Noisemakers 2000: Thrash dancer

>> Transformer performer Patrick Lamothe

by MARITES CARINO

When I last spoke to choreographer-dancer Patrick Lamothe in the spring, he was getting ready for Loup, his first solo show at Tangente. Back then, he seemed pretty busy. But in this short time, his projects seem to have doubled. Not bad for someone who originally intended on going into theatre.

Ironically, Lamothe discovered dance during a theatre program audition, before he had any formal dance training. "In dance I found a way of expression that was more open than theatre," he says now. (And since the theatre program rejected him, there's been no turning back...)

A big project for this LADMMI grad is his remaking of a Quebecois musical called Cabaret Neige Noire, set to hit the stage at the Salle Gesu in the spring. In this work for 26 dancers, Lamothe explores what he calls "the dark side of society."

He's also doing another mega-choreography for the 26-member troupe at the Universite de Montreal. Ever since he danced in Jean-Pierre Perreault's Joe, Lamothe has enjoyed choreographing for many dancers: "Something simple can be very powerful." As for dancing, he'll be in three different productions in the new year, so keep an eye out.

According to Dena Davida, artistic director of Tangente, "He could have been a rock star, but now he's like the Pied Piper leading the youth to contemporary dance." In fact, Lamothe used to be a drummer in a thrash band, and it sometimes shows in his movements, which are often loud, involve a lot of head movement and are developed on the spot. "As a drummer, I was always stuck in my chair!" he laughs

For his most recent work Thrash, Lamothe received a Canada Arts Council Grant. And this has given him confidence to do something he's never tried to do before: sell his work abroad. In December, Lamothe jetted off to Switzerland for the holidays to "knock on doors." But he probably won't have to knock very hard. l