L’ACADÉMIE

About us

The Académie de danse de l’Outaouais very humbly marked its beginnings in September 1979. Sponsored by a group of parents concerned with the quality and well-being of the youths, the Académie was given the mandate of disseminating a teaching of quality and of developing dance in the Outaouais region.

Under the direction of Mr. André Laprise, a graduate of the École supérieure des Grands Ballets Canadiens, the Académie has earned an enviable reputation and recognition from different environments over the years.

July 1984 led to the creation of the Camp d’été qui danse, which very quickly attracted attention for its originality and the exceptional quality of its performances. This camp, combining dance and the outdoors, received several hundred students from Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick and occasionally the United States. In July 2006, the relocation of summer activities to an urban setting made it possible to offer the Stage intensif and, in August 2007, the Troupe de danse estivale. Since 2012, the Galerie-danse and Danse en Danse camps are completing the program.

May 1986 brought the holding of the first Extravadanse gala, a formula that would be repeated in 1987 and 1988. Building on this experience, the Académie has been organizing an annual benefit evening since 1990, which is now aimed at a very large audience. Since 2000, there have been performances added for schoolchildren.

More than 1,000 spectators annually attend the various public events presented by the Académie. Since its inception, the Académie de danse de l’Outaouais has welcomed and trained more than 4,000 students.

To learn more about l’Académie, click here.