Emma Portner is a Canadian professional dancer and choreographer. She is best known for being the ex-wife of Hollywood Canadian actor Elliot Page.
Wiki/Biography
Emma Dior Portner was born on Saturday, November 26, 1994 (26 years old in 2020) in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Her star sign is Sagittarius. At the age of three, she began dancing in a competitive studio in Ottawa. She also spent two summers with the National Ballet of Canada in Toronto. She attended Canterbury High School and studied under the professional arts program in dance at the school. As a teenager, she trained at Leeming Danceworks, where she learned her passion for dancing and creating in various styles. At Leeming Danceworks, she worked with choreographers Teddy Forance, Nathan Makolandra, Matt Luck, Eryn Waltman, and David Norsworthy, among others. At the age of 17, she moved from Ottawa to New York City to study dance at the Ailey School. Before attending the Ailey School, she tried to attend the Juilliard School, but was rejected. After a few years at the Ailey Dance School, she dropped out due to mental health issues. In 2013, she studied tap dancing in Michelle Dorrance’s class at Broadway Dance Center in New York. In 2014, she trained with the Canadian dance company RUBBERBANDance. In 2015, she participated in the Canadian arts organization Springboard Danse Montreal. After four years in New York, she moved to Los Angeles. She is a lesbian.
appearance
Height (approximate): 5′ 3″
Eye Color: Green
Hair color: Brown (dyed pink, brown, and blonde)
Family and Race
Not much is known about her parents. Her mother works in a museum. In 2017, Emma and Elliot Page began dating; Elliot contacted Emma through Instagram. In January 2018, Elliot announced his marriage to Emma.
The two separated in the summer of 2020, and Elliott filed for divorce in January 2021.
Profession
As a choreographer and dancer
Emma began her career as a dance assistant. While studying at Leeming Artworks, she met LA dancer Matt Luck, with whom she choreographed and recorded Dancing in the Dark, which she posted on YouTube; she was only 16 years old at the time.
The video received thousands of views and likes, and also caught the attention of New Zealand choreographer Paris Goebel, who was responsible for Justin Bieber’s Purpose visual album. Paris contacted Emma and asked her to collaborate on the music video for Justin Bieber’s song “Life is Worth Living”, for which Emma was responsible for the choreography.
After the video was released, Nick DeMora, the creative director of Justin’s Purpose World Tour, contacted Emma and asked her to choreograph a piece for the tour. In 2015, she collaborated with Michelle Dorrance on the company’s production of Myelination. In 2017, she choreographed Jim Steinman’s musical Bat Out of Hell. The show premiered in Manchester, England in 2017, and then performed in London, Canada and on Broadway.
She has also appeared in music videos for American singer-songwriter BANKS, Till Now (2019), Gimme (2019), and Contaminated (2019). She has directed movements for American music artists such as Maggie Rogers, BANKS, and Dev Hynes, and performed them at venues such as the Guggenheim Museum, Jacob’s Pillow, Oslo Opera House, and New York City Center. As of 2020, her work has been featured on various platforms such as Apple, Netflix, Vogue, Sony Pictures, etc. She also makes short dance videos and films. Some of these are Lavender, Slack Jaw, and Sit Bones. Her full-length works include A Primitive Cinema (2016) and Femme Debout (2018).
As a teacher
Portner founded the dance company in New York called “Flock’d”, now known as Emma Portner and Artists. She has taught dance classes in New York, Los Angeles and Canada. She was a member of the New York tap dance company Dorrance Dance. She taught modern and jazz dance at the Broadway Dance Center in New York City. In addition, she has taught at Intrigue Dance Intensive and Peridance Center in New York City.
Awards and Achievements
- Named one of 13 young choreographers “changing the world of dance”
- Won the title of Young Choreographer of the Year at the 2012 American Dance Awards
- Ranked top in Capezio ACE Awards 2014
- Selected by Paper Magazine as one of “PAPER Predictions: 100 People to Watch in 2019”
dispute
In June 2019, American media owner Scooter Braun’s record company acquired Big Machine Records, which gave Braun’s record company ownership of American singer Taylor Swift’s first six studio albums. In November 2019, Taylor accused Braun and her former record company CEO Scott Borchetta of banning her from performing her old works. Many American artists stood up to support Taylor, while Justin Bieber defended his agent Scooter Braun and accused Taylor of using her loyal fan base to bully Braun. Emma, who supports Taylor, said she regretted working with Justin and accused him of belittling women. She wrote in a tweet:
I gave my childish body, creativity, time, and energy to your universe. Twice. For content that you make millions off of. And I got nothing in return. Natta (sic). Almost nothing in return. The hours I put in were less than minimum wage. I couldn’t even afford to eat. I was sweeping studio floors just to be able to practice my craft. I would love to buy you some books to send to you that will change the way your injured brain thinks. You rely on the right guidance to move forward. I implore you to find it. A straight white male pastor/manager cannot be the sole primary source of your worldview. I have so much to say, but most importantly…I really want you to educate yourself outside of the Bible. You have tremendous power. Use it to stop devaluing women. We should all “check you” and Chris Brown because you both need to be held accountable. ”
Favorite things
- Hockey Team: Los Angeles Kings
- Snack: Popchips Sea Salt and Vinegar Potato Chips
- Dancers: Pina Bausch, Michael Jackson
Facts/Trivia
- When she’s not dancing, she’s hiking or traveling to her favorite places, watching hockey games, and if she has time, she studies piano and neuroscience.
- Growing up, she was a quiet person who always found it difficult to get her message across. It was dance that helped her come out of her silence. According to her,
When I realized that dancing could help people hear what I had to say clearly, I started to like it.”
- As a child, she enjoyed mud, skateboarding, curb hockey, and the Nintendo 64. Her grandmother often took her to the opera, which introduced her to high art. Her style, she says, is a cross between mud and high art.
- She has been recording her dances since she was twelve years old.
I’ve been videotaping myself since I was 12. I’ll watch my videos for three hours every night, not out of narcissism, but to improve my improvisation skills. I use it to break out of a routine. If I start to develop a routine, it means I’m out of style.”
- Her fluid movements are largely inspired by choreographers like Crystal Pite and Pina Bausch, and artists like Marcel Dzama and Michael Jackson.
- When she was twelve, she saw her first Elliott Page movie and a friend told her that she looked a lot like Elliott. Speaking of Elliott, she said,
I know we will meet one day – I’m just not sure when or how.”
- In 2020, she starred in the TV series documentary short “People”.
- Emma also collaborated with Elliot on YouTube and Instagram videos.
- She has also appeared on the covers of magazines such as Dance Spirit, Elle, and Dance Magazine.
- Emma also has an eponymous YouTube channel where she posts her dance videos and collaborations. Her channel has over 20,000 subscribers.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education