by MARITES CARINO

The Festival International de Nouvelle Danse (FIND) is back and big as ever. Featuring more than 250 contemporary dance artists and a showering of shows, there’s enough dance in the next two weeks to fill an entire season. In search of the must-sees in motion, the Mirror spoke with Chantal Pontbriand—FIND’s co-founder, driving force and current director, who’s also editor of local art mag Parachute—for some suggestions.

Pontbriand chose to open the festival with a work by American choreographer Meg Stuart. In her late 30s, Stuart has already gained an international reputation—rare for a choreographer so young. “Her work has had a lot of influence with younger choreographers,” says Pontbriand. “She’s really looked up to as an inspiration to a whole generation.”

Stuart’s company Damaged Goods will make a North American premiere with a performance of Alibi (Sept. 30–Oct. 3). Pontbriand describes the piece, which takes place in a theatrical setting surrounded by video, as “a strong, energetic work that deals with the psychic undercurrent of contemporary life.” Though Damaged Goods has never made a Montreal appearance, I have seen local choreographer Benoît Lachambre perform a solo excerpt choreographed by Stuart and was totally blown away by the piece, which focused, interestingly enough, on the dancer’s neck.

If seeing Alibi makes you hunger for more from Stuart, take a rare glimpse into the choreographer’s creative process when she shows a work in progress. The one-night-only affair takes place on Oct. 7 at Usine C.

CONTEMP-ORIENTATION

On to a few picks for those looking for initiation into the world of contemporary dance. “You have to see William Forsythe and the Ballett Frankfurt,” says Pontbriand of the large-scale spectacle. “It will be an incredible privilege because, since Forsythe is leaving the ballet at the end of 2004, the company will no longer exist.” Forsythe gained prominence with the Joffrey Ballet in New York before moving to Europe in the ’70s, where he has since made his mark with the Ballett Frankfurt. His company of more than 30 dancers will close the festival with a quartet of works created between 1996 and 2002, showcasing the choreographer’s ingenuity, daring and versatility (Oct. 10–11).

Of course the smaller-scale stuff has its own charm. “A lot of the spirit of contemporary dance is in intimate settings,” says Pontbriand, highly recommending one of the duet pieces by Brit Jonathan Burrows, whose work she describes as “simple, minimalist and extremely touching.” The first piece, Weak Dance Strong Questions (Oct. 5), takes place on a barren stage, leaving ample room to focus on the juxtaposition of bodies and movements by the classically trained Burrows. He’s joined by Jan Ritsema, a theatre director with no formal dance training by the way. The other Burrows work playing is Both Sitting Duet (Oct 7–8), in which Burrows and composer Matteo Fargion sit still on chairs, using only their hands to make both music and choreography, manually exploring the space where song and dance converge.

SEX, GOD & VIRUSES

As for personal picks, local choreographer Marie Chouinard, always a festival fave, animates her company both physically and vocally in her latest creation Chorale, which premiered in Italy earlier this year. The piece brings movement and voice together around themes of sexuality and divinity.

Viruses have been in the headlines of late, and Israel’s Batsheva Dance Company is bringing a new one to Canada: Naharin’s Virus, named after the company’s artistic director Ohad Naharin. As a starting point for this piece, Naharin uses a play by Austrian writer Peter Handke, which addresses both the audience and the theatre. Montrealers have gotten a taste of the imaginative and sometimes mischievous works by this Israeli choreographer, and his latest brainchild should measure up.

The prize for Piece With Most Curious Title goes to Hooman Sharifi and his Impure Company. Sharifi’s work, As If Your Death Was Your Longest Sneeze Ever, attempts to cultivate an interaction with the audience by eliminating the stage and incorporating the spectators into the performance—get in on it on Oct. 10 and 11.

FIND RUNS FROM SEPT. 30–OCT. 12. FOR SHOW INFO CALL INFO-DANSE AT 844-2172 OR VISIT WWW.FIND-LAB.COM