The Dépi temps project was born from my desire to learn about Martinique’s culture, connect it to my work, and ultimately share it with the world. The solo was, at first, a dance video project that we just couldn’t seem to let go. It is the result of an encounter between Ernesto “Tiko” and I, of exchanges between our diverse cultural backgrounds. We came up with the choreographic style of the piece rather intuitively. During the process of creating the work, I gave Ernesto several directives with the aim of exploring improvisation systems or striking images, states of mind to fuel his “character”. This research led us to share several thoughts on our role as Black artists today, on the place we would like to see given to BIPOC choreographers and performers, still few in the contemporary dance world.

Mara Dupas is a French-Canadian artist of Martinican descent. At a very young age, she followed her family to settle in Montréal, where she discovered her love for dance and choreography. She studied classical ballet before training at École de danse contemporaine de Montréal for three years. Along with her dance curriculum, she nurtures her passion for words by participating in various writing competitions. Some of her work has been published by Éditions Bruno Doucey and in the magazine Zinc, among others. Her creations explore the themes of identity, West Indian culture, and absurdity.

Ernesto “Tiko” Quesada Perez is a Cuban, Montréal-based artist. He was first introduced to popular and traditional Cuban dance styles at the age of nine. Upon arriving in Canada, he joined Collège Montmorency’s contemporary dance program. He then studied at École de danse contemporaine de Montréal (2018-2021), where he had the opportunity to collaborate with choreographers Charles Brecard, Andrea Peña, Darryl Tracy and Pierre Marc-Ouellette, among others. In 2017, his artistic curiosity led him to join the Program, an intensive training course integrating street dance into a professional context. Ernesto is interested in sharing with other performers and discovering various practices. Through an in-depth knowledge of his body, he seeks to merge street dance and contemporary dance with his Cuban heritage.

After studying photography, Sylvie Nobert became interested in lighting for the stage, for contemporary dance in particular. She now designs and does technical direction for independent choreographers, as well as for the Danses Buissonnières series at Tangente. She works regularly in Montréal’s maisons de la culture, and has also been technical director for the Printemps de la Danse tour.

Lee Anholt moved to Montréal in 1990 after completing a BFA in Contemporary Dance at Simon Fraser University. His work was produced in Montréal, Toronto, and Vancouver. In 1995, he began gravitating towards the technical field. Lee was the technical director and lighting director on tour for Montréal Danse and José Navas/Compagnie Flak for many years and also had the chance to work with many great creators in dance as well as theatre: Peggy Baker, Louise Lecavalier, and Denis Marleau (UBU), to name a few. Presently, Lee is the technical and production director for Danse-Cité. He also creates lighting for theatre, music, and especially dance.

I consider that I learned a lot from dancing in bars, in crowds, and in the frenzy of improv jams: to be on the lookout for changes, details, and subtleties embedded in the progress of a journey leading us to a state of instant and ephemeral trance and groove. In those moments, despite the fact that I am sitting at the back of the room with my pint of beer, I always have the intimate feeling that I know how to play jazz with my body as an instrument. And, when possible, when there is a dance floor, I reveal my visceral rage, the swing buried deep inside me, in a certainly therapeutic way and my body awareness is part of that philosophy, the philosophy of research and improvisation.

Originally from the South-East of France, Anna Duverne is a young woman who likes to weave links between the arts to create multidisciplinary artistic expression. Her creative instinct has driven her from an early age to nourish herself with a self-taught practice of plastic arts, visual arts, and performing arts. Learning, discovering, exploring and perpetually observing allow her to better tame her imaginary world and the surrounding world. Anna is an idealist in search of authenticity, perseverance and depth in all she undertakes. The taste for poetic detail animates her continuously. The engine of her motion is governed by a neural ebullition and by the effervescence of her physical and sensitive intuitions. Graduating in 2022 from École de danse contemporaine de Montréal, Anna’s career path has been enriched by encounters with a teaching team with a wealth of influences and know-how.

Born in Québec City, Sophie Brubacher is currently studying jazz double bass performance at McGill University. Established in Montréal since 2019, her interest for improvised music was developed through meeting and collaborating with musicians from various genres within the Montréal music scene.

Robin Lalonde begins to take an interest in drums at an early age. He begins to take private drum lessons at the age of 9 and continues until he goes to Cégep Marie-Victorin. His already advanced technical level as well as his extraordinary determination and diligence allow him to quickly develop his musicality as well as his understanding of many varied styles under the supervision of drummer Christian Pamerleau. In 2021, he obtains his degree in Music and continues his studies at Université de Montréal in Jazz Performance under the supervision of renowned drummer Paul Brochu. Robin is a drummer who quickly stands out for his reliability, versatility, and work ethic. He quickly performs across Québec in various projects as a sideman, alternating between jazz and rock, country and top 40.

Nicolas Riverin was born in Alma in 1996 and completed his Professional Music and Song Technique at Collège d’Alma in 2017. A multi-instrumentalist, he records tracks and accumulates contracts as a trumpeter, guitarist, and bassist. Accepted into the Jazz Performance program at Université de Montréal in 2017, he became a Big Band scholarship holder and completed his bachelor’s degree in 2021. During his studies, he composed jazz guitar-vocal duets and wrote an arrangement for Big Band. Nicolas is starting a master’s degree in Jazz Performance at McGill University in 2021 and continues to compose and practice his three instruments.

After studying photography, Sylvie Nobert became interested in lighting for the stage, for contemporary dance in particular. She now designs and does technical direction for independent choreographers, as well as for the Danses Buissonnières series at Tangente. She works regularly in Montréal’s maisons de la culture, and has also been technical director for the Printemps de la Danse tour.

Lee Anholt moved to Montréal in 1990 after completing a BFA in Contemporary Dance at Simon Fraser University. His work was produced in Montréal, Toronto, and Vancouver. In 1995, he began gravitating towards the technical field. Lee was the technical director and lighting director on tour for Montréal Danse and José Navas/Compagnie Flak for many years and also had the chance to work with many great creators in dance as well as theatre: Peggy Baker, Louise Lecavalier, and Denis Marleau (UBU), to name a few. Presently, Lee is the technical and production director for Danse-Cité. He also creates lighting for theatre, music, and especially dance.

This choreographic research focuses on the flow of vital energy that gravitates within us. Around our axis, we generate undulatory patterns through repetition. The space is imagined as a 3D grid where there is a geometry between our bodies. Thus, we deepen a search for gestures that link our two individualities. We ask ourselves how these tracks create a dialogue between the bodies. By gestures made into the space, we choose the extent of their impact. We are in a frozen world where we also become those who mobilize it. A goddess who inhabits this research is Ishtar/Inanna, goddess of love, fertility, and war. She is represented by the archetype of the star in tarology and is also known as a facilitator among non-binary beings. Our research immortalizes a subliminal message about the sense of belonging we feel in regards to her story.

Maude Laurin-Beaulieu (she/they) is an artist from Montréal. She first explored several art forms such as theatre and music to finally dive fully into dance. She began her professional training in 2017 at École de danse contemporaine de Montréal. She had the opportunity to work with renowned artists such as Marc Boivin, Jamie Wright, Sophie Corriveau, Linda Rabin, and Helen Simard. Since her graduation in 2020, Maude has been involved in the street dance community in Montréal. She has the chance to work at the street dance organization 100Lux, where she also has the chance to dance and exchange with other dancers. At the same time, she is part of the waacking collective Asymmetry, directed by Axelle Munezero, with whom she has the chance to create, perform, and produce visual content internationally. As an artist, they are  interested in the amalgam of possibilities and transformations that the body and mind can generate and communicate. Sharing and creating connections between individuals is crucial to Maude’s practice.

Originally from Lebanon, Chanel Cheiban began her career as a performer and choreographer in a variety of artistic projects in Tio’tia:ke (Montréal). She graduated from Collège Montmorency and received her CID from BIGBANG to finally graduate from École de danse contemporaine de Montréal in 2022. Today, Chanel is a performer for Veils of Bollywood. She danced for CAM’s Quand l’art prend l’air program, Calgary Pride, Ottawa Pride, and Fierté Montréal. She is also a member of the collective Les Porteuses d’Eau by Jade Gabriele. With the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, she began the research and creation of the piece AGUA as a performer. In 2022, she presented El kamar bi zaher, a solo that she choreographed and performed. Her thirst for knowledge allows her to meet multiple experiences that inspire her to convey a story with her body and share the common sense that is found in living art.

As a Montréal artist, Fayality/Yasmine Faddal‘s practice revolves around photography, djing, fashion design, and sculpture. Her work allows her to experiment, to discover, to meet, to feel, and to dream. Yasmine tries more and more to integrate mirrors in all of her practice so that one can distinguish her work by her unique use of mirrors.

A native from Boucherville, Annabelle Fournier-Favreau gravitates towards the world of the arts at a young age. After studying classical piano at Vincent D’Indy in Montréal and dance at École de Danse de Boucherville, show business, music creation, and sound  production grasp her attention. Driven by her passion for music, she enrolls at Recording Arts Canada where she receives a diploma in Sound and Music Recording in 2020. In addition to her technical duties at Bell Media as a post-production and mixing engineer, Annabelle composes and produces soundtracks for emerging artists.

After studying photography, Sylvie Nobert became interested in lighting for the stage, for contemporary dance in particular. She now designs and does technical direction for independent choreographers, as well as for the Danses Buissonnières series at Tangente. She works regularly in Montréal’s maisons de la culture, and has also been technical director for the Printemps de la Danse tour.

Lee Anholt moved to Montréal in 1990 after completing a BFA in Contemporary Dance at Simon Fraser University. His work was produced in Montréal, Toronto, and Vancouver. In 1995, he began gravitating towards the technical field. Lee was the technical director and lighting director on tour for Montréal Danse and José Navas/Compagnie Flak for many years and also had the chance to work with many great creators in dance as well as theatre: Peggy Baker, Louise Lecavalier, and Denis Marleau (UBU), to name a few. Presently, Lee is the technical and production director for Danse-Cité. He also creates lighting for theatre, music, and especially dance.

For several years, I have been interested in the fusion of contemporary and electro dance in parallel with my questioning of identity when confronted with the labels that society puts on us. I am also particularly curious about the confrontation between virility and sensitivity. Through this research, Pulsation is born. How can these different styles have points in common? This duet is the meeting of the chaotic nature of electro dance with my concerns regarding questions of social identity. I level conflicts by letting them fully express their pulsation of recharge and release.

Carlos-Alexis Mendoza is a passionate multidisciplinary dancer who has been specializing in electro dance since childhood. Born in Montréal to Peruvian parents, he has traveled to France, Spain, and all over South America for competitions and to interact with other electro dance specialists. His expertise in this style and his desire to deepen his knowledge of dance led him to continue his studies at École de danse contemporaine de Montréal. There, he performed in the creations of José Navas, Lucie Grégoire, Jessica Serli, Marc Boivin, and Alan Lake, as well as in the revival of Les corps avalés from Virginie Brunelle’s repertoire, before graduating in 2022. In 2019, Carlos-Alexis created Cypher Electro to share his knowledge and vision of this dance style. Today, he deepens his choreographic research and its aesthetics by incorporating everything that inspires him: his identity, his origins, and his vision of the contemporary world.

Kevin Kaybee Tran is a street dancer specializing in electro dance and improvisation. His career in dance began at École Lucien-Pagé. It was by joining the dance troupe at school that his passion only grew, notably by dancing for Ismaël Mouaraki of Destins Croisés. Since then, he has continued to enrich his experience thanks to electro battles, of which he was the Canadian champion in 2010 and a finalist in 2011 and 2012. He has also traveled to Paris and New York to share his dance with the pioneers of the movement. Today, Kevin Kaybee is a key figure in the Montréal electro scene and continues to inspire a new generation with his experience, knowledge, and talent as an electro dancer and freestyler.

Sebastian Peñafiel is a multidisciplinary artist specializing in live art. Born in Québec, he lived in Ecuador until he was 16, when his passion for art and film photography began. Traveling through dance and photography in a sensitive and personal way, he probes human complexity and feelings of identity. Sebastian’s works were exhibited at Expolaroid Montréal 2019 alongside world-renowned photographers like Kyle Depew and Pierre-Paolo Dori. He has developed his photographic research particularly in Germany, Japan, and Ecuador. Also passionate about dance, he collaborates as a choreographer, videographer, and photographer with professional electro and contemporary dancers. Today, Sebastian works in the field of dance videos, notably in his first creation Soberano, which will be presented in the fall of 2023.

Of Franco-Algerian origin, Nûr Khatir comes from a family of violinists. From an early age, she shows a strong interest in movement. She begins dancing in a small school in Toulouse at the age of three. When she moves to Switzerland, she joins the Conservatoire cantonal du Valais to take ballet lessons. In 2011, she begins a pre-professional training course in contemporary dance. She gradually discovers the world and diversity of contemporary dance. Throughout her training, until 2019, she continues to improve in ballet. With her certificate in the bag, she decides to broaden her horizons by flying to École de danse contemporaine de Montréal. During her three years of training, she flourishes and continues to work on herself. Nûr had the opportunity to collaborate with several choreographers, such as Virginie Brunelle, Jessica Serli, Alan Lake, José Navas, and Xián Martinez. It is with great gratitude and joy that Nûr graduates in 2022. Full of enthusiasm, energy and curiosity, she is eager to be able to evolve as a performer on Québec stages.

After studying photography, Sylvie Nobert became interested in lighting for the stage, for contemporary dance in particular. She now designs and does technical direction for independent choreographers, as well as for the Danses Buissonnières series at Tangente. She works regularly in Montréal’s maisons de la culture, and has also been technical director for the Printemps de la Danse tour.

Lee Anholt moved to Montréal in 1990 after completing a BFA in Contemporary Dance at Simon Fraser University. His work was produced in Montréal, Toronto, and Vancouver. In 1995, he began gravitating towards the technical field. Lee was the technical director and lighting director on tour for Montréal Danse and José Navas/Compagnie Flak for many years and also had the chance to work with many great creators in dance as well as theatre: Peggy Baker, Louise Lecavalier, and Denis Marleau (UBU), to name a few. Presently, Lee is the technical and production director for Danse-Cité. He also creates lighting for theatre, music, and especially dance.

After studying photography, Sylvie Nobert became interested in lighting for the stage, for contemporary dance in particular. She now designs and does technical direction for independent choreographers, as well as for the Danses Buissonnières series at Tangente. She works regularly in Montréal’s maisons de la culture, and has also been technical director for the Printemps de la Danse tour.

Lee Anholt moved to Montréal in 1990 after completing a BFA in Contemporary Dance at Simon Fraser University. His work was produced in Montréal, Toronto, and Vancouver. In 1995, he began gravitating towards the technical field. Lee was the technical director and lighting director on tour for Montréal Danse and José Navas/Compagnie Flak for many years and also had the chance to work with many great creators in dance as well as theatre: Peggy Baker, Louise Lecavalier, and Denis Marleau (UBU), to name a few. Presently, Lee is the technical and production director for Danse-Cité. He also creates lighting for theatre, music, and especially dance.