Grant Strate (1927-2015)
Grant Strate, one of Canada’s most accomplished dance artists and a charter member of The National Ballet of Canada, passed away on February 9, 2015 in his home in Vancouver. He was 87 years old.
Mr. Strate danced with the National Ballet from 1951 to 1962, and he was the company’s first resident choreographer from 1964 to 1970. His first work for the National Ballet was Jeune Pas de Deux in 1956. He choreographed over a dozen ballets during his tenure, including The Fisherman and His Soul, House of Atreus and Triptych.
In 1970, Mr. Strate created Canada’s first university dance programme at York University in Toronto. In 1980 he joined Simon Fraser University in Burnaby B.C. as director for the Centre for the Arts. After retiring, he remained active as a teacher and choreographer and in 2002 he published Grant Strate: A Memoir. He was a recipient of the Order of Canada and was also awarded the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement.
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