Peter Quanz

Who is Peter Quanz?

Peter Quanz is a Canadian choreographer.

Quanz, who was born in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, says he knew he wanted to be a choreographer at the age of nine. His parents, both school teachers, enrolled him in ballet classes. Quanz attended the Integrated Arts Program at Eastwood Collegiate Institute for three years, before attending the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, from which he graduated in 1999. During his time in Winnipeg, Quanz was mentored by the late Dr. Arnold Spohr, CC.. Upon graduation, Quanz was awarded the Judy and Henny Jurriëns Choreographic Fellowship which afforded him a period to study ballet repertory, observing diverse choreographers and companies in Europe. From 2000 to 2002 Quanz worked as a member of the Stuttgart Ballet, an opportunity which enabled Quanz to continue his studies on the art form. During this time, Quanz was also supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and a Chalmers Performing Arts Grant.

Quanz began his choreographic career by creating piece for young choreographers’ evenings, such as Fast Forward, Noverre, the New York Choreographic Institute, and Cascades. Quanz’s pieces in these workshops attracted considerable attention from critics and helping Quanz launch his career.