Montreal, June 8, 2026 – It is with great sadness that Daniel Léveillé Danse (DLD) announces the passing of choreographer Daniel Léveillé in Montréal on June 7, 2026.
Renowned Canadian choreographer and educator, Daniel Léveillé held a prominent place on national and international contemporary dance stages. Over nearly 50 years of practice, he contributed to the development of choreographic art by creating a body of 28 works performed in Québec, across Canada, and in 25 countries. Daniel Léveillé taught at the Dance Department at the Université du Québec à Montréal from 1988 to 2012.
Daniel Léveillé was born on November 24, 1952, in Sainte-Rosalie, Québec. After beginning studies in architecture, he turned to dance in 1977 at the Entre-Six company’s school as well as at Groupe Nouvelle Aire, directed by Martine Époque. He quickly developed an interest in creation and in 1978 presented his first work, Le Bas rouge de Béatrice. His 1982 creation of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring was highly noted and earned him the Jacqueline-Lemieux Prize from the Canada Council for the Arts. This was followed by the dance-theatre works But, I Love You (1982) and Écris-moi n’importe quoi (1983). The solo series Les Traces I, II, III, IV, V, VI (1989) marked a turning point in both the reflection and aesthetic of his work. Daniel Léveillé experienced a renewed momentum in 2001 with Amour, acide et noix, the first piece of his Trilogy of Imperfection, completed by La Pudeur des icebergs (2004) and Crépuscule des océans (2007). In 2013, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec awarded him the Prize for Best Choreographic Work for Solitudes Solo (2012), a piece that initiated a new cycle of creation completed by Solitudes duo (2015) and Quatuor tristesse (2018), his last work.
In 2017, he received the Grand Prix de la danse de Montréal for his lifetime achievement.
For Daniel Léveillé, creation and the vital impulse were intimately linked; creative activity being essentially the expression of desire. For him, to create was to seek to express what is essential at the very heart of passion, knowing that each work stems from an act of faith. The creative energy underlying his choreographic work came from emotions sparked by singular human encounters—sometimes romantic—that nourished his writing. The resulting creations reflect the disorientation, at times painful and at times jubilant, of these encounters. His choreographic writing took shape through a structural approach that was both complex and stripped down. In Daniel Léveillé’s work, nothing was left to chance.
His work has left a mark on several generations of artists and audiences alike.
An evening paying tribute to the man and his work will be held in Montréal at a later date. Details will be announced in due course.
Press Contact
Sarah Chelhot, responsable des communications
438 497 5432
Portrait of Daniel Léveillé : © Émilie Tournevache – Service audiovisuel de l’UQAM · Solitudes duo (2015) : © Denis Farley, with dancers Emmanuel Proulx and Ellen Furey
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