About mmHoP

Martha Carter Biography

Artistic Director of mmHoP, Martha Carter is a Canadian based director-choreographer-creator of dance, media and music works. Transcending her roots of classical music and ballet, her works push the boundaries of style fusion. Dancers sing their score and composers dance; video artists share the stage with drag queens on pointe; ballet dancers battle freestylers while breakdancers reinvent ballet.

Carter's hybrid's are the external expression of her vision of dance as a reflection of contemporary life. Carter's recent choreographies "Xdance" at the Canada Dance Festival 2002, "iDUB" at the ScotiaBank Dance Centre in March 2004, and "The Spell Remains" at The Shadbolt Centre for the Arts in January 2005, are each an evolution of her innovative multi-disciplinary style. "iDUB" has since met critical praise at The High Performance Rodeo in Calgary (Jan 2006) and at the New Dance Festival in St. John’s Newfoundand in June 2006. Martha is also a respected teacher at universities and private schools, notably Montréal's Studio 303 that she co-founded in 1989. Since 1993 she has regularly toured internationally with Compagnie Marie Chouinard as Rehearsal Master and Artistic-Touring Director.

Martha Carter CV (PDF, 208K)

mmHoP History

From 1993 to 1998, House of Pride’s fearless, fast-paced, multi-media performance art became legendary in Montreal and beyond for bringing together the diversity of the club with the artistry and professionalism of the theatre, bridging the two worlds and their audiences. Co-directed by choreographer Martha Carter and dancer-photographer Stephen Hues, HOP was created in the tradition of New York’ s vogueing ‘houses’, performing gender-bending dance, theatre, lipsync, original music and media projections. Along with Carter (Marta Marta) and Hues (LaReign), this notorious Montreal house also included Joffrey Dumas (Joffrey Frigid), Jacques Besner (Jacklyn Jet), Garth Johnston, (Gartina J) and Kiet HaVanAnh (Kiet). House of Pride collaborated with a diverse range of performers, video artists, composers, lighting designers, photographers, costume designers, makeup and hair stylists, all united by their love of cutting edge performance art.

Archival House of Pride Video