Born in Eastern Townships, André Laprise graduated from L’École supérieure des Grands Ballets Canadiens. Teacher and choreographer at Académie de danse de l’Outaouais since 1979, he was appointed artistic, educational, and administrative director of this institution in 1982. In 1984, he created the Camp d’été qui danse and became the assistant of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens Choreographer Emeritus, Fernand Nault. He first assisted him in the production of The Nutcracker and then worked with him until his death.
His career as a dancer, teacher and rehearsal master brought him to work in Canada, United States, Europe and Asia with Atlanta Ballet, Brno National Theatre Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Danse-Partout, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, Kansas City Ballet, National Ballet of Korea, Nice Ballet Théâtre, Ottawa Dance Theatre, Slovak National Ballet, Southern Ballet Theatre and Washington Ballet. André Laprise has received several grants from the Ministère des Affaires culturelles du Québec and has also served as a jury member for various dance jurys at the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec, the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec and the Ottawa Arts Council.
From 1990 to 2006 he has been active as a member of different comities and board member of organizations devoted to training, production, and development of dance like the Regroupement québécois de la danse, the Réseau d’écoles partenaires en danse classique du Québec and the Conseil québécois des ressources humaines en culture. From 2002 to 2011, he was also a member of the Commission des arts, de la culture, des lettres et du patrimoine de Gatineau.
In 2002, the Prix hommage de la Ville de Gatineau is presented to André Laprise for his involvement in the artistic and cultural development of the Outaouais region.
In February 2003, André Laprise was appointed Trustee and appointed Répétiteur of the Fonds chorégraphique Fernand Nault, a legal entity acquired by Cession de Droit whose mandate is to protect the moral rights of its author and promote his repertoire.
In November 2022, André Laprise received the highest honorary distinction awarded by the City of Gatineau. The Ordre de Gatineau pays tribute to individuals for all their work, their commitment and their exceptional achievements.
In December 2022, André Laprise received the CALQ Award – Artist of the year in Outaouais. This award recognizes an artist who stands out for the dynamism of his career and the excellence of his recent achievements.
