{{Short description|Canadian dancer, choreographer, and dance historian}} '''Iro Tembeck''' (1946–2004) was a Canadian dancer, choreographer, and dance historian. After emigrating to Montreal in 1967, she taught at the academy of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, and danced with Le Groupe Nouvelle Aire in the early 1970s.<ref>Warren, Vincent (2004). "In Memoriam: Iro Valaskakis Tembeck", ''Dance Research Journal'' 36 (2): p. 195. {{ISSN|0149-7677}}</ref><ref>Époque, Martine (1991). ''Le Groupe Nouvelle Aire en mémoires: 1968-1982'', Presses de l'Université de Québec, Sainte-Foy. {{ISBN|2-7605-1056-5}}</ref> She founded Axis Danse with Christina Coleman in 1977,<ref>Gilbert David (1996) "Dance Theatre: Québec," in Rubin, Don, and Solorzano, Carlos, eds. ''World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre in the Americas'', p. 124. Routledge, New York. {{ISBN|0415-22745-3}}</ref><ref>Jillian Officer (1985) "The Growth of Dance in Canada," in Wagner, Anton, ed., ''Contemporary Canadian Theatre: New World Visions'', pp. 270-271. Simon & Pierre, Toronto. {{ISBN|088924152X}}, 9780889241527.</ref><ref>Warren, Vincent (2004). "In Memoriam: Iro Valaskakis Tembeck", ''Dance Research Journal'' 36 (2): p. 195. {{ISSN|0149-7677}}</ref> and in 1980, Tembeck became a professor in the Dance Department at Université du Québec à Montréal, where she also co-founded the choreographic research group Artscene.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.danse.uqam.ca/etudiants/bourses-et-prix/48-bourse-iro-valaskis-tembeck.html |title="UQAM Département de danse: Bourse Iro Valaskakis-Tembeck" |access-date=2014-03-08 |archive-date=2014-03-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328072558/http://www.danse.uqam.ca/etudiants/bourses-et-prix/48-bourse-iro-valaskis-tembeck.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>Citron, Paula. "Iro Valaskakis Tembeck 1946-2004: Warrior Queen of the Dance," ''The Globe and Mail'', Toronto, 7 October 2004.</ref> Tembeck signed over 40 choreographic works,<ref>Warren, Vincent (2004). "In Memoriam: Iro Valaskakis Tembeck", ''Dance Research Journal'' 36 (2): p. 195. {{ISSN|0149-7677}}</ref><ref>Bowring, Amy. "Iro Valaskakis Tembeck: Giving a Voice to Canadian Dance" ''The Dance Current'' (November 2003) p. 30.</ref> which were produced with Le Groupe Nouvelle Aire (''L'Attente'', 1976; ''Howl'', 1976; ''Incubus'', 1977),<ref>Époque, Martine (1991). ''Le Groupe Nouvelle Aire en mémoires: 1968-1982'', Presses de l'Université de Québec, Sainte-Foy. {{ISBN|2-7605-1056-5}}</ref> Axis Danse (amongst them, ''Terracotta'', 1980; ''Amazonie'', 1983;<ref>Jillian Officer (1985), "The Growth of Dance in Canada," in Wagner, Anton, ed., ''Contemporary Canadian Theatre: New World Visions'', p. 270. Simon & Pierre, Toronto. {{ISBN|088924152X}}, 9780889241527.</ref> ''Kyklos'', 1983),<ref>Warren, Vincent (2004). "In Memoriam: Iro Valaskakis Tembeck", ''Dance Research Journal'' 36 (2): p. 196. {{ISSN|0149-7677}}</ref> Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal (''Germinal'', 1984; ''Numbers'', 1987),<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bjmdanse.ca/historique.php?lg=en |title="Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal" |access-date=2014-03-08 |archive-date=2016-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303233204/http://www.bjmdanse.ca/historique.php?lg=en |url-status=dead }}</ref> and Les Ballets Eddy Toussaint (''Cool Heure Blues'', 1988).
Tembeck's academic research investigated the roots of contemporary Quebec dance. Her book ''Dancing in Montreal: Seeds of a Choreographic History'', originally published in French in 1991, was the first to retrace the twentieth-century history of dance in Montreal.<ref>Warren, Vincent (2004). "In Memoriam: Iro Valaskakis Tembeck", ''Dance Research Journal'' 36 (2): p. 195. {{ISSN|0149-7677}}</ref> It was named "Outstanding Publication in Dance Research" by the Congress on Research in Dance in 1996.<ref>[http://www.cordance.org/pastwinners "Past CORD Award Recipients, Congress on Research in Dance"]</ref> Described as "a force in researching and recording dance history,"<ref>Bowring, Amy. "Iro Valaskakis Tembeck: Giving a Voice to Canadian Dance" ''The Dance Current'' (November 2003) p. 30.</ref> Tembeck was considered "one of the foremost experts in the field."<ref>Citron, Paula. "Iro Valaskakis Tembeck 1946-2004: Warrior Queen of the Dance," ''The Globe and Mail'', Toronto, 7 October 2004.</ref> Her publications are used as textbooks for courses on the history of dance in Quebec.<ref>Warren, Vincent (2004). "In Memoriam: Iro Valaskakis Tembeck", ''Dance Research Journal'' 36 (2): p. 195. {{ISSN|0149-7677}}</ref>
== Bibliography ==
* Iro Tembeck (1991). ''Danser à Montréal: Germination d'une histoire chorégraphique''. Presses de l'Université du Québec, Sillery. {{ISBN|2-7605-0659-2}} [http://www.puq.ca/catalogue/livres/danser-montreal-1076.html] * Iro Tembeck (1994). ''Dancing in Montreal: Seeds of a Choreographic History''. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison. [http://uwpress.wisc.edu/books/3546.htm] * Iro Valaskakis Tembeck (2001). ''La Danse comme paysage: Sources, traditions, innovations''. Presses de l'Université Laval. {{ISBN|2-89224-325-4}} [https://www.pulaval.com/produit/la-danse-comme-paysage-sources-traditions-innovations] * Iro Valaskakis Tembeck, ed. (2002). ''Estivale 2000 Canadian Dancing Bodies Then and Now/Les Corps dansants d'hier à aujourd'hui au Canada''. Dance Collection Danse Press/es, Toronto. {{ISBN|0-929003-50-0}} [http://dcd.ca/shop/product_info.php?cPath=24&products_id=56] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303214727/http://dcd.ca/shop/product_info.php?cPath=24&products_id=56 |date=2016-03-03 }}
== Notes ==
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== External links == * [http://esbq.asp.visard.ca/Record.htm?record=10134555124929527379&lang=EN Bibliothèque de la danse Vincent-Warren]{{Dead link|date=December 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }} * [http://www.csds-sced.ca/Resources/authorspublishef.html#tembeckanchor Canadian Society for Dance Studies ] * (fr) [https://www.ledevoir.com/culture/danse/64255/deces-de-l-historienne-iro-valaskakis-tembeck-la-danse-est-en-deuil "Décès de l'historienne Iro Valaskakis-Tembeck - La danse est en deuil" ''Le Devoir'' 21 September 2004] * (fr) [http://id.erudit.org/iderudit/24872ac Myriam Belzile, "'Mon corps est ma patrie': Iro Valaskakis-Tembeck (1946-2004)" ''Jeu: Revue de théâtre'' 114 (1) 2005: pps.7-12.]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tembeck, Iro}} Category:1946 births Category:2004 deaths Category:Canadian ballerinas Category:Canadian choreographers Category:Dance historians Category:Academic staff of the Université du Québec à Montréal Category:Canadian women choreographers