Blazing bodies in perpetual motion

>> >> Prancing into summer in the city and beyond

by MARITES CARINO

First off, don't forget about the on-going Canada Dance Festival in Ottawa. There are only three more days left to catch the latest offerings by the innovative Compagnie Marie Chouinard at the National Arts Centre. There's also the Short Takes contemporary program, June 15 and 17, which is a sampling of choreography excerpts from former La La La dancer Sarah Williams, Newfoundland dancer Anne Troake, and Vancouver's Ziyian Kwan. And the last showing of Te souvient-il, a serene work by locals Louise Bédard and Sylvain Émard, June 15.

But if you're in the mood for Flamenco, there's a double bill on Saturday, June 17, with Toronto's Carmen Romero and Teatro. Wrapping up the fest is a commissioned work by Édouard Lock for the National Ballet of Canada.

And if there's one thing that summer has to offer, it's dance in the open-air theatres. At Parc Lafontaine's Théatre de Verdure, there's free programming all summer long. Kicking it off, there's Cirq'Art, which uses various artistic disciplines, including modern dance for their colourful show July 5 and 6. All shows start at 8:30 p.m., weather permitting.

At the end of July, don't miss the city's repertory dance company Montréal danse, who are putting on a collage of past works by four choreographers Jean-Pierre Mondor, Estelle Clareton, Paul-André Fortier, and Natsu Nakajima.

August 2-6, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens presents its Les Grands Européens program in its entirety. It's an evening of contemporary choreography, which includes Without Words by Nacho Duato and European wannabe William Forsythe's Approximate Sonata.

Ending the Summer Skies series at Parc Lafontaine will be Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal, August 10-13. Featured will be Circle Songs by company dancer Sawn Hounsell, No Strings Attached by dancer Myriam Naisy who's also in Quebec's foot-stompin' musical group La Bottine Souriante. All shows at Parc Lafontaine, 8:30 p.m.

Dance in the Laurentians

If you want to escape the hustle and bustle of the city's festivals, hit the road to check out an event outside the city. The Festival des arts de St-Sauveur runs June 28-Aug.6. For 10 days, this town is inundated with cultural activities, of which dance is a big part, from classical ballet to flamenco. Making a world premiere, is La Traversée, a work by Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal's artistic director, Louis Robitaille. Also, making their first Festival appearance is Toronto's Ballet Joergen (who will perform a work to the fiddle tunes of Ashley MacIsaac) New York's Dance Galaxy, and the National Hungarian Ballet. Local company Ballet Flamenco Arte de Espana will put on a free outdoor show featuring flamenco and song.

There will also be a competition for young choreographers who submit their original works. Three finalists will be invited to give public performances August 3.

Dance for your eyes only

On the summer schedule for Danse-Cité is an encore performance of Hautnah, by German choreographer Felix Ruckert, who aims to include the audience in his works as much as possible. It's a one-to-one dance where each spectator chooses one of 10 dancers and in turn receives a unique private performance in a closed-off space.

Also, more by the same Berliner: Schwartz, a study in non-verbal communication, makes its North American premiere. Here, the public is immersed in a world of silence, sensation and observation, and becomes a part of the work, as much as the performers. Curious? Moi aussi.

Rounding out the summer season is a choreographic seminar with José Navas, artistic director of FLAK. Six dancers and six composers pool their talents Aug.21-31. Each paired up with a composer, the choreographers have 24 hours to create a work. The public is invited to watch the process and then participate in the discussion. :

Canada Dance Festival, June 9-17. For more information, visit www.canadadance.ca or call (613) 947-7000

Hautnah and Schwartz at Agora de la danse, July 5-8 and 11-15, between 8pm and midnight. For reservations, call 525-1500

Festival des arts de St-Sauveur,

July 28-Aug. 6. Call 450-227-9935 or visit www.artssaintsauveur.com for schedules

Choreographic seminar with José Navas at Agora de la danse, Aug. 23-28, 7:30pm