The swing of things

>> Autumn highlights of the body at work

by MARITES CARINO

First off, ever been curious about tango, swing, or flamenco but suffer from commitment issues when it comes to shelling out for classes? Now’s the time to scan the back pages of the papers for a multitude of dance schools offering free trial dance lessons. So jump in and get your feet wet—for free. But if you’d rather just sit back and watch, here are some dance highlights for the season.
September’s a busy month of dance where everybody gets back into the swing of things. Opening the season for Tangente is the annual Danse Buissonnière, where emerging local dance talent takes centre stage (Sept. 12–15). Some of this year’s chosen include Annie Gagnon, Caroline Laurin-Beaucage and Emmanuel Proulx.

Just upstairs at L’Agora de la Danse is ODYSSIA. Audiences got glimpses of it last year, and now the final product is ready for viewing. Set against an all-white backdrop, local choreographer Irèni Stamou creates a colourful world in this solo, which was inspired by residencies in Costa Rica (Sept. 12–14, 18–21).
Over on Lalonde, choreographer Danièle Desnoyers and her company Le Carré des Lombes put dance back on stage at Usine C this season (Sept. 25–28). Desnoyers’ latest work, Bataille, features six dancers in opposition and allows the audience to sit on stage with the dancers during this intimate performance.
And Les Grands Ballets Canadiens opens with Gloria/Noces (Sept. 26–Oct. 5). In Gloria, dancers are accompanied by the choir of the Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal. And Noces, a new work by Belgian choreographer Stijn Celis closes the evening program.

If you happened to see Nest last year, by the Toronto Dance Theatre, the last installment of the trilogy that it headed is on this month at the Centre Pierre-Péladeau (Sept. 19–21). Inspired by Homer’s Odyssey, a dozen dancers voyage through life in Persephone’s Lunch, by Canadian choreographer Christopher House.

Studio 303 kicks open its doors for the fall season with the Vernissage-Danse series (Sept. 28–29). Edition #103 puts Virginia Preston, Hinda Essadiqui and Erin Flynn underneath the glow of the spotlight. They’re participants in the residency for Emerging Artists program. Also that night is a book-launch where Studio 303 employee Lys Stevens makes a jump into publishing with Taking the Leap, a guide for dance artists in the making.

Asian flavah
Make an October escape to the land of the rising sun at Présences du Japon, an event concocted by choreographer Jocelyne Montpetit. This year Montreal welcomes Japanese choreographer Min Tanaka, who will perform the solo Infant Body Out of Joint at L’Agora de la Danse (Oct. 3–5). And on the same stage the following week (Oct. 9–18), local choreographer Hélène Blackburn’s Courage mon amour focuses on the role of the dancers in the creation of a choreography. Also this month (Oct. 24–26), Ballet British Columbia is coming east for a performance of The Faerie Queen.

Starting off the month of November, guys take over the stage at the Monument-National in Ani*mâles. Improvisation conductor-of-sorts, Andrew de L. Harwood dances and directs an all-male cast in this multidisciplinary event that evolves from night to night (Nov. 5–16).

If you’re up for a mix of ballet, jazz and Brazilian dance, check out O Corpo and 21 by Grupo Corpo, Nov. 14–16 at Place des Arts. Under the direction of Rodrigo Pedernerias, this is the company’s first visit to Montreal. But if modern dance and strings are more your thing, keep your eyes peeled for the Navas/Haman Project (Nov. 28–30) at the Centre Pierre-Péladeau. In collaboration with American cellist Walter Haman, José Navas performed this piece in Venice this spring. And the same weekend, Spanish choreographer and artistic director Nacho Duato returns to Montreal (Nov. 29–30). This time Duato performs with his company Compañía Nacional de Danza in Multiplicity: Forms of Silence and Emptiness, a work inspired by the life of J.S. Bach. This is a must-see.

In December, choreographer Marie Parisella ends Tangente’s 2002 season in the Danza! Dança! series. Taking the rhythms of flamenco and modern dance, Parisella whips up a flamenco fusion to rid you of the winter-blahs. And if you’re scrambling for a last-minute gift idea, why not take someone out for a winter dance classic? After 39 years, The Nutcracker just keeps going and going at Place des Arts (Dec. 14–30).

Bonne saison! :

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