Etienne Lavigne

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT ETIENNE LAVIGNE

A native of Montréal, Etienne Lavigne trained at l\'École supérieure de ballet du Québec, San Francisco Ballet School and the National Ballet of Cuba. He joined The National Ballet of Canada where he was promoted to First Soloist and Principal Character Artist. He danced a number of lead roles with the company and after more than 1500 performances in front of 3 million people, he retired from his full-time position in 2017 and was named Guest Principal Character Artist, a title under which he occasionally returns to the stage. During his dance career, M. Lavigne studied business management and took an active role in the administrative side of dance. He has managed many of the leading dancers in Canada and co-founded, with Guillaume Côté, Côté Danse, producing over a dozen works on international stages and on film. In 2016, he was named Executive Director of the Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur, the largest summer dance festival in Canada. Since the beginning of his tenure, the Festival has experienced a remarkable revival, doubling its ticket sales, budget, and visibility. Mr. Lavigne was the the recipient in 2025 of the Prix de la relève from the Chaire de gestion des arts Carmelle et Rémi-Marcoux au HEC Montréal, which honours the excellence and vision of emerging leaders in arts management. He has also awarded the David Tory Award, which recognizes leadership, honesty, and integrity in his work.