Frosty frolic

>> >> Keep moving with velvet igloos, brain storms and edgy women

by MARITES CARINO

Are you wishing you had the $150+ to spend a frigid night in Quebec City's ice hotel? Don't despair, there are cheaper alternatives: in the depths of winter snowfall, leave the comforts of your home this week and check out ice-themed Velvet Iglu at Tangente. This new creation by Swiss artist Katharina Vogel combines Japanese butoh, electronica and cello music and shares a double bill with a piece by Sarah Joy Stoker. For her work, Stoker collected a ton of empty toilet rolls to make a statement about responsibility. "They cut down trees so you can wipe your ass and blow your nose with the softest tissues ever," she says, adding that "viewer discretion is advised." Jan. 18-21.

Over at Théâtre La Chapelle, newly formed female dance company Échine D? is opening the year with their first performance of works by choreographers Lucie Boissinot and Harold Rhéaume, Jan. 18-21. Premiering that same night in Parc Lafontaine, choreographer Stéphane Deligny's Anamnesis features Deligny and four dancers exploring the nature of personality. At the Centre culturel Calixa-Lavallée, Jan. 18-20.

Stormy weather

The end of January brings Brain Storm, by Sarah Bild, who uses different weather phenomena for inspiration. Hurricanes, thunder and tidal waves are at the heart of this quintet which shows Jan. 31-Feb. 3 and Feb. 7-10 at Agora de la danse.

In the festival department, Montreal's answer to Quebec's winter carnival, Montreal Highlights Festival, is putting an emphasis on dance. Making a trip from L'öle de la Réunion is the group Théâtre Talipot, which uses poetry, music and dance in the North American premiere of Passage, Feb. 13-17 at Usine C. Also crossing the waters is the Ballet Monte Carlo for their version of Cinderella, Feb. 15-18 at Place des Arts. The Montréal mène la danse night shows off local talent, with performances by O Vertigo, Margie Gillis, Compagnie Flak and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens on Feb. 28, also at PdA.

Then March kicks off with the Toronto Dance Theatre's Montreal premiere production of Christopher House's dynamic, high-energy Nest, in the Salle Pierre-Mercure of the Centre Pierre Péladeau, March 1-3.

Spontaneous steps

For thrill-seeking fans of spontaneity, the Improvisational Movement Fund (IMF) is putting on another show at Usine C. The group, made up of nine dancers accompanied by three musicians, have--you guessed it--improv on the menu from March 15-17. Then comes Studio 303's yearly Edgy Women event. The two-day affair is a multidisciplinary International Women's Day dance and spoken word hodge-podge extravaganza. March 23 at Studio 303.

Also in March, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens present their Festin d'images at Place des Arts. Highlights include Jardi Tancat, a work by Spanish choreographer Nacho Duato and the premiere of a work by Saskatchewan-born Shawn Hounsell. March 8-10 and 15-17 respectively.

If you feel like taking a road trip to the nation's capital near the end of March, check out the 12-member Icelandic Dance Company at the National Arts Centre on March 20. Or, closer to home, catch Four Solos/Four Cities at L'Agora de la danse, where four soloists from Berlin, Venice, Brussels and Vienna personify their cities in a choreographic concept whipped up by Canadian choreographer Lola MacLaughlin. March 22-24 at Agora de la danse.

At the tail-end of winter, dance-theatre company Pigeons International debuts L'Autre, a work which features Portugese and local dancer/actors. April 5-21 at Usine C.

Fresh off a European tour last fall, the Ballet Jazz de Montréal premiere the piece lumière espace temps at Espace Go, April 4-15. And last but not least, don't overlook the freebie seasonal offerings from your local Maison de la Culture. Keep an eye out for Sarah Bild's Brain Storm (Jan. 18), Mariko Tanabe' s The Dark Room (Jan. 25), La Douceur du ciel, by Lucie Grégoire Danse (Feb. 15) and Ken Roy's Projet Roy (Feb. 22), all at Mdc Plateau Mont-Royal.