Édouard Lock, the visionary choreographer and founder of La La La Human Steps, embarked on his illustrious dancing career at the tender age of 19. Between 1975 and 1979, he crafted numerous pieces for prominent dance companies in Montreal, including the Groupe de la Place Royale, the Groupe Nouvelle Aire, and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. In 1980, he founded his own dance company, initially known as Lock Danseurs, which would later evolve into the renowned La La La Human Steps.
That same pivotal year, Lock choreographed Lily Marlène dans la jungle (1980),a groundbreaking work presented at The Kitchen in New York, a hub for contemporary dance at the time. In the early 1980s, he created two more notable pieces: Oranges (1981) and Businessman in the Process of Becoming an Angel (1983),the latter earning dancer Louise Lecavalier, his long-time collaborator, a prestigious Bessie Award in New York.
As the company's reputation soared, Lock's own accolades followed. In 1986, he won a Bessie Award for Human Sex, a work created in 1985. New Demons (1987) premiered at the second Festival de nouvelle danse de Montréal, launching the company on a world tour that would last two years.
Throughout his illustrious career, Lock has also collaborated with influential figures in the music world. He created a choreographed event with David Bowie and Louise Lecavalier as part of the 40th anniversary celebrations of the Institute of Contemporary Arts, captured on film by the renowned video artist Nam June Paik. Lock continued his collaboration with Bowie in 1990 as creator and art director of his Sound + Vision world tour.
In 1992, he worked with the late Frank Zappa on the performance of Yellow Shark, alongside the Ensemble Modern, the Frankfurt Alte Oper, the Berlin Philharmonic, and the Vienna Konzerthaus. Among his many honours, Lock was appointed Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Québec in 2001. That same year, he won a National Arts Centre Award in the field of dance as part of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards for Salt/Exaucé. He was subsequently named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2002.
Person Biography:
Édouard Lock is a renowned Canadian choreographer and founder of La La La Human Steps. Born in 1959, Lock began his dancing career at the age of 19 and went on to found his own dance company, Lock Danseurs, in 1980. The company would later evolve into La La La Human Steps, a world-renowned dance company known for its innovative and provocative works. Lock has collaborated with numerous figures in the music world, including David Bowie and Frank Zappa, and has received numerous awards and honours for his contributions to the world of dance.
