Vincent Warren remembered as giving, elegant artist
Dancer, teacher and historian Vincent Warren is remembered as a generous artist with an encyclopedic knowledge of the dance world at large.
The former principal dancer of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens died of cancer on Wednesday. He was 79.
“He was musical and very elegant,” former dance partner Annette av Paul said. “I always felt secure in his hands.”
Choreographer Brian Macdonald — av Paul’s late husband — created Adieu Robert Schumann for Warren’s farewell performance when he retired from the stage in 1979.
“Vincent’s dramatic power on stage was breathtaking,” av Paul said.
Warren was born in Jacksonville, Fla., and began dancing when he was 11 years old after seeing the film The Red Shoes.
He went to New York to study at the American Ballet Theatre when he was 17 and went on to dance with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet. His matinée-idol looks had people lining up around the block to see him collaborate with great artists including Igor Stravinsky.
Les Grands Ballets founder Ludmilla Chiriaeff coaxed Warren to come to Montreal in 1961 where he danced works by creative giants including George Balanchine, Maurice Béjart, John Butler and Fernand Nault.
“He was the Rudoph Nureyev of Montreal and an idol of mine,” BJM Danse artistic director Louis Robitaille said. “When I was preparing for a ballet competition, he would coach me for free. He was a prince, so refined, both as a dancer and a human being.”
Warren mentored a generation of dancers following his retirement from the stage. His rambling Plateau apartment lined with bookshelves crammed with dance books, videos and memorabilia was always open to dancers from away who needed a place to stay while establishing themselves.
“He would say ‘dancers don’t stay in hotels unless they are on tour,’ ” former professional dancer and temporary tenant Dennis Lepsi said. “His apartment was the original dance library. I was lucky to be immersed in all that. He was a great friend and he had a wicked sense of humour.”
Warren’s private collection eventually became the Bibliothèque de la danse Vincent Warren, considered the most comprehensive collection of its kind in Canada. The library is housed in the École supérieure de ballet du Québec where Warren taught pas de deux, boys’ class and dance history for decades.
“Vincent brought ballet to life,” former dancer and current finedining critic Lesley Chesterman said of Warren’s history classes. “It wasn’t just about the steps. He would talk about the dancers’ lives — the gossip — I’d soak up every word. He was entertaining and madly in love with ballet.”
The library recently underwent major renovations under the watchful eye of head librarian Marie-Josée Lecours. École supérieure director Anik Bissonnette said Warren was able to see the finished product and teach what would be his final history class, two weeks before his death.
“He was so happy with the library, placing things the way he wanted,” Bissonnette said.
Back in his New York days, Warren also explored modern dance and was involved in the Judson Church experimental dance movement. During his time with Les Grands, he continued to keep up with the local modern-dance scene.
“He brought the different dance communities together,” Bissonnette said. “He appreciated them all.”
Alberta Ballet artistic director Jean Grand-Maitre credits Warren with changing his life. It was Warren who auditioned Grand-Maitre for the École supérieure.
“Vincent’s infinite wisdom still guides me, especially through the storms,” Grand-Maitre said. “He reminded us that being on stage was privilege. But most of all, I learned from Vincent that to love art, you have to love life.”
In 2016, Warren’s life on and off the stage was featured in Marie Brodeur’s documentary Un homme de danse, which won Best Canadian Film at the Festival international du film sur l’art.
“He was a mix of Renaissance Man and Old Southern charm,” Brodeur said. “His spirit will stay with me forever.”
Warren’s honours over the years included the Prix Denise-Pelletier (1992), the Order of Canada (2004) and the Ordre des arts et des lettres du Québec (2017). In 1968, he and Margaret Mercier starred in Norman McLaren’s Oscar-nominated short film Pas de Deux.
A memorial service will be held at the École supérieure de ballet du Québec, Nov. 17. Details will be posted at www.esbq.ca