Tedd Robinson

The late Tedd Robinson (1952-2022) was a Canadian choreographer, performer and educator, best known for his idiosyncratic solo works, including the Chalmers’ award-winning Rokudo: six destinies in three steps.

After graduating with a BFA from York University and studying at the School of Toronto Dance Theatre and with eminent British visual theatre artist Lindsay Kemp, his career trajectory first took him to Winnipeg, where he created highly theatrical ensemble works as artistic director of Contemporary Dancers from 1984-1990. In 1990 he returned to Ottawa to study with Peter Boneham and pursue a solo career, and his critically acclaimed works soon won him a multitude of commissions and an international schedule of teaching and touring.

In 1998, he formed 10 Gates Dancing Inc. to promote the development and performance of contemporary dance creations. As artistic director, he created repertoire for some of the most renowned dance artists in Canada alongside establishing choreographic consulting services for the milieu that have benefitted over 40 choreographers. From 2005-2012, Robinson created La B.A.R.N., a rural venue for creation, residencies and performance. And, in 2013, he established Centre Q: A Centre for Questioning, a research space for dance and music.

His collaborators included Louise Lecavalier, Margie Gillis, Ame Henderson, and composer/performer Charles Quevillon. Robinson's work at La B.A.R.N. won le Prix en art de la scène l’Avant-Première at the Culturiades de l’Outaouais 2009. He was winner of the 2014 Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts and was a National Arts Centre Associate Dance Artist.

His work was influenced by his six years of study as a monk in the Hakukaze soto zen monastery in Ottawa.