Elsa Wolliaston

Elsa Wolliaston (June 28, 1945 – March 12, 2026) was a Jamaican-born dancer and choreographer.

Wolliaston had a lengthy career in the United States and in France, where she resided beginning in 1969. A major figure in the European contemporary dance scene that developed in the 1970s, she became known for her performances with the American Center in Paris, where she taught and choreographed her first pieces. With the Japanese choreographer Hideyuki Yano, she founded the dance company Mâ Danse Rituel Théâtre in 1975. In 1984, she began a lengthy collaboration with the percussionist Jean-Yves Colson. The following year, she founded the company and studio One Step, which became the base for her teaching and choreography.