Metal maiden

>> Choreographer Daniele Desnoyers explores the sound of dance

by MARITES CARINO

 If you like the ratatat rhythms of Jean-Pierre Perrault's Joe or the stampaty-stamp tempos of Stomp, chances are you'll appreciate an equally percussive show taking the stage at L'Agora next week.

 Choreographer Daniele Desnoyers translates dance into sound in her most recent creation Concerto grosso pour corps et surface metallique, which made a noisy run at the Festival International de Nouvelle Danse last fall.

 In this choreography for five, the interaction between the dancers and the metallic set is what generates and drives the work's soundtrack. Wearing shoes with metal tips, dancers pitter and patter atop a metallic surface onstage. Their movements upon the surface are amplified and then manipulated by electroacoustic artist Nancy Tobin. Tobin's manipulations are enhanced by a soundtrack featuring music for piano by Morton Feldman and Alfred Schnittke.

 Concerto grosso is divided into three sections. The first part features a soloist who is seemingly deaf. Gradually, this character begins to discover and explore a unique sonorous environment, in which a tangle of speakers emit her personalized soundscape. The second section welcomes the rest of the dancers on stage to frolic about in an interactive playground. The last segment is frenzied and frenetic--and it can get loud. So heed this warning: if you're volume sensitive, strategically place yourself away from the speakers.

 After training in classical and modern, and then dancing for Jean-Pierre Perrault's company, Desnoyers decided to go off on her own to start her career in choreography about 12 years ago. Since then she's created works inspired from the depths of the soul, often exploring the theme of contradictions.

 There are other events linked to the performance, such as a public meeting with Desnoyers after the opening night performance (when?). And while you're in the building, peek into the gallery Laboratoire, which features work by photographer Luc Senecal.

 

Concerto grosso pour corps et surface metallique at L'Agora de la danse, March 16-18, 8pm, $10-20