The loss of an exceptional being and a passionate artist of great talent!

Pierre-Paul Savoie died last Sunday after a long battle with cancer. Dancer, choreographer, director and artistic director and founder of PPS Danse, Pierre-Paul has created outstanding shows, both for adults and for young audiences. His creations have toured here and abroad. He has been rewarded several times for his work and his involvement.

He was deeply involved in making contemporary dance known, appreciated and accessible, especially for young audiences, and he has organized an incalculable number of cultural outreach activities. He gave himself generously for the development of his art and his discipline; he has been president of the Regroupement québécois de la danse and has worked actively, among other things, for the rebirth of ASSITEJ Canada, the Chantier sur la diffusion des arts vivants pour les jeunes publics and the establishment of the Young Danse Network of ASSITEJ International.

I will miss his smile, his great kindness and his unwavering dedication to his art and to our artistic community. Farewell, Pierre-Paul… and thank you.

Pierre Tremblay
Board Member, ASSITEJ Canada
General Manager, Théâtres Unis Enfance Jeunesse

Message from Young Dance Network:

We need to say goodbye to our dear friend Pierre-Paul Savoie – choreographer, performer, director and the founder of PPS Danse (Montréal, Canada, 1989), and a founding member of Young Dance Network – a global network for exchange YDN.

Pierre-Paul joined Young Dance Network right from the beginning – he was part of the very first encounter in Cape Town, South Africa, during the Assitej International World Congress in 2017 when the idea of a dance network came into being. He loved working on the project and cherished the idea that people can share their passion and experiences within a network. Like the true visionary he was, he saw Young Dance Network growing into a network of global reach and significance. He supported its growth with patience, perseverance, clear focus, authenticity and extraordinary diplomatic skills. Pierre-Paul moved things forward and didn’t lose hope or enthusiasm, and, in spite of the difficult situation in which the whole of humanity found itself, he inspired the network to keep on going. His contribution was fearless and generous until the very last minutes of his life. 

Even in his illness, his projects and art have always remained in the foreground. Pierre-Paul was also a member of IPAY, at various gatherings of ASSITEJ International, and his presence was always supportive, gentle, inspired and cheerful.We enjoyed his tremendous warmth, generosity and good humour. During our last YDN monthly online-meeting in December 2020 he talked about his company. He said, “I love my company”. Then he smiled, and said, “I love people!”

Pierre-Paul had been struggling with cancer for 2 years, he died at the age of 66.

We are sending Arnold Brookhuis, his family and his company our deepest condolences.

We will miss him – the world will miss him terribly – and we express our gratitude and celebrate his life and contribution.