Artist Archive

Andrew de Lotbinière Harwood (CA)

Andrew de Lotbinière Harwood is an internationally recognised ambassador of Contact Improvisation. He began his dance career in 1975 and, for over forty-three years has dedicated himself to the research, education, development and dissemination of Contact Improvisation and compositional improvisation as sophisticated movement disciplines and performing art forms. He studied and performed intensively with Steve Paxton, Nancy Stark Smith and Nita Little, the founders of Contact Improvisation and danced for the companies of Marie Chouinard, Jean-Pierre Perreault, Jo Lechay and Fulcrum, as well as the dance collectives Discovery Bal, Echo Case and Improvisational Movement Fund. Formerly artistic director of AH HA Productions (2000–2014) his work has evolved through ongoing collaborations with many renowned artists (Peter Bingham, Marc Boivin, Benoît Lachambre, Chris Aiken, Kirstie Simson, Julyen Hamilton, Lin Snelling, Benno Voorham, Ray Chung, Lisa Nelson, Jori Snell, etc.) and through various investigations of perceptual awareness, performance, composition, spatial design and installation. Passionate about teaching, he transforms his training in gymnastics, the Alexander Technique, Aikido, release technique, contemporary dance, yoga and various somatic practices into a personal language, which he has shared throughout the world since 1976. He was awarded the Canada Council's Jacqueline Lemieux Award in 2000.