(CO) + Le Facteur Humain

Choreographers and performers Evelyne Laforest & Rémi Laurin-Ouellette
Sound designer Rémi Laurin-Ouellette
Lighting design Alexis Bowles & David Desrochers

Le processus commence avec une recherche purement physique. L’objectif de cette étape est d’accumuler une banque de mouvements qui permet à la danse brute de s’exprimer. Ces mouvements et séquences sont ensuite placés sous différentes perspectives et plongent les créateurs dans un monde inconnu. Rapidement influencées par les thèmes de la dépendance et de l’interrelation, des images se manifestent et viennent former de potentiels tableaux. Certains sont alors sélectionnés et développés d’avantage. Une exploration avec la lumière est ensuite développée afin d’approfondir l’esthétique visuelle de la pièce.

Driven by the pleasure of playing with physical limits, Evelyne Laforest was a rhythmic gymnast for ten years, and was a member of the Canadian National Team. Drawn to the pluridisciplinary potential and expressivity of circus arts, she completed training with the National Circus School of Montreal and soon after discovered a gamut of performing outlets, most notably under the direction of Daniele Finzi Pasca, Maria Bonzanigo, and the team of Teatro Sunil and Cirque Éloize. She participated in the creation of the show Nebbia, and toured with the show for three years. In search of perpetual evolution, Evelyne enrolled in l’École de danse contemporaine de Montréal midway in her circus career, meanwhile continuing to perform in projects with Cirque Éloize, Compagnia Finzi Pasca, and independent choreographers. Together with Rémi Laurin Ouellette, Evelyne co-created the pieces 33 tours, Diffraction, Le Souper, and most recently (through FLY, the creation lab of L’École de danse contemporaine de Montréal) (CO). In addition to her dance projects, she continues to perform with Compagnia Finzi Pasca and is an original cast member of La Verità.

Rémi Laurin Ouellette entered the arts through theatre. He began acting lessons at a young age, and when he was eleven, he played in Alice Ronfard’s Les Troyennes at the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde in Montreal. During adolescence, he spent two years performing with the theatrical company Carbone 14, simultaneously participating in many other projects with the Conservatoire d’art dramatique and on television. Passionate about movement, he completed his studies in dance at l’École de danse contemporaine de Montréal and immediately after joined the dance company O Vertigo. He danced for four years with O Vertigo in works such as Étude #3, La Chambre Blanche, La Vie Qui Bat, and Onde De Choc, and also composed the music for the company’s Variation 2. Rémi danced for choreographer Jessica Serli in Entre Deux. He co-choreographed with Evelyne Laforest and composed the musical score of 33 Tours, Diffraction, and Le Souper, presented in Montréal, Moncton, Lachine, Châteaugay, and in Mazunte, Mexico. He also adapted and performed 33 Tours for a special performance in Geneva, Switzerland for the Cirque du Soleil. His most recent project is (CO), co-choreographed with Evelyne Laforest through L’École de danse contemporaine de Montréal’s creation lab FLY.

Alexis Bowles was born in Montreal, Canada in 1980. As a young child he followed his father, a member of Cirque du Soleil, around the world. As part of a new generation of designers, Alexis has mastered both lighting design and music production, a symbiosis of ambiance, texture, rhythm, and timing. Always in search of new media and technologies, his range of production is vast. His limitless style demonstrates a modern sensitivity, influenced by human nature and the desire for freedom. He has worked with Cirque Éloize, Teatro Sunil and Daniele Finzi Pasca since 2003. He has collaborated on major ballets such as Le Sacre du Printemps and L’Homme de bois at the Copenhagen Opera, as well as Sleeping Beauty at the National Opera and Ballet of Finland. He collaborated on the creation of Orphée et Eurydice and was the designer for the production of Le Nombre d’or (live) for the Compagnie Marie Chouinard.

Graduated from the National Théâtre School of Canada in 2005, David Desrochers works in the performing arts in Quebec and abroad. Joining Edgar Bori’s team in 2006, he also tours with Théâtre de l’Oeil, O Vertigo, Cirque Éloize and Robert Lepage’s Ex Machina. In 2010, his path leads to New York and the television studios of CNN, AlJazeera America and NBC. Back to Quebec in 2014, his return allows him to go back to his theater roots and work with companies like Centre du Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui, Théâtre de l’Oeil Ouvert and Nadère Arts Vivants.

Choreographers Evelyne Laforest & Rémi Laurin-Ouellette
Performers Élise Boileau, Margaux Chênevert-Beaupré, Christine Daigle, Vickie Grondin, Audréa Page, Hélène Remoué
Sound designer Rémi Laurin-Ouellette
Lighting design  Alexis Bowles & David Desrochers

(CO) was created as part of the Fly Project – Creation Laboratory (2014) offered to graduates of the EDCM.

Following the premiere of Evelyne Laforest and Rémi L. Ouellette’s piece Diffraction, l’École de danse contemporaine de Montréal invited the two young artists to realise a new work through FLY, the school’s creation laboratory. Evelyne Laforest and Rémi L. Ouellette were in turn given the chance to create a dance with Élise Boileau, Margaux Chênevert-Beaupré, Christine Daigle, Vickie Grondin, Audréa Page and Hélène Remoué.

The process began in the spring of 2014. The first rehearsals consisted of transmitting the body language of Diffraction to the dancers. Next, the sequences were re-examined, adapted, and coloured with themes of influence, fullness, and loss of physical balance. A spontaneous dialogue was born between the dancers and choreographers. The material took shape. A musical score, composed by Rémi L. O., supported the various states of gestures, offering a rich soundscape, while leaving room for the dance to take on a voice of its own.

The most recent development phase took place in the fall of 2015. Alexis Bowles’s lighting design added precision to the piece’s aesthetic and reinforced the narrative. The choreographers embraced the perspective after their time away, and deepened the research of several tableaus while developing new images.

Driven by the pleasure of playing with physical limits, Evelyne Laforest was a rhythmic gymnast for ten years, and was a member of the Canadian National Team. Drawn to the pluridisciplinary potential and expressivity of circus arts, she completed training with the National Circus School of Montreal and soon after discovered a gamut of performing outlets, most notably under the direction of Daniele Finzi Pasca, Maria Bonzanigo, and the team of Teatro Sunil and Cirque Éloize. She participated in the creation of the show Nebbia, and toured with the show for three years. In search of perpetual evolution, Evelyne enrolled in l’École de danse contemporaine de Montréal midway in her circus career, meanwhile continuing to perform in projects with Cirque Éloize, Compagnia Finzi Pasca, and independent choreographers. Together with Rémi Laurin Ouellette, Evelyne co-created the pieces 33 tours, Diffraction, Le Souper, and most recently (through FLY, the creation lab of L’École de danse contemporaine de Montréal) (CO). In addition to her dance projects, she continues to perform with Compagnia Finzi Pasca and is an original cast member of La Verità.

Rémi Laurin Ouellette entered the arts through theatre. He began acting lessons at a young age, and when he was eleven, he played in Alice Ronfard’s Les Troyennes at the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde in Montreal. During adolescence, he spent two years performing with the theatrical company Carbone 14, simultaneously participating in many other projects with the Conservatoire d’art dramatique and on television. Passionate about movement, he completed his studies in dance at l’École de danse contemporaine de Montréal and immediately after joined the dance company O Vertigo. He danced for four years with O Vertigo in works such as Étude #3, La Chambre Blanche, La Vie Qui Bat, and Onde De Choc, and also composed the music for the company’s Variation 2. Rémi danced for choreographer Jessica Serli in Entre Deux. He co-choreographed with Evelyne Laforest and composed the musical score of 33 Tours, Diffraction, and Le Souper, presented in Montréal, Moncton, Lachine, Châteaugay, and in Mazunte, Mexico. He also adapted and performed 33 Tours for a special performance in Geneva, Switzerland for the Cirque du Soleil. His most recent project is (CO), co-choreographed with Evelyne Laforest through L’École de danse contemporaine de Montréal’s creation lab FLY.

Élise Boileau completed a degree from the Conservatoire de Paris before coming to Quebec to attend the l’École de danse contemporaine de Montréal. Her curiosity towards Quebec choreographers was stimulated at the school, most notably through projects with Estelle Clareton and Jacques Poulin-Denis. Élise’s most personal project was a co-creation with Hélène Remoué: a duet entitled “Les Tricheuses” freely linking humour and dance. Interested in improvisation and live audience exchange, she recently performed in Iseult et Evaelle, a play directed by Véronique Bossé and Pénélope Bourque. Élise also plays piano and dances salsa. She has been working with Evelyne Laforest and Rémi Ouelette since 2014.

Margaux Chênevert-Beaupré graduated from L’École de danse contemporaine de Montréal in 2013 and immediately embarked on a dance career, collaborating on multiple projects. She performed in Anne Trudel’s dance theatre creation Toaster (2013); she danced in several of Elizabeth Suich’s creations, including BELLA BESTIA (co-created with Simon Gelinas Beauregard), Incognita, and Incognita-En duo (2014); she took part in the creative laboratory Fly with choreographers Evelyne Laforest and Rémi Laurin-Ouellette (2014); and she participated in dance research with Montreal choreographer Isabelle Van Grimde (2014).

After fifteen years of classical ballet training and a college degree in photography, Christine Daigle found her path in contemporary dance. She graduated from the l’École de danse contemporaine de Montréal in 2014. During her studies, she worked professionally as a dancer in the opera La damnation de Faust directed by Robert Lepage. Within the context of the school, she had opportunity to work with choreographers such as Dana Gingras, Estelle Clareton, Noam Gagnon, Hélène Blackburn, Manon Oligny and Marc Boivin. Christine recently joined the dance company O Vertigo.

A former competitive gymnast, Vickie Grondin discovered dance as a student at Collège Charles-Lemoyne. She entered l’École de danse contemporaine de Montréal in 2010, where she was drawn into the artistic worlds of choreographers Dana Gingras, Sasha Ivanochko, and Marc Boivin. Upon obtaining her diploma in 2014, she was selected to participate in the creation FLY, led by choreographers Rémi Ouellette and Evelyne Laforest.

A markedly musical and determined dancer, Audréa Page’s training in tap dance and gumboots brings a special precision and attack to her movement. Her studies at l’École de danse contemporaine de Montréal allowed her to deepen her theatricality, most notably in an original creation by Jacques Poulin-Denis and in the repertoire of the company Cas Public. Dancing in S’envoler by Estelle Clareton was particularly fulfilling for Audréa, who found in the work an outlet for both delicacy and bite.

A native of Southwest France, Hélène Remoué has always been a dancer, having touched upon many dance styles. She was admitted into the Conservatoire de Paris in 2009, where she met numerous choreographers and performed on the Parisian stage many times. She came to Montreal in 2011 to further her development at l’École de danse contemporaine de Montréal. She has danced in works such as Variation S by Hélène Blackburn, S’envoler by Estelle Clareton, and il est difficile de m’arrêter lorsque mon cœur bat si vite by Dana Gingras. Passionate about Quebec dance, Hélène is thrilled to thrust herself into its world.

Alexis Bowles was born in Montreal, Canada in 1980. As a young child he followed his father, a member of Cirque du Soleil, around the world. As part of a new generation of designers, Alexis has mastered both lighting design and music production, a symbiosis of ambiance, texture, rhythm, and timing. Always in search of new media and technologies, his range of production is vast. His limitless style demonstrates a modern sensitivity, influenced by human nature and the desire for freedom. He has worked with Cirque Éloize, Teatro Sunil and Daniele Finzi Pasca since 2003. He has collaborated on major ballets such as Le Sacre du Printemps and L’Homme de bois at the Copenhagen Opera, as well as Sleeping Beauty at the National Opera and Ballet of Finland. He collaborated on the creation of Orphée et Eurydice and was the designer for the production of Le Nombre d’or (live) for the Compagnie Marie Chouinard.

Graduated from the National Théâtre School of Canada in 2005, David Desrochers works in the performing arts in Quebec and abroad. Joining Edgar Bori’s team in 2006, he also tours with Théâtre de l’Oeil, O Vertigo, Cirque Éloize and Robert Lepage’s Ex Machina. In 2010, his path leads to New York and the television studios of CNN, AlJazeera America and NBC. Back to Quebec in 2014, his return allows him to go back to his theater roots and work with companies like Centre du Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui, Théâtre de l’Oeil Ouvert and Nadère Arts Vivants.