Emma Portner

Last updated

Emma Portner
Born (1994-11-26) November 26, 1994 (age 29)
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Occupation(s)Choreographer, dancer
Years active2015–present
Spouse
​
​
(m. 2018;div. 2021)​

Emma Portner (born November 26, 1994) [1] is a Canadian professional dancer and choreographer. [2]

Contents

Early life

Portner was born in Ottawa, Ontario [3] and began dancing when she was three years old. She started dancing at a competitive studio in Ottawa before spending her summers with The National Ballet of Canada. While in Ottawa, she also attended Canterbury High School's specialized arts program in her dance stream. When she was 17, she moved from Ottawa, Ontario to New York City to train at The Ailey School. She dropped out after 5 months to begin her professional career. [1] [4]

Career

Portner created some of the choreography for Jim Steinman's Bat Out of Hell: The Musical . [5] [6] In 2015, she choreographed and starred in Justin Bieber's music video for his song "Life is Worth Living". [6] She also created choreography for Bieber's Purpose World Tour. [7] [8]

In 2019, she was nominated for Arena Dance Competition's "Best Female Dancer" of the year. Paper magazine also listed Portner in "PAPER Predictions; 100 people to watch in 2019". Portner has appeared on the covers of the magazines Dance Spirit and Dance Magazine .[ citation needed ]

As of 2020, her work has been displayed in a variety of environments including Apple, Netflix, Vogue , Sony Pictures, late night television and in professional ballet. She has movement directed indie music stars such as Blood Orange, Maggie Rogers, Half Alive and BANKS and performed at prestigious venues like the Guggenheim Museum,[ clarification needed ] Jacob's Pillow, the Oslo Opera House, New York City Center and Theater Champs-Élysées. [9]

In 2021, Portner's first ballet and acclaimed work "Islands" for the Norwegian National Ballet was selected to tour with culture shaping choreographers Crystal Pite, Jiri Kylian, and Ohad Naharin. [9] At 26 years old, she received a glowing review stating that "Emma Portner shines extra bright in Dialogues Star Parade" and "in an evening bursting with movement, one of the least known choreographers stood out". [10]

In 2021, Portner portrayed Gozer the Gozerian in Ghostbusters: Afterlife , a role shared with an uncredited Olivia Wilde and vocally with Shohreh Aghdashloo. [11]

She is the lead vocalist of Bunk Buddy, an indie music duo composed of her and producer Noah Rubin.

Personal life

In January 2018, actor Elliot Page announced his marriage to Portner on an unspecified date. [12] The couple met after Page noticed Portner on Instagram. [2] In December 2020, Page publicly came out as a trans man. [13] Portner expressed support for his coming out that same day on her Instagram account, saying she was "so proud" of him. [14] The couple separated in the summer of 2020; Page filed for divorce in January 2021, [15] and the divorce was finalized in early 2021. [13]

Portner has stated that she is a lesbian. [16] She declined to speak publicly about her own gender identity and sexual orientation after Page came out as a trans man. [17]

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References

  1. 1 2 Landsbaum, Claire (October 2017). "Emma Portner's Body Is Her Megaphone". The Cut. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2018. the 22-year-old [as of October 2017]
  2. 1 2 Bloom, Julie (February 12, 2018). "Ellen Page and Emma Portner, in Motion". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Meet Emma Portner, Ellen Page's new wife who has danced in a Justin Bieber video". Insider. Archived from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  4. ↑ "5 things to know about Ellen Page's wife". ABC News. January 5, 2018. Archived from the original on March 4, 2018. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Jim Steinman's Bat Out Of Hell Musical to Return to London's West End | Playbill". Playbill. December 4, 2017. Archived from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  6. 1 2 Bryant, Nolan (October 13, 2017). "Ottawa-born choreographer Emma Portner challenges dance's gender and artistic conventions". The Globe and Mail . Archived from the original on July 31, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Emma Portner". Broadway Dance Center. August 8, 2016. Archived from the original on January 31, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  8. ↑ Rasminsky, Abigail (September 10, 2018). "Why Commercial Star Emma Portner Is Exploding Into the Concert Dance World Right Now". Dance Magazine . Archived from the original on January 9, 2019. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  9. 1 2 "Dialogues". Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. Archived from the original on November 22, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Emma Portner lyser extra starkt i Dansens hus stjärnparad" [Emma Portner shines extra bright in Dansens hus's star parade]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). November 11, 2021. Archived from the original on November 22, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  11. ↑ Kennedy, Michael (November 20, 2021). "Who Plays Gozer In Ghostbusters: Afterlife (Is It Olivia Wilde?)". Screen Rant . Archived from the original on November 20, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  12. ↑ Miller, Mike (January 3, 2018). "Surprise! Ellen Page Is Married to Emma Portner". People . Archived from the original on January 3, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  13. 1 2 Steinmetz, Katy (March 16, 2021). "Elliot Page Is Ready for This Moment". Time . Archived from the original on March 16, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Elliot Page's Wife Says She's 'So Proud' of Him for Coming Out as Transgender: 'Love You So Much'". People . December 1, 2020. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  15. ↑ Bueno, Antoinette (January 26, 2021). "Elliot Page Files for Divorce From Wife Emma Portner". Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  16. ↑ Amatulli, Jenna (July 3, 2019). "Justin Bieber Choreographer Emma Portner Accuses Him Of 'Degrading Women'". HuffPost. Archived from the original on May 2, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Elliot Page's wife, Emma Portner, wants to keep her gender identity 'private'". Canoe.com . December 3, 2020. Archived from the original on April 29, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
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