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The young and the restless >> New and established choreographers take the stage this week by MARITES CARINO
Three choreographers in their 20s present a variety of works in Événement Carpe Diem 18. Performances are free, so arrive early if you want a seat or a piece of an aisle. The first work of the evening is a duet called Mardi Gras, by UQAM dance graduate Marie-Julie Asselin. Asselin and her partner Steve Beshwaty dance in front of a concave half-circle scrim onto which videos are projected. The duet opens with them taking turns manipulating each other like stiff dolls, placing each other's heavy limbs. Dressed in layers of vibrant colours, the dancers nestle into each others' nooks and crannies. Searching for soulmates is an underlying theme the dancers flirt with in this gentle work. French Kiss, La Petite Histoire d'un bec is a solo work by another UQAM dance grad Isabelle Chevrier. Bathed in a dim light, Chevrier lies on the ground and executes body undulations which give the illusion of floating. Then suddenly, she's tossing and flailing like an agitated insomniac. Chevrier effectively contrasts fluid and whispery movements with erratic and robotic ones. Dancing behind a sheet of plastic softens her edges and casts a peaceful halo around the work. In striking contrast, the last choreography is anything but peaceful. It's a mammoth production (26 dancers) by the sprightly Dave St-Pierre. In his early 20s, St-Pierre has accumulated experience in theatre and has danced for Brouhaha Danse and Harold Rhéaume. St-Pierre uses a work by Italian writer Italo Calvino and the theme of hysteria as a base for his third choreographic work called Aide mémoire pour le prochain millénaire. Where to start describing this sensory overload? Y2K pandemonium transformed into dance? Imagine the stage crammed with screaming women in laminated crunchy newspaper skirts, whose edges are being scotch-taped to the floor as the audience watches TV commercials and a video of a tap-dancing St-Pierre as a child on a cheesy Québécois show. Next, dancers rip their skirts off the stage floor and frenetically scurry about while St-Pierre dances calmly amidst the din, with two toy pistols holstered in his Speedo. This is something you're going to have to see for yourself. This soirée is presented by Danse Carpe Diem, founded in 1985 by UQAM dance students. The company gives young student dancers and choreographers a support system to showcase their works. Emotional strings Chamber music is the string that threads together the creations of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens' new show, Émotions. Artistic director Laurence Rhodes asked three established choreographers--Septime Webre, Kevin O'Day and Gioconda Barbuto--to create choreographies using chamber music. "They're very strong works and technically very demanding," Rhodes explains. "If you have a kinetic response when you watch dance, you'll have a strong response. However, as to the kind of emotion you'll react with, I can't say." The evening will feature a 12-member chamber orchestra accompanying the dancers in these three Montreal premieres. Événement Carpe Diem 18 at Piscine-Théâtre , to Mar.13 at 7pm, Mar 14 at 6pm, free. émotions at Théâtre Maisonneuve, PdA, Mar. 11-13 and 18-20 at 8pm, $20-49.50. Also check out: JuJuspine by Jorelle Pomé, at Studio 303, Mar. 12-13 at 8pm, $3-5
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Two shows, six choreographers and one big difference: experience. This weekend Événement Carpe Diem 18 and Émotions, respectively, showcase works by choreographers in the making and choreographies by established veterans of the international dance world.