Dial M for men

>> Emmanuel Jouthe’s latest work portrays male physicality

by MARITES CARINO

Things have been shakin’ since founder and artistic director of Danse Carpe Diem Emmanuel Jouthe was christened Mirror noisemaker in ’99. Since then, he’s been immersed in a flurry of creation and has been participating in a European collaboration that led to his most recent project.

The need for approval, and seeking it from others is a major theme in Jouthe’s De la pudeur, which encompasses two choreographies: M and Chanel et les gémeaux. The first chapter, M, takes the stage this week at Tangente.

Jouthe got his initial inspiration from a monastery in Catalonia last summer. Upon entering, he was overwhelmed by the serenity and the silence of this sacred place and transferred this energy into M, a 25-minute work for two male dancers in their forties: Berliner Felix Ruckert and Brit Julyan Hamilton.

The trio rehearsed the piece on an isolated farm that was converted into a studio. “The ambiance was favourable to creating tranquility,” says Jouthe. “There was no pollution from the outside world and we could concentrate.” What emerged from this setting is a piece that reflects this calm and simplicity.

But when Jouthe returned to North America, he became curious to see how the choreography’s dynamic would change if he were to alter the cast. He decided to dance in it and invited local choreographer David Presseault to join him. Because both dancers are in their thirties, Jouthe says the piece has now undergone a metamorphosis. While retaining the serious, sombre aspect of the original version, it has adopted a lighter, more frenetic energy.

“There have been some adjustments,” says Jouthe. “Now we’re in the middle of downtown, in the middle of spring, in the middle of electricity, and David and I joke with each other a lot. There’s been a positive transformation of the work.”

Through dance, Jouthe attempts to uncover the emotional undercurrents existing in this face-to-face meeting between two men and two egos. “In our society, how often do you see men being affectionate with each other?” he asks. “I’m trying to unveil hidden things, like the physical relationship that exists between two men where there is no physical attraction.”
M will be followed by Jouthe’s first commissioned work, Accélération, another duet, but this time for two women. Keep an your eye out for Chanel et les gémeaux, the second part of Jouthe’s De la pudeur project, which will debut at the MAI in May.

Dance me upstairs

At the same time, on the second floor of 840 Cherrier at the Agora de la danse, there will be another male choreographer on stage. Flemish dancer and choreographer Alexander Baervoets got involved in dance later in life after having been a dance spectator, critic and historian for many years. His first Montreal performance includes Room 201, a trio featuring Baervoets, Katrien Van Aerschot and a mattress. :

M and Accélération at Tangente April 25–27, 8pm, April 28, 7:30pm, $13–15, or $24 including Chanel et les gémeaux

Room 201 and Das Wohltemperierte Klavier at Agora de la danse, April 25–27, 8pm, $21–28, 525-1500