Fervid Bodies

Trained at the School of Toronto Dance Theatre, Jessica Serli graduated from LADMMI (l’École de danse contemporaine de Montréal) in May 2005. Since then, she has been active on the Montreal scene as a dancer, choreographer and rehearsal director. As a performer, she has participated most notably in the projects of Milan Gervais (Run the process, Auto-fiction), Jacques Poulin-Denis/Grand Poney (Dors), Gaétan Gingras/Manitowapan (My Father Told Me), Audrey Bergeron (Carte blanche, Tout-Inclus, Par le chas de l’aiguille, Verso), Amélie Rajotte (CARNAVAL, Tenir debout), Normand Marcy (Le comportement des matériaux), Alan Lake, PARTS+Labour Danse, and Andrew Turner (A standard of Measure). Jessica also took part in the creation and touring of l’Atelier, by Hélène Langevin (Compagnie Bouge De Là), a piece for young audiences that was presented over 200 times across Québec and Canada. As a rehearsal director and outside eye, she has also collaborated with, among others, Annie Gagnon (Reviens vers moi le ventre en premier, La marche invisible, Étude sur le cœur, L’effondrement), Amélie Rajotte (The Squirrel and the Mirror), Floor Ryder and Tonik (Le lancer du nain, Alter-ego, Densité d’un moment, Empreinte) and Compagnie Bourask (Corps et Être). As choreographer, Jessica has presented -40 Degrés (Danses Buissonnières Tangente, 2005), Entre-Deux (Résidence du Studio 303, 2008), La Fièvre (Piss in the pool, 2013) and Petite faille solo (La petite scène de Québec, 2015). Since 2012, she has benefited from research residencies at the Centre de Création O Vertigo (2012), l’École de danse contemporaine de Montréal (2013-2014) and at Lucie Grégoire Danse. During these research periods dedicated to the evaluation and analysis of movement that stems from specific modes of behavior, Jessica developed a singular methodology in the studio, resulting in a rich choreographic signature. Fascinated by what is hidden and restrained, Jessica seeks to subtly dismantle and expose the body’s conditioning, allowing a hidden self to emerge. She is developing a nuanced gestural aesthetic, reflecting the many instinctive/unconscious mechanisms that characterize and underly our interactions. She wants to explore the “affect” body (the overwhelmed, the fragile, the sensitive body) : that body which resides in the realm of sensations, emotions, and energies (both vital and visceral). Her creations question the issues of the affect, of the identity, and of the presence. Her interest currently is the physiology of “nervous” (or “neural”) movement, at the core of our physical reactions. She aims to produce a integral and personal representation of the physical relationships at work within the phenomena of social unease, of affective disorders, of emotional wounds, traumas and defense mechanisms.

After completing studies in theatre, Nicolas Labelle began dancing in 2001 at l’École de danse contemporaine de Montréal. Since 2009, he has had the pleasure of collaborating with Hélène Langevin, Emmanuel Jouthe, Manon Oligny, Marie Béland, Ezdanza, Alan Lake, Les Imprudanses and Lisa Phinney. In 2011, he joined the team of the NTE (Nouveau Théatre Expérimental) for a theatre work written and directed by Daniel Brière and Evelyne de la Chenelière, and choreographed Estelle Clareton. That same year he danced for Cirque du Soleil, under the choreographic direction of Harold Rhéaume. Nicolas has also been eager to collaborate with emerging artists, such as Amélie Rajotte, Ballet de ruelles, Maïgwenn Desbois, Menka Nagrani, Ghislaine Doté and Raphaëlle Perreault.

Montréal guitarist/composer Antoine Berthiaume has been active on the jazz and improvisation circuits for over 15 years. His work has recently been enriched by collaborations with contemporary dancers especially with avec Annie Gagnon, Thierry Huard, Aurélie Pédron, Audrey Bergeron, Louis-Élyan Martin, Audrée Juteau, Alan Lake and Louise Lecavalier. His work is documented on over ten releases featuring masters of improvisation such as Fred Frith, Derek Bailey, MaryClare Brzytwa, Takumi Seino, Elliott Sharp, Michel Donato and Pierre Tanguay on Ambiances Magnétiques and Audiogram (Québec), Vos Record (Japan), Starkland (USA) and Incus (England). With grants from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec and the Canada Council for the Arts, Antoine has furthered his skills in the United States and Europe. Photographer Ralph Gibson recently included him in his review of 81 avant-garde guitarists, which has yielded a book and an exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas. After completing a Master degree in contemporary composition, he is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Composition and Sound Creation at University of Montreal.

Paul Chambers is a Montréal based set & lighting designer. Collaborating on new dance works has always been a priority for him. Teaching workshops has also been an important part of his development as an artist and mentor. At Studio 303 he teaches a yearly lighting design workshop for artists, in addition to teaching aspects of production in dance at Concordia University. From 2008 until 2013 Paul is Technical Director at Tangente. In 2013 along with fellow designer & educator David-Alexandre Chabot, they inaugurate CHA a design collective aimed at creating & sharing design based works with artists from different disciplines. Recent design credits include work with Public Recordings, 10 Gates Dancing, Audrey Bergeron, Dorian Nuskind-Oder, Benjamin Kamino, Dany Desjardins, Katie Ward, Susanna Hood, Sasha Kleinplatz, Antonija Livingstone, Adam Kinner, Maria Kefirova & Hanako Hashimi Caines, Thierry Huard, Parts & Labour Dance, Lara Kramer Dance, & Destins Croisés.

Caroline Gravel is a dance artist based in Montreal, Canada. Since 2002, she has made creative contributions, worked and toured internationally as a solo artist and with Montreal choreographers among which we find Catherine Gaudet, Dana Gingras, Frédérick Gravel, Daniel Léveillé, Jean-Sébastien Lourdais, Jacques Poulin-Denis and Andrew Turner. Mentored by choreographer Meg Stuart/Damaged Goods and directed by Manon Levac during her MA, she conducted a study probing the intricacies of body states and the discourse of authorship within contemporary choreography. In her latest works Bains Publics (2013) and Ma mère est un male alpha (2012), she explores the effect of the plasticity of the body on our perceptual and emotional senses. Active in her community, Gravel is an invited speaker and teacher in various contexts. In 2014, she was elected at the board of the Regroupement québécois de la danse.

Louise Michel Jackson was born in Canada in 1982. She received her initial training at the École Supérieure de Danse du Québec, graduating in 1999 before continuing with the Jeune Ballet du Quebec. Since 2002, she has worked for Cas Public, Rubberbandance Group, Jacques Poulin-Denis, Sasha Kleinplatz, Milan Gervais, Laurel Koop, Sylvain Poirier, Patrice Dubois, Caroline Laurin-Beaucage, Alan Lake, Fréderick Gravel and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui- Eastman Cie (Belgium between 2011 and 2013). In 2007, She presented her first co-choreographed work, a project initiated by Hanako Hoshimi-Caines, “Little Bang Theory”, involving Lhasa De Sela and Plants and Animals. She’s now touring “ MONUMENTAL” (Dana Gingras and Noam Gagnon- HOLY body Tattoo), involving Post rock Band God Speed-YOU! Black Emperor. She has been teaching regularly around Europe and starts to teach in Canada. Since 2012, she’s focusing on her own research projects between Belgium and Montreal.

Ben Fury was born in Morocco in 1976. It begins by exploring and developing its own technical breakdance in galleries Ravenstein in Brussels, a popular public place in Brussels for this activity. He acquired his early breakdance and contemporary dance company Hush Hush Hush, K’dar and has collaborated with choreographers Fatou Traore, Johanne Saunier, Roberto Olivan, Mauro Pacagnella, Harold Henning, Damien Jalet and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. He taught for Coy Rosas in the context of creating “Bitches Brew” and teaches in several festivals in Europe. As break dancer, Ben Fury joins the third generation of the famous Dynamics team, with whom he won the first prize in the Competition Benelux in 2001, and other prizes in Europe.

Rodolphe Coster (Belgium) well-known in the Belgian indie scene and member of several bands (Flexa Lyndo, Baum, Poni, Cafeneon), is now working solo – cross fading inner feelings with images inspired by current and oldie sound-scapers (Fever Ray, Colin Newman, Pantha du Prince, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and so on). Considered by critics as the indie meeting point between The Big Pink and Autechre, Coster’s tracks move from ambient noise-pop to dark electronica, with added vocals.

Paul Chambers is a Montréal based set & lighting designer. Collaborating on new dance works has always been a priority for him. Teaching workshops has also been an important part of his development as an artist and mentor. At Studio 303 he teaches a yearly lighting design workshop for artists, in addition to teaching aspects of production in dance at Concordia University. From 2008 until 2013 Paul is Technical Director at Tangente. In 2013 along with fellow designer & educator David-Alexandre Chabot, they inaugurate CHA a design collective aimed at creating & sharing design based works with artists from different disciplines. Recent design credits include work with Public Recordings, 10 Gates Dancing, Audrey Bergeron, Dorian Nuskind-Oder, Benjamin Kamino, Dany Desjardins, Katie Ward, Susanna Hood, Sasha Kleinplatz, Antonija Livingstone, Adam Kinner, Maria Kefirova & Hanako Hashimi Caines, Thierry Huard, Parts & Labour Dance, Lara Kramer Dance, & Destins Croisés.

Formed in the dance department of university Paris 8, Katya Montaignac has worked as a dancer, choreographer, dance dramaturg. She has, since 1998, created “unidentified dancing objects” and has regularly overseen the artistic direction of projects for La 2e Porte à Gauche since 2007 (Blind date ; le pARTy ; Danse à 10 ; Rendez-vous à l’hôtel ; Pluton…). She collaborates as a dramaturge with different choreographers in Montreal (Frédérick Gravel, Marie Béland, Milan Gervais, Nicolas Cantin…) and for the physical theatre company Chaliwaté (Belgium). She completed the doctoral program in the study and practice of the arts at UQAM, teaches dance aesthetics, and writes for various journals (Jeu, Esse, Apparté, Canadian Theater Review…). She was dance curator for 7 years at the OFFTA Festival.

After studying music at the Conservatoire de Paris, then dance at the École de danse contemporaine de Montréal, Clara Fureydeveloped an interest in mixed forms, in the languages and codes that make up the performing arts. She began her artistic career as a singer and composer before turning to dance, acting and cinema, most notably appearing in Guy Maddin’s film The Forbidden Room. In 2011, she created Hello…how are you? With Céline Bonnier at Lachapelle theater. She collaborated with Benoît Lachambre on many projects between 2009 and 2012. Lately, Clara was part of the last Creation of David Zambrano (tierras Enamorados) and in “La très excellente et lamentable tragédie de Roméo et Juliette, created by Catherine Gaudet and Jérémie Niel, presented in l’Usine C, in January 2016. She presented her duet “UntiedTale” created with Peter Jasko, in theater Lachapelle in October 2015, this project is touring presently. In 2016 Clara Furey moved towards directing and group choreography with Cosmic Love.This work for five dancers.

Jessicat Batut (Belgium) is an actress and dancer. She studied at the TNB school and the CNDC in Angers. She collaborated with many artists as Latifa Laâbissi, François Tanguy, Stanislas Nordey, Manah Depauw, Pieter Ampe. She also creates her own projects and she’s part of the collective “ Les nuits bas nylon” in Brussels.

« The bittersweet epic of greyness »

The piece questions the strength, forms and variations of the notion of intensity. Is intensity necessarily ephemeral? Does it prove to be violent? Sublime? Rare? What are the limits (in time and degree) between which, intensity reaches its maximum? And, holding on to its paroxysm, does intensity level itself out, and hence diminishes?

We are interested more specifically in the notion of accumulation in the construction of the rise towards a strong sensation, like ecstasy or euphoria. Where is its highest point and its stopping-off destruction point ?

We are looking for living states, situations that are obstinate, demanding, visceral, and somehow a little off the wall. We are preoccupied with creating a poetic and raw context where the human takes over the dancer. We are inspired by images of distortion, intimacy, physical and psychological paradoxes. Thematically, we freely work on universal notions, drawn from personal experiences, sensations and dreams, actualities and issues of our time.

Our attempt here is a first experimentation as creators, a symbolic and a firm engagement towards a personal World that Define what we are at the moment.

Nothing to be revealed except a part of our fragility confronted with a desire of sharing our addiction and vicious delightful obsessions on something called adrenaline.

Music is a great and necessary part in this process, and composer Rodolphe Coster, the “third addict” of this collective is actively playing LIVE with us in a spontaneous, complex and essential way to get away from a formal, rigid and static performance.

Native of Montreal, Jason Martin tardily begins dance at the age of 21, after having played hockey for more than 17 years. In 2012, he obtains his dance degree at the School of Contemporary Dance of Montreal. Following that, he established himself quickly with several companies, notably Daniel Léveillé Danse, Company Virginie Brunelle Company, Le Carré des Lombes/Danielle Desnoyers, Sylvain Émard Danse as well as the Marie Chouinard Company. In 2014, he presents his first creation Raw at Le Monument National in collaboration with Tangente within the framework of Danses Buissonnières. The same year, having the desire to widen his horizons, Jason begins an acting career in parallèle. His first theatrical experiment carries him out at La Chapelle, where he acts as choreographer and an advisor to the director. In 2015, it creates Us within the framework of the Fly Project – laboratory of creation, in partnership with the School of contemporary dance of Montreal. This second professional work will confirm his insatiable passion for creation. Following this experiment, he founded the Entity company in October 2015.

After graduating from l’École de danse contemporaine de Montréal in 2011, where she received 2 Excellence grants and the Hnatyshyn Foundation Grant, Kim Henry performed in more than 30 dance and physical theatre projects as a freelance artist. She collaborated with Montréal Danse, Mélanie Demers (Fly), Lucie Grégoire, Isabelle Boulanger, Festival Montréal Complètement Cirque, Dynamo Théâtre, Théâtre de la Dame de Coeur and Cirque du Soleil’s Red Carpet as well as many others. Her artistic collaboration with the visual artist Eric Paré recently brought her to Australia, Mongolia, Morocco, Iceland, Bolivia and Mexico for the dance film project Little Circle. An excerpt of the project was presented at the TEDxMontreal in 2015. She also recently performed in Audrey Bergeron’s piece Par le chas de l’aiguille, presented by Danse-Cité.

Jean-Benoit Labrecque-Gilbert is graduated from l’École de danse contemporaine de Montreal ( EDCMTL ), Quebec, Canada. His interest in the unique culture of urban dance brings him to enrich his dance by the sides of Angelo Ameur, founder of the hip-hop community in Montreal. Authenticity and instinct are qualities that have emerged from the mingling of these two worlds and have nourished his artistic research as a performer. His experiences with choreographers such as José Navas, Tedd Robinson, Estelle Clareton, Jacques Poulin-Denis and Sasha Kleinplatz have revived his interest to work in the performing arts. Jean-Benoit is Currently working with the Social Growl Dance company, Forêt Noire and Le Carré des Lombes.

Since 2001, Étienne Paclow Vézina, this magical creature jump from a musical landscape to another : singer / guitarist, composer of music for dance and theater, freestyler of beatbox/rap with Loop Station, multi-instrumentalist, MC and DJ. He explodes of joy when the composition of electronic music appear in his life in 2012. In search of delirium, he likes to mix psychedelic effects live, giving fairly mind-blowing results. Ricocheting between prog, electronic swing, tribal, funk and psy, Paclow is a real surprise box whit a spring. Bouing! The madness of his genius makes him fun to watch live: expressive dancing, throat singing and bizarre antics are part of his signature. An artist zany and spiritual, half-man, half-instrument, which will amaze you with its sparkling originality.

Since his graduation at Option théatre of Sainte-Thérèse, in 2010, Robin Kittel-Ouimet, explores through different mediums such as lighting design, video, photography and interactive installations, the relationship between humans and space. Multidisciplinary artist, Robin is a founding member of two theatre companies: [La Compagnie] founded in 2012 and Théâtre Tombée du ciel (young public) founded in 2014. In addition, he has worked on different project with several theaters and dance company such as: the company Marie Chouinard, le carré des lombes, Denise Pelletier theater, centre du théâtre d’aujourd’hui, Til’t, Jean-Bernard Hébert productions.

In my work as an interpreter and choreographer, I was interested primarily in the instinct of the body. In Untamed, this maxim is fundamental to explore. The primary goal is to get the interpreters, as well as the spectators to reach a permanent state of vigilance which only exists when a human being finds himself confronted to the unknown. It is then that one let himself be guided by its instincts, which leads to react in a spontaneous way to whatever is thrown at him. Fully inhabited by this state, the being generally reach a trance that dominates him completely, and from this trance rises a primary truth. I like the idea of feeling free, free for of all chains. To some extent, it is the state in which the sports fan finds himself when he’s watching a game, most of his reactions are primitive, but always fully felt. When you take a closer look at this fan, one easily notes the link that exists between the body reactions and the emotions that emerge from it. Consequently, is it possible to recreate these states within the framework of choreography? I wish to imply the body as the starting point and the finality in Untamed. This creation is based on the work of bodies carrying a tension, a frenzy, even a bestial and instinctive reality. Thus, each movement can become a generator of emotions and vice versa. The movements are surprising, intense, rich in textures and often rough which makes the interpreters enter the trance state. Work on trance is not only making us forget who we are, but it also carries us to become a supreme being during a transitory time. It is not a question of fleeing reality, but simply a question of embracing fully an exceptional moment. The main goal for Untamed, but also for all of my work, is to offer a gestural that speaks for itself, where only the body is eloquent enough.