DANCE:
Hot moves

Binge on Fringe and get your global groove on

by MARITES CARINO

You always know summer has arrived when all vacant wall and window space up and down the Main is plastered with posters screaming outrageous titles like Helium-Induced Orgasms—the Musical or The Day Guido Used the Breast-Pump on Fido. Yes, the annual Fringe Festival is back and runs to June 22.

There’s a whole whack of dance shows in the Fringe to choose from. For starters, the newest creation by the Solid State Breakdance Collective, Etch-A-Sketch is a feel-good work with a whole lot of punch. If you missed it during the DNA festival this spring, make sure to catch it here. Other local choreographers include Dave St-Pierre with a large group piece called Le No Man’s Land Show, Frédérick Gravel with Plutôt divertissant, a work that incorporates jazz rhythms, and Le Retour de Frank by Sylvie Saint-Pierre.

The Fringe isn’t just about local talent. Choreographers from away begin their annual descent on the city this week. Like American choreographer Kim Olson who presents Sweet Edge, Satomi Hino, from Japan who performs folk-dance-inspired La Mosaïque, and Missing Pieces, an aerial dance piece by New York company Nuvole Dance Theatre. Happy Fringing!

South American swing

True tango aficionados and wannabes alike should slink on over to the Montreal International Tango Festival, which runs from July 6–13. During the seven days of tango celebrations, there are workshops, shows and music for all. The closing show, Nuit du Tango (July 12), features many masters at the Théâtre d’Outrement. This Argentinian dance frenzy is organized by Tango Libre, who, incidentally, are the same people who offer free summer tango lessons in Parc St-Viateur.

Prefer something quirky? Then the Just for Laughs Festival may have something for you. Billed as a mix of gymnastics, acrobatics and modern dance, Aeros takes over the Centre Pierre-Péladeau from July 8–27.

On to dance outside of the city. There’s more to St-Sauveur than the ski hill in the winter and the waterslides in the summer. From July 11–20, it’s the centre for Le Festival des arts de Saint-Sauveur. Music and dance are centre stage at this outdoor gathering. The Ballet of the National Theatre in Prague (July 12–13) makes their North American premiere, and don’t miss the Compañia Nacional de Danza 2 (July 18–19), an offshoot of Spanish choreographer Nacho Duato’s company. A festival highlight is the finals for the International Choreography Competition, which takes the stage July 16 with three finalists from Tennessee, France and Hungary. Don’t forget about the free outdoor shows with traditional dance troupe Les Sortilèges (July 11). Ending the outdoor series, flamenco students stamp it up with their group Gitanos del Norte and Egyptian belly dancer Noura shows some flare.

Moving from the Laurentians to the Lanaudière, here’s one good reason to hop on the 40 to Joliette: Le Festival de Lanaudière. If you’ve never had the opportunity to see Marie Chouinard’s Le Sacre du printemps, or Prélude à l’après-midi d’une faune, here’s your chance. The company dancers will be joined by the Montreal Symphony Orchestra on the outside stage (July 26).

Summer’s end

Be sure to mark off these dates at the tail end of the summer for the free dance performances at the Théâtre de Verdure in the heart of Parc Lafontaine. La Compagnie Barrio Flamenco kicks off the series on Aug. 2 with songs and dance heating up the atmosphere even more. On Aug. 15, Montréal Danse presents De Julia à Émilie,1943, a captivating choreography by Estelle Clareton. Up next is Le Jeune Ballet du Québec, who perform Aug. 19–20, before big daddy Les Grands Ballets Canadiens closes the Verdure festivities with performances featuring works by Nacho Duato from Aug. 26–28.

Winding down the summer on a contemporary dance note, José Navas has cooked up an intriguing event for Agora de la Danse. Every day from Aug. 25–29, five choreographers and five composers will be randomly paired up to create a 10-minute work for dancers in 24 hours. The fruits of their labours will be shown each night, and the next day, the whole cycle repeats for five days. Enjoy the heat!