A woman with white hair in a bob with bangs. She wears large green stone earring and a loose green shirt. She smiles softly at the camera.

Patricia Beatty (1936 - 2020)
choreographer

Patricia Beatty, CM, dancer, choreographer, teacher and director was born in Toronto. As an inspirational teacher and mentor to young dancers and through the example of her rigorous, uncompromising artistic principles, Beatty played a seminal role in fostering the growth of modern dance performance and choreography in Canada. She graduated in 1959 from the influential modern dance program at Bennington College, Vermont, and then studied in New York at the Martha Graham School while also dancing with the company of Pearl Lang.

Returning to Toronto, Beatty founded the New Dance Group of Canada in 1966, which gave its first performance 1967 with guest artists Peter Randazzo and David Earle. In 1968 she joined them in co-founding Toronto Dance Theatre. Much of her early choreography focused on the relationship between the sexes. Later dances, such as Seastill (1979), Skyling (1980) and Emerging Ground (1983), found inspiration in the natural world. Her solo, First Music (1969), remains a simple yet unforgettable solo vehicle for the female dancer.

Beatty retired from TDT in the early 1990s but continued to present occasional performances of her own and other women choreographers' work focusing on spiritual themes. She continued to teach, and in 2004 was made a Member of the Order of Canada.

For Peggy Baker Dance Projects: Patricia choreographed the solo Assara for Peggy.

For more information, read a celebration of Patricia’s work by Dance Collection Danse.