She was a dancer for nearly 15 years — for Danièle Desnoyers, Sarah Bild, Roger Sinha. She worked at the Artists’ Union, then ran the Dancer Resource and Transition Center, to help those considering a second or third career. Recently, in this vein, she founded Confluence – Creator of vocations, for all artists who are thinking of leaving the stage for a new job. Parise Mongrain now arrives as general director of the Regroupement québécois de la danse (RQD).
“This position is a baton passed on to me by my predecessors…” M. reflects out loudme Mongrain in interview at Duty. “The dance community is now well structured, with potential for mobilization. That comes from the directors who were there before,” namely Lorraine Hébert (2003-2016), Fabienne Cabado (2016-2021), and more briefly Nadine Medawar (2021-2023).
Madame Mongrain is slowly entering the RQD, at the same pace as she is leaving the management of Confluence. She will not take full control of her new reins until next March.
“It gives me the opportunity to arrive. First, I want to ensure that I have the trust of the community, and that I am given the legitimacy to act,” she says.
“I come from dance, but we always come from an angle, with files that we prefer to others… There, my role” is to have an overarching vision, she says, which requires “ lucidity, and a neutral look.”
Dancing while pregnant
The RQD, she confides, came to get her, as it did ten years ago. She then refused. Why say yes? “I feel mature. It’s a role full of challenges: there is great precariousness in dance, which leads to great sensitivities. »
“I wanted to be equipped. And I became a mediator, too,” she adds with a laugh. What will be its attack priorities? “I barely open the files… But there are some that I’ve been carrying around with me for years, and which I won’t part with here. »
Such as CNESST protection for dancers, and all health and safety issues. “We are, for example, losing the possibility of preventive work withdrawal for dancers who are pregnant, because of their status as self-employed workers. We have refused files in recent years. I want to look into this. »
“We also already know that the financing opportunities for dance are not great,” she continues. Dance has great, very great creators who have paved the way. You must not let the momentum that they started running out of steam. »
The new director also has, among her projects, to tackle the renewal of the master plan, to put in place a new strategic planning and to meet the board of directors, also brand new — which was elected at the end of October 2023.