Sara Porter

Artist in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Sara Porter

Artist in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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Hailed as “Toronto’s dynamic local dance light”, Sara Porter is a multi-faceted contemporary dancer, choreographer, performer, writer and teacher with a distinctive voice and a broad palette.

Celebrated for her “daring imagination” (Toronto Star) and being "wickedly funny" (Dance International), Sara teases the edges of artistic disciplines. Her newest, evening length work – Sara does a Solo – premiered in Toronto in March 2015 and toured to New York City in June 2015. It interweaves storytelling, songs, dance and surrealism into a strikingly visual piece about the struggles of being an artist and mother. Sara hits the road with upcoming shows in San Francisco, Montreal, Toronto, New York and St. John's Newfoundland in 2015/2016.

Originally from Nova Scotia, Sara grew up in sport, music, acting, dance and clowning. After furthering her training in the UK, Montreal and New York City, and a stint as a dancer, Sara began creating her own work. She soon gained national attention for her “expansive imagination" (Dance Connection) and being “unlike anything else” (Dance Connection). Sara has performed in Montreal, Halifax, New York, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Madrid, Ottawa and Toronto and once performed solo for Prince Charles at Holyrood Palace. She created work for Compagnie Petit Jeu, Toronto Dance Theatre, Pleiades Theatre, Autumn Leaf Performance, for Scotland’s National Youth Music Theatre and West Lothian Youth Theatre.

Sara is an established dance writer, contributing to books, magazines and journals in Canada and UK. Her biography – Peter in Process: Peter Boneham's sixty years in dance – was published in 2010. An experienced teacher of both theory and practice, Sara has taught dance in university and colleges in Scotland and Canada, including Edinburgh's Telford College, University of Edinburgh, and Canada's York and Concordia universities. She currently teaches adult contemporary dance classes at her studio.

Sara holds a BA (Honours) in Fine Arts from Acadia University and a MA in Dance Studies from University of Surrey. After living in Montreal and Edinburgh, Sara settled in Toronto in 1998.

Sara is a member of Intergalactic Arts Collective, Associate Artist at pounds per square inch performance, and a member of Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists.

“There is simply no dancer choreographer quite like Sara Porter.” (Hour, Montreal)

  • Education
    • MA Dance Studies, University of Surrey
    • BA Hon Fine Arts, Acadia University