ÉDIFICE WILDER | ESPACE ORANGE
LIVE SHOW
MAY 22-25, 2024 - 7PM
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RATE: 22$
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Discussion with the artists on May 23
After three years of intensive training, on the threshold of their entry into the professional world, the graduating students of École de danse contemporaine de Montréal will be featured in Les danses de mai, opus 2024, under the direction of Lisa Davies.
On this occasion, the 2024 cohort will present two works: Black Moon : revisited by Montréal-born choreographer Dorotea Saykaly, now based in Europe, whose piece was named one of the six Sadler’s Wells International Dance Prize 2024 finalists; and Ohad Naharin’s iconic Minus 16, remounted in a unique and gracious collaboration with the EDCM. Learning these two repertory pieces has been an exceptional opportunity for these young performers to develop their artistic skills and become complete and versatile performing artists.
Minus 16 by Ohad Naharin
A favourite in the repertoire of countless renowned companies throughout the globe. Created in 1999, Naharin’s seminal piece Minus 16 features eclectic music ranging from Dean Martin to mambo, and from techno to traditional music. It removes the barrier between its performers and the audience with elements of unpredictability and fun. The dancers explore improvisation within the work, and in preparation the cast trained with Gaga, Naharin’s movement language.
BLACK MOON : revisited by Dorotea Saykaly
In a mythical sci-fi universe, fourteen Beings embark on a quest for light while having to accept comfort in darkness. Oscillating between togetherness and solitude their odyssey explores our relationship to faith at life’s inevitable end. The storytelling and image making is fueled by contrasts as the Beings navigate through ease and desperation, gravity and weightlessness, brokenness and fluidity. Each Being embodies facets of human nature and together they form an inseparable alliance to traverse through a universe of darkness and celestial wonders.
Artistic and program director Lisa Davies
Choreography Ohad Naharin, Dorotea Saykaly
Creation and performance advisor Isabelle Poirier
Staging assistance for Minus 16 Sarah Gibson, Kyle Scheurich
Lighting design Thomas Godefroid
Costume adaptation Ève-Lyne Dallaire, Jonathan Saucier
Graduating dancers Rosalie Boivin, Gabrielle Bouchard, Léa Boudreault, Julianna Bryson, Ambre Dupuis, Jean-François Gilède, Tom Godefroid, Clodie Lambert, Rosalie Lamoureux, Charlotte Mégardon, Manon Scialfa, Jules Talavera, Alex Turcotte, Anna Vauquier
Second-year dancers for Minus 16 Clara Biernacki, Iban Bourgoin, Oly Dion, Ludovic Germain-Thivierge, Ezra Guerrier, Clara Urquhart, Alice Larrière, Michelle Lucero Moris, Kate Manns, Jane Millette, Apolline Saulnier, Hortense Sierka, Clara Truong
Ohad Naharin is a choreographer and the creator of the Gaga movement language. Born in 1952 in Mizra, Israel, he began his dance career with Batsheva in 1974 and made his choreographic debut in New York in 1980. In 1990, Naharin was appointed Artistic Director of Batsheva Dance Company and established its junior division, Batsheva – the Young Ensemble. He has created over 30 works for both companies and set pieces on other companies, including Nederlands Dans Theater, the Paris Opera Ballet, and Les Grand Ballets Canadiens de Montréal. In addition to his stagework, Naharin developed Gaga, the innovative movement research and daily training of Batsheva’s dancers that has spread globally among both dancers and non-dancers. After almost 30 years of leading Batsheva, Naharin stepped down as Artistic Director in 2018, though he continues to serve as House Choreographer. Batsheva will also continue to be the home of Ohad’s research, development, and teaching of Gaga. A citizen of both Israel and the United States, Naharin currently lives in Israel with his wife, dancer and costume designer Eri Nakamura, and their daughter, Noga.
Dorotea Saykaly is an award-winning choreographer and performing artist whose stage and film works have been presented internationally. Originally from Montréal, Dorotea has enjoyed a rewarding career as a dancer at Compagnie Marie Chouinard as well as with the GöteborgsOperans Danskompani. Prior to her choreographic career, Dorotea worked with renowned choreographers such as Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Sharon Eyal, Damien Jalet, Marina Mascarell, Marcos Morau, Marie Chouinard, and Ohad Naharin. In 2022, she was awarded Best Choreography for Film at the Dance On Screen FilmFestival in Graz and in 2021 she received the Inaugural Emily Molnar Emerging Choreographer Award, which came with the opportunity to create a new work for Ballet BC. Since then, Dorotea has created new works for Danish Dance Theatre, Ballet Edmonton, and the TERRITORIO V youth program in Lisbon. Notable venues where Dorotea’s work has been presented include the Fotografiska Museum (US, SE, EE), the National Arts Centre (CA), Film at Lincoln Center (US), Kunsthaus Graz (AT), Place des Arts (CA), GöteborgsOperan (SE), Teatro Nacional São João (PT), Internationales Solo Tanz Theater Festival Stuttgart (DE), CPH Stage Festival (DK), Dansens Hus (SE), and Dansmuseet (SE).
