Aszure Barton
Proclaimed Canada's official ambassador of contemporary dance, Aszure is an artist with an unstoppable creative force.
Aszure Barton was born and raised in Alberta, Canada. She received her formal training at the National Ballet School in Toronto, where, as a student, she helped originate the ongoing Stephen Godfrey Choreographic Showcase.
To date, she has collaborated with and created works for Mikhail Baryshnikov, Fang Yi Sheu, Ekaterina Shipulina/Bolshoi Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Bayerisches Staatsballett, Houston Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, The Martha Graham Dance Company, Nederlands Dans Theater, Sydney Dance Company, Ballet British Columbia, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and Ballets Jazz Montréal, among many others. Aszure has also led masterclasses, mentored, and created for renowned training institutions including Harvard University, The Juilliard School, New York University, Arts Umbrella, Canada’s National Ballet School and The Laban Institute.
Other work includes choreography for the Broadway revival production of The Threepenny Opera directed by Scott Elliott, film and installation projects, and international outreach activities such as Kenya’s Earth Project: Healing the Rift, at the Laikipia Nature Conservancy.
Aszure was the first artist in residence at The Baryshnikov Arts Center in 2005 and was proclaimed an official Ambassador of Contemporary Choreography in Canada. In 2012 she was honored with Canada’s prestigious Arts & Letters Award.
She is the founder and director of Aszure Barton & Artists, a collective of visual, sound, and performing artists, and her work continues to tour to Europe, Asia, and Africa as well as Argentina, Brazil, Canada, and the United States.
Past, present and future collide to mark the half-century of Ballets Jazz Montréal. Choreographers Ausia Jones, Crystal Pite and Aszure Barton are the creators of this sparkling program, entitled ESSENCE.