About "V"
My Work
I come from an eclectic background of dance mixed in with theatre, clown, comedy, visual art and mutli-media work. My practice, and the pieces I create, reflect the environment around me; whether it's demonstrating a deep appreciation for aesthetics and form, or my passion about our quirky oddities as human beings. I like to express life's eccentricities through accessible means.
Biography
- Originally from Montreal, Quebec, Véronique MacKenzie began her early dance training on the east coast before continuing her studies in Toronto, the U.S. and England. Her eclectic background includes training in modern dance (York University and The School of the Toronto Dance Theatre), jazz and ballet (The National Ballet School/R.A.D./Checcetti/Vagonova), visual art (NSCAD), clown and Fool-work (Laban Int’l School), creative movement (Virginia Tanner School/USA) and theatre (University of NB and Theatre NB) from which she has developed a unique performance style.
- Her status as an independent dancer has allowed her to dance for a variety of contemporary dance productions as well as develop a successful choreographic and solo performance career. A recipient of one of Nova Scotia’s prestigious Established Artist Awards, a Robert Merritt Award for Choreography, and a two-time recipient of Live Art’s Diane Moore Scholarship for choreography, Véronique has presented her work across the country in a variety of festivals and productions including Toronto’s Junction Festival, The Edmonton Fringe Festival, Labrador Arts Festival and Festival Antigonish. Her collaborations with artists such as Susan Tooke and Lukas Pearse (Depths of Sorrow, Motion Activated), Ariella Pahlke, Nicholas Bottomley, have taken her into the exciting world of electronics, video, and computer imaging which has enriched her practice and increased her multi-media skills.
- After receiving scholarship positions in the Interrarium Creative residency at Banff and at the Centre for Art Tapes in Halifax, Véronique created her first film entitled “She Wakes up Gasping” which was presented in the 2014 Nocturne: Arts at Night Festival. Her most recent site-specific piece entitled “Storm Dances” was presented outside and in one of last year’s most intense storms garnering national media attention (supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and HRM Open projects).
- Véronique most recently completed choreography for "The Lighthouse" (Regency Films) with Willem Defore and Robert Pattinson, POP TV's "Let's Get Physical" (L.A.) and she has worked on CBC's Mr. D, Bo on the Go, and Street Cents.
- Véronique has served on faculty at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD University), Neptune Theatre School, The Fountain School of Performing Arts (Dalhousie University) and Halifax Dance. She also works with former Nikolai dancer Reg Grauert, at the Bearnstow Artist Retreat in the United States. She has served on the boards of Dance Nova Scotia, and Keep Good (Theatre) Company and she is the Atlantic rep for the Dancer Transition Resource Centre out of Toronto.
- V is a visual artist and holds degrees in science and social work. “V” lives in Halifax.