The dance community is mourning the loss of the great Danny Grossman who passed away on July 29, 2023 at the age of 80. Danny was a celebrated and original dance artist who had an immense impact on generations of dance artists across Canada and beyond over his long career and the creation of over 67 dance works. The Danny Grossman Dance Company was an undeniable force in the Canadian dance scene from 1977 – 2008.

“I am a narrative choreographer, profoundly influenced by the theatrical masks of tragedy and comedy. I have choreographed works that deal with personal, social, political and spiritual transformation for forty-five years.”

Danny Grossman

About Danny Grossman

Danny Grossman was born in San Francisco in 1942. In 1963, he joined the Paul Taylor Dance Company and spent the next 10 years performing and touring with the company. In 1973, Grossman joined Toronto Dance Theatre in Canada, and became a faculty member at York University. In 1975, he choreographed Higher to tremendous praise leading to the formation of the Danny Grossman Dance Company in 1977. Grossman has since created a repertoire of more than 60 works, touring across Canada and internationally. His choreography has been in the repertoire of Toronto Dance Theatre, The Paris Opera Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, and The National Ballet of Canada and has also been performed by modern dance training institutions such as Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, New York State Summer School of the Arts, Adelphi University, City College of New York, Brown University, York University, School of Toronto Dance Theatre, Ryerson University, and Canadian Children’s Dance Theatre. Grossman has been the recipient of numerous awards including the prestigious Toronto Arts Council Foundation’s William Kilbourn Lifetime Achievement Award and was recently inducted into the Canadian Dance Collection Danse Encore! Hall of Fame. In 2008, the company embarked on a new initiative, the Danny Grossman Dance Foundation, as a means of reconstructing and licensing his repertoire. The Grossman repertoire has been represented at the New York State Summer School of the Arts for almost thirty years, and has added immeasurably to both students and faculty who have had the rich experience of dancing these works. In June of 2018, in honor of his 75th birthday, Danny presented a full evening of his own works, including 3 world premieres.
From www.dannygrossman.today

– Read Micheal Crabb’s article on Danny Grossman in the Toronto Star here

– Read Deidre Kelly’s article Goodbye Danny Grossman here

– Read Dance Collection Danse’s tribute to Danny and view videos of interviews with Danny and his Induction into the DCD Hall of Fame  here

– View Glimpses into the Early Years of the Danny Grossman Dance Company: The Artists and Community in Conversation with Mairéad Filgate at Dance Made in Canada created in partnership with Dance Collection Danse
Sat. Aug. 19
3:10 pm–3:35 pm | Bohdan Romaniw
8:10 pm–8:35 pm | Eddie Kastrau

Sun. Aug. 20
6:10 pm–6:35 pm | Jane Marsland

 

Reflections from the Community

“In 1978 I was a young Dance student at York U. I heard about this duet from the USA coming to be part of the first Modern Dance festival in Toronto. I went doen to Circle in the Square, with me brown bag lunch, and sat at a table. They had moved all the tables and chairs to leave an open space for Dance. In the space was a ladder. Danny and Pam came out and proceeded to Dance “Higher” on tat ladder and I was blown away! I had never seen anything like that; dance with emotion, physicality, humour, strength, and a message. I fell in love with modern Dance and Danny Grossman’s work.
Fast forward, I am a Dance teacher at an elementary school in London, Ontario. One of Danny’s former dancers, Trish Armstrong, came to work with my 12 year olds. Trish was brave enough to set “National Spirit” and “Endangered Species”. Danny gave his blessing but couldn’t believe it could be done. When he saw the video of the performance, he decided to come to London himself to work with the students. I was over the moon that I would meet Danny and have to opportunity to watch him work. He set 2 pieces on the students; “Human Family” and “Goodbye”. Both were extremely moving pieces and I was honoured to watch him work with the help of Eddie Kastrau at his side.
Danny spoke in movement. His deep thoughts could only come out as his body moved and expressed what was in his heart and soul.
Many of my students, especially a few boys, were deeply affected by the work. One of my male students chose to start taking Dance classes and ended up at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School and then studied Dance at Julliard. Another went on the dance professionally after studying many forms of Dance. All of the students and their families will never forget the impact Danny was in their lives. One of the hallways at the school, Lester B. Pearson School for Arts, is named the Danny Grossman way. He will never be forgotten.”
Debbie Kapp
“It was 2001, year two of The Chimera Project Dance Theatre. I was a young choreographer, rehearsing and dancing in a ridiculously athletic duet at CCDT, in the back studios which were also the home of Danny Grossman Dance Company. As most 20 year olds, naturally, I simultaneously thought I was pretty awesome, yet was petrified that my work was junk. I saw a glimpse of Danny Grossman watching the piece from the balcony Danny was an accomplished Toronto dance superstar, a place so far beyond my reach that he might as well been glowing. One of my dancers spoke with him that day  about the duet. “So what did he say?!” “Well…. He said it was almost good.” “Oh”. You can insert the sound of my heart smashing into bits on the ground here. “He said it would be good if it went somewhere”. And that is how Danny Grossman changed my career forever. After wallowing for quite a bit, I decided that in fact, that is true. And it has been one of the forefront messages of my life as a creator. Thank you Danny. You impacted my life profoundly.”
Malgorzata Nowacka-May, Artistic Director, The Chimera Project Dance Theatre