessa Virtue. Born and raised in London, Ontario on May 17, 1989, Virtue specialized in ice dancing throughout her entire career.
Virtue's ice dancing journey began at the age of six and was soon paired with Scott Moir, a fellow ice dancer who would become her partner for years. The pair emerged as the Canadian Junior Champions and Canada's Best Ice Dance Team in 2004 and 2007.
The ice dancing duo became known best for competing in the Olympics, and their gold medal ended 34 years of European medal winners. As the youngest ice dancing team to win an Olympic title in 2010, Tessa and Moir went on to win several other Olympic medals in ice dancing.
The Canadian ice dancing duo also won the Career Super Grand Slam, making them the only ice dancers to have landed such a victory in the history of ice dancing. In addition, they were inducted, as an honorary award, into the Order of Canada. This was a year after the duo retired from their twenty-two-year-old ice-dancing career.
Discover the different styles of dancing throughout Canada here on Superprof.
Canadian Dance Awards Winner: Emilie Livingston
Emilie Livingston is known for her skills as a contortionist and rhythmic gymnastics. Born in Toronto on January 4, 1983, Livingston showed a strong talent for dance at an early age. She moved to Novogorsk, Russia at the young age of ten to train with Russian gymnasts like Irina Viner.
Livingston's dancing career was a pretty remarkable one. Unlike any other rhythmic gymnast of her time, She represented Canada and won the national championship a stunning three times. In the Sydney Olympics of 2000, she came 18th and went on to win a gold medal at the Pan American Games competition of 1999.
Livingston has also done work on screen, playing a body double for Rihanna in the film Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets and for Emma Stone in LaLa Land. She also performed as the solo aerialist to the Weeknd's Oscar nominated song, Earned It, at the 88th Academy Awards.
Now a mother of two children and wife to actor Jeff Goldblum, Livingston focuses her time on cooking, healthy eating, and attending events like Paris Fashion week.
Canadian Dance Icon: Laurieann Gibson
Choreography is one the most important elements of dance - designing sequences of movement that may involve one or even hundreds of dancers. Few Canadians can claim more fame in choreography than Laurieann Gibson.
Born in Toronto on July 14, 1969, Gibson is famous for her choreography for legendary artists like Michael Jackson, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj and Lady Gaga. She also worked as a judge for reality TV shows like So You Think You Can Dance and Skating with the Stars.
Gibson got her start in dance at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, where she started developing and honing her dance skills. She focused initially on theater dance, and then focused her dance career into directing and choreography. She provided choreography for many artists on Bad Boy Records and Motown Records.
Gibson also won the Best Choreography Award from the MTV Video Music Awards in 2007. She has also earned multiple nominations for Teen Choice Awards and Primetime Emmy Awards.
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