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REPERTOIRE
Slept Away (red dream, blue dream)
by Louis Laberge-Côté
Slept Away (red
dream, blue dream) is choreographer Louis Laberge-Côté’s journey into the world of dreams. Through a series of short vignettes, archetypal images and characters are suggested to the audience, and - much like in dreams - brought together in a non-linear, episodic way: falling asleep leads to the sinking of the Titanic, which then turns into a Romeo and Juliet duet on a sea of love; Ophelia, running away from Hamlet, ends up in the world of Dracula; the killing of Medusa brings us into a museum of classical mythology, where the statues come to life to the surprise of the tour guide.
This commission was made possible with generous assistance from the Canada Council for the Arts.
Choreography by Marie Béland (5 dancers, 20 minutes) In this new work, choreographer Marie Béland expands upon two themes touched on in her first creation for youth audiences, performed in Montreal in 2005. The first is the act of seeing – what we see in others, what they see in us, and how we want them to perceive us. The eyes are the starting part in all of our relationships with others. Secondly, I explore the desire to experiment with and deepen these interpersonal relationships; the human drive to join together, to form groups, knowing that nine times out of ten we do not end up where we expected to. With the passion and intensity of youth, the characters of As You Can See reflect the need we all have to connect with the outside world. This commission was made possible with generous assistance from the Canada Council for the Arts.
In That Which Belongs to the Other, Montreal’s Marie-Julie Asselin addresses what we draw from our environment, from others around us, and the challenge that comes with realizing just how much these influences make us who we are. The furious athleticism of this piece finally sees the dancers collapsing entangled in enormous embraces.
This work follows four personal journeys through a surrealist landscape with non sequitur cuts creating fast paced filmic scene changes. This highly charged theatrical quartet was created in collaboration with the interpreters who lent their imaginations to mold their personal experiences into new entities.
Wondering, Womaning Wondering, Womaning Appearances are often
deceiving. Wondering, Womaning is inspired by the postures,
gestures and epic images of comic book superheroes; this duet follows two
ladies’ transformation from working girl to modern-day warrior-woman. The
heeled duo attempts to keep their shared secret under wraps by striving to
maintain an appearance of normality. The stereotypical, everyday, feminine
gestures executed by the dancers are slowly infiltrated by staccato,
repetitive movements, which reveal an altered side of their personas.
L'ove L'ove This piece is an exploration of the journey towards emotional truth. The intention of the choreography is to transpose emotions, daily situations and human relations into movement. Movements combining hypertension and total release are used to approach themes including vulnerability, strength and the paradoxical difference between the way one feels and what one expresses. Facial expressions add a touch of humour to many of the scenes. The musical score is fierce, combining upbeat house music and strings with a cinematic grandeur that drives and supports this energetic and poignant dance piece.
This piece is a choreographed set of questions that revolve around western dualities: the mind and the body, the internal and the external, the past and the present, and the strained relationships between pleasure and progress. Inspiration for the piece comes from the Enlightenment period in history, and the brave thinkers throughout history who have tried to dismantle hypocrisies and challenge others. The piece is character-driven - the five characters are "stylish subversives" who use their bodies as fearless vehicles through which they ask questions of themselves, of each other and of the world.
jack combines the hallmark random and somewhat awkward movements of choreographer Jasmine Inns to create a feeling of anxiety, and to reflect the unpredictability of the world. This unpredictability could be a traffic accident, a robbery, or winning the lottery. The dance examines how individuals deal with this sense of randomness. The two dancers on stage have no notable relationship: the anxiety they are expressing is something they must deal with on their own. They are two separate people who sometimes have an effect on each other, and even this effect is random.
Mystical, visceral and
ecstatic describe Peter Chin’s ‘ritual with frogs, butterflies and others’
featuring movement inspired by the Gambuh ritual theatre of Bali (and the
lives of frogs, butterflies and other creatures). The quintet weaves an
energetic web in a dance that explores the fierce unison of the herd as
well as sinuous, intertwining individualism, creating a complex
counterpoint.
8-8-5-5-8 8-8-5-5-8 This duet combines movement and text inspired by the writing talents of the dancers. The text is based on limericks written when the dancer was in high school. With the use of highly charged gestural movements structured into a series of narrative scenes, this piece is a visual charade that plays with coming-of-age themes and relationships.
Kuere is the Anglo-Saxon root of the word ‘question’ which means to ask, seek, gain or win. The foundation of this piece was drawn from The Book of Questions, by Pablo Neruda. These brief poems, finished only months before the author’s death in 1973, are composed entirely of questions, which express his dedication to the ‘structure of feeling’ underlying experience. His passion lies in finding and improvising upon basic rhythms of perception to reveal unspoken and unspeakable truths. The text, spoken in both English and Spanish, provides a vocal counterpoint to a repetitive sound score built to musically represent the passing of time. This highly gestural piece follows four women on their quest for understanding, a process initiated by asking questions.
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Last Update - June 16, 2008
