Biography
Guillaume Côté was born in Lac-Saint-Jean, Québec. He studied at Canada’s National Ballet
School, joined The
National Ballet of Canada in 1999 and became a Principal Dancer in 2004.
Mr. Côté’s repertoire includes the principal roles in Swan
Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet, Giselle,
The Nutcracker, Onegin, Grand pas Classique, Opus
19/The Dreamer, Apollo, Stravinsky
Violin Concerto, Diamonds
and Rubies from Jewels and Theme and Variations. He has created
roles in ballets by James Kudelka, including Ferdinand in An Italian Straw
Hat, Prince Charming in Cinderella and Will in The Contract (The
Pied Piper). He danced the
role of Gene Kelly in Derek Deane's Strictly Gershwin with English
National Ballet.
As a guest artist, Mr Côté has danced with Teatro alla Scala,
English National Ballet, The Royal Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, The
Mikhailovsky Theatre, The Hamburg Ballet and Stuttgart Ballet and performed in Kings of the Dance, Gala des Étoiles, Stars of the 21st Century, The Vision of Manuel Legris and Roberto Bolle and Friends.
Mr. Côté is an accomplished musician and composer. He won a
Gemini Award and the Galileo 2000 A Life for Music Prize for Moving to His
Music: The Two Muses of Guillaume Côté. He choreographed, composed and
danced in Impermanence for the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and his work No.
24 won third prize at Ballet Society Hanover’s
25th International Competition in 2011.
Guillaume Côté is sponsored through Dancers First by
Emmanuelle Gattuso & Allan Slaight.
Question and Answer
What are you looking forward to most about dancing the role of Kostya in The Seagull for the first time?
The role of Kostya is layered with so much depth. Developing this complex character has been an incredible challenge which is why I'm dying to get on stage with it!
Can you describe the character of Kostya?
Kostya is an artist. An artist who is passionate and idealistic. Throughout his life no matter what happens to him he seems to hang on to his 'art', and even when everything in his world seems to be crashing down, he is convinced that his escape will be this creation he's so passionate about. Unfortunately it ends up getting him deeper into himself and further from happiness.
How does John Neumeier transform Chekhov’s famous play, The Seagull, into dance?
Mr Neumeier adapts the play by using dance and not literature. The lead characters are changed from actors and writers to choreographers and dancers. This makes for a perfect ballet. Visually, Mr Neumeier tells the story impeccably with all of its twists and turns without any trouble. I believe that is the genius behind the work - that the emotional weight of the storyline in Chekhov's famous play remains intact.
Quotes
Cinderella
“Côté was perfect a Prince as one could wish
for: manly, handsome, elegant, charming and so obviously in love with
Cinderella it touched the heart.”
Dancing Times on The Royal Ballet, 2011
Onegin
“Guillaume
Côté as the hot-headed Lensky, left none of their characters’ emotional
dimensions unexplored… Côté… also made an impressively promising debut as
Onegin.”
The Toronto
Star, 2010
“The
ones to watch: Some of them have already dazzled. Others are just beginning.
But they've all stirred up expectations of much more to come: Here are six
Canadians who could change the world this year and beyond. Danseur noble (i.e., ballet prince):Guillaume
Côté”
The Globe and Mail, 2010