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Tangente crosses borders >> Theatre, video and music are all thrown into Alain Francoeur's Les Mâles by MELANIE KLIMCHUK
He had no trouble finding co-conspirators. When he presented the idea of exploring vulnerability and masculinity to seven other local artists, they jumped at the chance to get out of their element and into unexplored territory. Les Mâles' cast members/co-creators come from backgrounds of theatre, dance, music, visual arts and video, and they range in age from 23 to 47. Some are starting out in their field; others, such as Jean-Pierre Perrault dancer Daniel Soulières and musician Martin Tétreault, are, like Francoeur, seasoned dance veterans. In Francoeur's words, there will be a "superimposing strata of different arts" next week, October 23 to 26, at Tangente. Also at Tangente, Le Choeur de Silences (the chorus of silence) portrays a Greek chorus which mutinies against its leader, and then must decide whether individuality or collectivity is more important--whether to go it alone or to find some common ground. This is a very Western play, all in all, with a particularly Québécois overtone. Written and directed by Luk Fleury, it borrows from many cultural traditions--Kathikali and Chinese operatic makeup, Japanese dress, traditional Irish dance as a kind of body-based percussion and of course, the Greek chorus. Fleury's background is in music and art history. Theatre Kafala, the troupe who co-created the piece over two years, will show Le Choeur for the final time from October 16 through to the 19 at Tangente. Tangente showcases emerging and established contemporary dancers and interdisciplinary artists from here and around the world. The small performance space is perfect for experimental work that demands that its audience stay in the moment; unlike larger venues, there's no comfortable distance between audience and performer. Both shows Thu-Sat 8pm, Sun 7:30pm, $10. A season's pass is $100 for the remaining season's 30 shows. Free babysitting during the earlier Sunday night shows if requested in advance. Individual shows $10-20. For my reviews of FIND, check out my website at http://www.com.org/~melanie. Tangente also offers group, dance student and dance professional rates. (840 Cherrier, 525-5584)
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Organizers at Tangente love crossing the line between disciplines, as with veteran Carbone 14 dancer Alain Francoeur, who is drawn to both theatre and dance. In his crossover play Les Mâles, he wanted to go past actual maleness and straight to the common core of what it means to be human. He was also curious about how an exclusively male creative piece would differ from other works he's done.