The show comprises stroboscopics effects inadvisable for pregnant women, epileptic people or ones who have pace maker.POST-SHOW DISCUSSION
On 24 October András Rényi, art historian, will be talking with Marie Chouinard, choreographer, after the performance (in English with Hungarian translation) in the café. Everybody is welcome!
Two choreographies arrive from the famous Canadian company that is returning to us the sixth time. The constant factors: the drive, the rhythm, the choreographer Marie Chouinard and the modern classics of musical history.
HENRI MICHAUX: MOUVEMENTS
In 1980, Marie Chouinard discovered the book Mouvements by Henri Michaux (1899-1984). In 64 pages of India-ink drawings, a 15-page poem and an afterword, Mouvements presents multiform figures that Marie Chouinard took pleasure in reading literally, left to right and page by page, as a choreographic score. She then proceeded to decrypt the great artist’s drawings and set dance to these "movements of multiple inkjets, a celebration of blots, arms moving up and down the scales.”
The book’s transition to dance has been done “word for word”, for even the poem in the middle of the book, as well as its afterword, are included in the choreography.
The drawings are projected in the background, allowing spectators to do a simultaneous personal reading of the Michaux score. Echoing the visual presentation of a white page with black drawings, performers dressed in black dance on a white floor.
GYMNOPÉDIES
The second piece is the newest performance of the company that premiered this summer. It is around the theme of the duet while at the piano the dancers take turns playing the Gymnopédies of Erik Satie.
“I’m working to find the form of the duo
its transfiguration
the fracas of beauty
its finesse
although the apparent subject of this new creation is the duo, loving, erotic,
the real subject is perhaps the unexpected, time, the dance itself, the
miracle otherwise, the appearance of the present,
the elsewhere suddenly and powerfully here, at last
at an even deeper level, the subject would simply be
form
the ephemeral form which would correspond to
the intuition that made me start this work around the duets
...and around the gymnopédies
organizing this form and giving it
my subject is the road that leads to you”
Marie Chouinard
Paris, January 2013
Dancers: Paige CULLEY, Valeria GALLUCCIO, Leon KUPFERSCHMID, Lucy M. MAY, Mariusz OSTROWSKI, Sacha OUELLETTE-DEGUIRE, Carol PRIEUR, Dorotea SAYKALY, James VIVEIROS, Megan WALBAUM
HENRI MICHAUX: MOUVEMENTS
Choreography and Artistic Direction: Marie CHOUINARD
Lighting, Set Design: Marie CHOUINARD
Original music: Louis DUFORT
Sound environment: Edward FREEDMAN
Costumes: Marie CHOUINARD
Hairstyle: Marie CHOUINARD
Poem, Post face and projected drawings: Henri MICHAUX, from the book "Mouvements" (1951), with the permission of the right-holders Henri Michaux and Editions Gallimard
Translation: Howard SCOTT
Dancers at creation: Kimberley DE JONG, Leon KUPFERSCHMID, Lucy M. MAY, Lucie MONGRAIN, Mariusz OSTROWSKI, Carol PRIEUR, Gérard REYES, Dorotea SAYKALY, James VIVEIROS, Megan WALBAUM
A COMPAGNIE MARIE CHOUINARD production with the support of ImPulsTanz (Vienna)
GYMNOPÉDIES
Choreography and Artistic Direction: Marie CHOUINARD
Music: Érik SATIE: Gymnopédies no 1, no 2, no 3; Richard WAGNER: Overture Tristan and Isolde
Lighting: Alain LORTIE
Set design: Guillaume LORD, Marie CHOUINARD
Costumes: Liz VANDAL
Additional Costumes and Props: Marie CHOUINARD
Musical consultant : Louis DUFORT
Sound environnement: Jesse LEVEILLE
A COMPAGNIE MARIE CHOUINARD production in coproduction with Les Nuits de Fourvière (Lyon - France), with the support of Carolina Performing Arts (Chapel Hill – United States) and ImPulsTanz (Vienna)
Rehearsal Director: Tony CHONG
Tour Manager: Marie-Pier CHEVRETTE
Technical Director and Lighting Manager: Robin KITTEL-OUIMET
Stage Manager: Noémie AVIDAR
Sound Engineer: Antoine BOUCHARD
The COMPAGNIE MARIE CHOUINARD wishes to thank the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des Arts de Montréal.
„Watching Marie Chouinard’s latest creation, “M,” is like having a fever dream where AI teaches cute mechanical dolls how to dance like humans. It’s simultaneously engrossing and off-putting, fascinating and annoying, too long but potentially endless.”