RUBBERBAND is an organization dedicated to creation and production with the mission of supporting the research of choreographer Victor Quijada, disseminating his works, and ensuring the transmission and impact of his practice.

Founded in Montreal in 2002, RUBBERBAND immediately wowed audiences and critics with three creations presented at Espace Tangente over two seasons, while also performing several smaller-scale works in mixed programs and self-produced evenings throughout the city. Tender Loving Care and Hasta La Próxima were both included in Le Devoir’s “Top 5 in Dance for 2002”, while Elastic Perspective began a 100-performance run in 2003 after winning the RIDEAU Prize at the Vue sur la relève Festival. During the 2003-2004 season, RUBBERBAND was granted a residency at Usine C to create Slicing Static, which was hailed as Best Dance Production of 2004 by the Hour, Montreal’s cultural weekly newspaper (now Cult MTL).

In 2005, Anne Plamondon joined RUBBERBAND as Artistic Co Director, assisting Victor Quijada with the company’s strategic planning. Another residency at Usine C in 2006 was followed by a four-year stint as artists-in-residence at Place des Arts. During this period, with the support of several partners, four new works were created: Punto Ciego and AV Input/Output in 2008, Loan Sharking in 2009, and Gravity of Center in 2011. In 2013, Quijada created Empirical Quotient for six dancers trained in the RUBBERBAND Method. The company then created Vic’s Mix in 2016, a kind of “Greatest Hits” of Quijada’s work. In 2017, as part of the Celebrations of Montreal’s 375th Anniversary, the members of the company were joined by thirty students from the École supérieure de ballet du Québec and the École de danse contemporaine de Montréal to dance in the multidisciplinary performance City Thread on the Esplanade of the Place des Arts. In 2018, Victor Quijada directed ten dancers on the immense stage of the Maisonneuve Theater in Ever So Slightly. 2020 marked the return of Victor Quijada to the stage as a dancer in Trenzado, a piece that raises the question of what it is to be from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

Reckless Underdog, created in 2022, propels the company’s achievements of the last twenty years to new heights. In a larger-than-life work, thirteen dancers come together in a choreography of three acts. Each part, a piece in itself, draws spectators into a unique, complex world through its distinctive scenography, music, and movement aesthetic. RUBBERBAND’s newest creation, Second Chances, invites Quijada and the audience to delve deep inside themselves, reflecting on origin, belonging and displacement, between universal questions and intimate, personal thoughts.

RUBBERBAND also co-produced six films choreographed by Quijada, four of which are co-directed by him: Ever So Slightly, Gravity of Center, Secret Service and Small Explosions That Are Yours to Keep. Gravity of Center won in 2012 “Les Enfants Terribles” and “Air Canada” awards at the Rendez-Vous du Cinéma Québécois festival, as well as awards for Best Experimental Short Film and Best Cinematography in a Canadian Short Film at the CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival, among others. Hasta La Próxima, made in 2003, was a finalist in the short film category at the American Choreography Awards. Quijada is also involved in the creation of three music videos for the songs Man I Used to Be by k-os, La Garde by Alexandre Désilets and Blue Wonderful by Elton John.

For more than 22 years, RUBBERBAND has represented Canadian artistic innovation across the United States, and in Europe, Mexico, and Japan. At the forefront of Montreal’s dance community, the company is recognized internationally for its original vision of contemporary dance.

Victor Quijada
Artistic Director

Since 2002, Victor Quijada and RUBBERBAND have not only redefined the codes of breaking within an institutional context and enlivened the Quebec dance scene, but have opened the way for new creators fascinated by this dance form. Armed with a technique he conceived for dancers, the RUBBERBAND Method – an electrifying vocabulary combining the energy of hip-hop, the refinement of classical ballet, and the angular quality of contemporary dance – and some 40 creations and collaborations in Canada and abroad behind him, Victor Quijada has always continued to evolve and innovate throughout his prolific career.

In the area of peer recognition, Victor Quijada was artist-in-residence at Usine C (2004 and 2006) and at Place des Arts (2007-2011), and has won many awards, including Britain’s National Dance Award for Outstanding Modern Repertory (2003), the Bonnie Bird North American Award (2003, U.K.), the Peter Darrell Choreography Award (2003, U.K.), the International Touring Award of the Canadian Dance Alliance (2012), and two awards from the Princess Grace Foundation-USA (Choreography Fellowship, 2010; Work in Progress Residency, 2016).

In December 2017, Victor Quijada received the award for Cultural Diversity at the Prix de la danse de Montréal and was, in 2019, one of the finalists for the 34th Grand Prix du Conseil des arts de Montréal as well as among the four finalists for the 2019 Charles-Biddle Prize, instigated by Culture pour tous and the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation and Inclusion (MIFI). In 2024, Victor has been named Fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation for his choreographic work, a prestigious recognition for all his achievements.

Emma-Lynn MacKay-Ronacher
Company dancer/Instructor

Emma-Lynn MacKay-Ronacher was raised in Kemptville, Ontario, where she began her dance training at a local studio. At 14, she moved to Montreal to join L’École supérieure de ballet du Québec, where she spent five years in the professional program training in both classical and contemporary dance. She graduated at 19 and began her career freelancing with acclaimed choreographers and companies, including Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, Anne Plamondon Productions, Gioconda Barbuto, and Veronique Giasson.

In 2021, Emma-Lynn joined RUBBERBAND as a company dancer, a role she continues to hold today. She is also a founding member of the Bulbe Collective, an active group that performs in Quebec festivals and produces dance films.
In 2023, Emma-Lynn embarked on her journey as an independent choreographer, supported by funding from the Canada Council for the Arts. She created her debut solo work, What She Saw, inspired by 11 years of journal entries and exploring themes of personal growth and reflection. The piece was performed in Montreal to critical acclaim before gaining international recognition. It won a choreographic competition in Europe, leading to a tour across Germany where it was performed in eight cities.

Emma-Lynn remains dedicated to blending her roles as a performer and creator, continually exploring new avenues of expression in the world of dance.