Born in Hull, Quebec, Jean Grand-Maître began his dance training at York University in Toronto and later graduated from Montreal’s L’École supérieure de ballet du Québec. He performed with Ballet British Columbia and Theatre Ballet of Canada.
His notable career, as an internationally acclaimed dance maker, having created over 100 ballets across North America and Europe, was launched in 1994 when Reid Anderson, then Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada commissioned a work that was later toured extensively. Subsequently, Anderson also commissioned a work for the Stuttgart Ballet. In doing so, Anderson opened many doors and within a few years, Grand-Maître was receiving major commissions from Europe’s leading opera houses.
He has been hailed as one of the most outstanding Canadian choreographer and Artistic Director of his generation. After a decade creating contemporary ballets for such leading companies as Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, the National Ballet of Canada, the National Norwegian Ballet, Ballet Jorgen, the Stuttgart Ballet, the Paris Opera Ballet, Ballet British Columbia, the Munich Opera Ballet, the Hartford Ballet, The National Ballet of Cuba and the Teatro alla Scala, he was appointed Artistic Director of Alberta Ballet from 2002 to 2022.
Under his leadership Alberta Ballet rose to become one of the finest dance ensembles in the country as it evolved from a chamber company to a full-fledged ballet troupe, Canada’s third largest, with 32 dancers performing 7 different programs every season. The company’s repertoire expanded to embrace not only the many new works Grand-Maître had commissioned – including his own series of highly successful ballets inspired by today’s leading popular singer/musicians – but new productions of 19th-century full-length classics and 20th century masterworks. Regardless of the repertoire, Alberta Ballet’s dancers, whether on stage, film or television, had become renowned for their technical virtuosity, versatility and ability to communicate with audiences across Canada and abroad.
Its annual operating budget grew from 7 to 16 million dollars. He made ballet relevant to Albertans and played an instrumental role in showing a different side of their culture to the world. By his judicious selection of dancers and strategic development of the repertoire, he enabled Alberta Ballet to become a company capable of performing everything from the most avant-garde works to the most demanding classical masterpieces. The originality of his programming combined with the passionate commitment of its dancers earned the Alberta Ballet a strong following in its twin provincial homes, Calgary and Edmonton, and abroad. During his 20 year tenure, he curated more than 100 different programs highlighted by a growing presence of 20th and 21st century dance makers. He commissioned 55 one act ballets as well as 35 full length ballets. All were choreographed by highly established and/or emerging choreographers from across Canada and from around the world. He has also created over 30 ballets for the Alberta Ballet.
In 2009, he was appointed Director of Choreography for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Vancouver Winter Olympics. For this major event, he directed a team of 12 choreographers as well as a cast of 40,000 performers all stemming from dance, theatre, music and aerial acrobatics. This was an extremely significant opportunity that brought his artistry to international prominence while reaching an audience of well over 2 billion spectators.
In 2007, following a close 2 year collaboration with Joni Mitchell, he launched a new series of acclaimed Portrait Ballets, inspired by the greatest singer-songwriters of our time. This remarkable series has become one of the most successful in the company’s history, bringing new audiences to the theatre and offering a new esthetic in ballet narrative and design. Joni Mitchell’s The Fiddle and The Drum was followed by close collaborations with Sir Elton John, k.d. lang, Sarah McLachlan, Gordon Lightfoot, The Tragically Hip and with the David Bowie Estate.
In 2023, he was a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal. In 2022 he was a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. In 2021 he received an Honorary Doctorate Honoris Causa in Laws from the University of Calgary. In 2020, he became a Member of the Order of Canada. In 2020, he was nominated for a Juno alongside composer Andrew Staniland. In 2016, he won a Canadian Screen Award. In 2015, he won 3 Rosies. In 2008, he was nominated for 11Rosies, winning 7. In 2008, he was nominated for a Gemini. In 1994, he was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award.
