MARINE RIXHON

MARINE RIXHON

• Montreal, Quebec 
• Classical dance, contemporary dance 
• Career Pathway: Facilitator – Sex education   

Originally from Belgium, Marine Rixhon graduated from the dance department at UQAM in 2013. Since then, she has developed her practice as a performer alongsidenumerous Montreal choreographers. Among her collaborations, she has appeared in works by Virginie Brunelle, the Schmutt Sisters, Milan Gervais, Isabelle Van Grimde, Caroline Laurin-Beaucage, David Albert-Toth, and Emily Gualtieri. It was as part of Karine Ledoyen’s “Osez ! en solo” project that Marine created her first solo piece, in whichshe explores feelings of ambivalence and gives shape to her inner dualities. 

MARINE’S STORY

“The pandemic prompted me to reflect on my future and the solutions that could be implemented to address the growing precariousness of our environment. Driven by a desire to develop a parallel career that would allow me to achieve greater financial stability so that I could continue practicing my profession, I turned to the DTRC for support and guidance in my decision-making process. First, I received support from a career counsellor. This support helped me become aware of other areas of interest and gave me the momentum and courage to embark on the daunting project of returning to school. Career Exploration, Retraining, and living expense grants then allowed me to enroll full-time in a certificate program in Sexuality: Social Issues and Intervention Practices, which I completed in June 2024 at the University of Montreal. 

Embarking on this project to return to school while continuing my career was a way to exercise decision-making power over my future and reverse the dynamic of waiting that I am familiar with as an interpreter. Taking control of my professional trajectory gave me a new lease on life. The invaluable support of the DTRC enabled me to implement this project, which was very close to my heart and which, for me, represents a new path to emancipation that is just as vibrant and meaningful as dance. 

I have noticed that these stages of our journeys are still taboo in our community. I, myself, felt very insecure about the idea of returning to school. Sharing this experience is a way of fully embracing this project, as well as contributing to the discussion about the need to diversify our paths in order to continue practicing our art.   

Beyond the study of sexuality, sexology represents, for me, a lens through which to observe all kinds of social issues, the same issues that we encounter, experience, and try to negotiate in our community. These studies have given me a new perspective, allowing me to develop a different approach to the power dynamics at the heart of systemic issues, particularly those related to gender and multiple forms of discrimination.   

I am now looking for a point of intersection where these two fields can meet, a space where perspectives can intersect, hoping to find a sensitive and rigorous way to bring them into dialogue.” 

DTRC’S SUPPORT

• Career Counselling 
• Career Exploration Grant 
• Retraining (Study) Grant 
• FTS II Subsistence (Parallel Pathway) Grant