Les Rigoles was born from our desire to explore on stage the questions of vulnerability, femininity, and the sacred. This project has found its foundation in the phenomenon of laughter, a powerful tool to engage with our vulnerability, question our relationship with others, and explore its impact on the body, beyond the body, and being together. Our goal is not to make people laugh but to delve into its intrinsic mechanisms through its complete cycle: from its invisible genesis to its contagious outbreak, then to exhaustion, expansion, and post-laughter complicity. Both of us have artistic practices influenced by flamenco, and we draw fruitful parallels with this tradition. Lastly, laughter is remarkably contagious, yet inherently ambiguous, capable of quickly bordering on discomfort or tears. The flow, embracing the random, and facing the Sisyphean task of attempting to contain it are at the heart of the dramaturgy of this project.

Sarah Bronsard is a Tiohtià:ke/Montréal-based choreographer. She finds her most fertile terrain in flamenco and in the contemporary dance scene after a multidisciplinary artistic background in music, glass blowing, digital arts, and a painting career. Her projects, supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ), have been presented in Québec (Tangente, Société des arts technologiques), in Europe (France, Wales, Italy, Holland), in Africa (Morocco), and in Asia (Japan). Her work has been awarded Best Original Creation from Cirque du Soleil (Fringe, 2012), the Pierre Lapointe award (UQAM, 2016 and 2017) as well as the David-Kilburn award (UQAM, 2020). In 2020, she worked at TOKAS (Tokyo Arts and Space in Japan), with support from the CALQ, to begin work on Bruissement de mousses, a project that looks more closely at the perception of moss (bryophytes) in both Japanese esthetics and spirituality. In 2021, she toured Québec with her piece Èbe, which was chosen to represent Québec by the CALQ at the opening of the Festival International d’Art Vidéo in Casablanca. She is currently working on the piece L’écho des racines, a choreographic work founded in the meeting of flamenco and Québécois step dancing with a dozen of musicians and dancers, as well as Les Rigoles, a co-creation with singer Alexandra Templier on the phenomenon of laughter. In addition to her choreographic practice, she has danced for Aurélie Pedron, Audrey Gaussiran, and [ZØGMA]. In 2020, she completed a master’s thesis in research-creation at the UQAM dance department on the intercorporeality between dance and music.

Alexandra Templier is a multidisciplinary vocal artist based in Tio’tia:ke/Mooniyang/Montréal. In search of a holistic artistic experience, she combines her master’s project research in metaphysics and contemporary poetics (Sorbonne University, Paris) with her intimate exploration of the human voice through singing (opera, flamenco singing, Indian classical singing, Indian vocal percussion, improvisation) and the body in motion (professional training in theatre and somatic movement). Winner of a first prize for an emerging singer at the flamenco festival Suma Flamenca in Madrid – where she lived, trained and performed as a flamenco soloist for five years – her theatre and music projects have been performed in Europe (France, Spain), Africa (Algeria), and Québec. With support from the MAI (Montréal, arts interculturels), the Conseil des arts de Montréal, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec and the Canada Council for the Arts, Alexandra channels her diverse artistic background into multidisciplinary creations that connect with the audience on an intimate level, questioning our habits of perception in order to re-enchant our relationship with the living.

After her graduation form the National Theatre School of Canada, Marguerite Hudon makes her place on Montréal’s artistic scene thanks to her creative eye and her versatility. She assisted Olivier Morin in his directing of Jon Lachlan Stewart’s The King Stinks. She also works with Denis Marleau et Stéphanie Jasmin as their stage manager for their shows Les Aveugles, Dors mon petit enfant, and Les Dix commandements de Dorothy Dix. She does not stop herself to stage managing; she also signs the light conception of various shows, sush as Rachelle Bourget’s AFTER THE CAUSE, Hugo Fréjabise’s Équinoxe, and Jean-François Boisvenue and Giverny Welsch’s Æmulus.

My artistic motivation is to create emotionally charged works, encouraging reflection toward the individual and collective sentiment. I’ve explored themes of shame, confession, isolation, and the deconstruction of sex and beauty. In my solo work AFTER THE CAUSE, I developed my creative process by touching some of my darker emotional confrontations with substance abuse, creating a tone that the public could resonate with and reject simultaneously. The core of my creative processes develop through experiences of repression discovered in personal reflection. I find fascination in secrecy and aspects we conceal and, in turn, expose.

I am stepping outside the role of choreographer/performer to deepen my process by creating my first duet, MERIDIAN RESPONSE, a contemporary dance + sound creation that examines the relationships between perceived and experienced sensations of pleasure. I hope to articulate my choreographic language and refine my creative approach by incorporating different forms of sensuous, audible and physical communication.

During her studies at École de danse contemporaine de Montréal, Luce Lainé began her career thanks to her encounter with Sarah Dell’Ava and the practice of authentic movement, leading to performances O2 and O. In 2020, Luce co-founded the collective les petits papiers with Philippe Dépelteau and Marie Lévêque. In 2022, she participated in Vingt-cinq kilomètres, a short film by Marie Lévêque, and joined Invisible by Aurélie Pédron, presented at the OFFTA. In 2023, she performed in the installation S’imbriquer by Philippe Dépelteau and Mascarades by Katia-Marie Germain. For 2024, she performs in La symphonie des cœurs by Rhodnie Désir and MERIDIAN RESPONSE by Rachelle Bourget.

Kyana Lyne is a contemporary dancer and choreographer for performing arts and dance-on-film based in Tiohtià:ke/Mooniyaang/Montréal. Since 2020, her choreographic films have been screened in various festivals such as Hot Docs, Rhode Island Film Festival, REGARD, FIFA, and Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma. As a multidisciplinary artist, Kyana has nurtured her practice through commissions with Wapikoni Mobile and Migration Dance Film Project, and dance-research initiatives with Linda Rabin, Caroline Namts and Rachelle Bourget. She is also a company dancer and performer in the Margie Gillis Dance Foundation’s The Legacy Project since 2021.

Jonathan Goulet is a composer and filmmaker. His instrumental works have been premiered by several Québec soloists and ensembles, including Magnitude 6, Pallade Musica, Vincent Lauzer, Aka, and Orchestre de la Francophonie.The multidisciplinary artist regularly collaborates as a composer, sound designer or performer with several choreographers, including Alexandre Morin, Jason Martin, Sara Hanley, and Rachelle Bourget. He is co-founder of the interdisciplinary art duo Other Animals, a group dedicated to creation in all forms and mediums.

Sara Hanley is a Montréal artist involved in contemporary dance since 1997. Trained as a performer, she has contributed to the creation of works by numerous choreographers. Interested in the democratization of art, she obtained a Master’s degree in arts education, leading her to develop projects with different communities. Her work investigates intertwined relationships between the body and the environment, drawing on processes of reciprocity and transformation. Sara teaches dance at Concordia University, UQAM and L’École de danse de Québec. She acts as artistic advisor to established and emerging choreographers.

Writer, actor/dancer, theatre director, and dance dramaturge, Mathieu Leroux is a graduate of UQAM’s École supérieure de théâtre. He created and performed the dance duet Bones & Wires with Sébastien Provencher (2021). He is dancing in the new Other Animals creation, Plasticity/Desires, at the MAI (Montréal, arts interculturels) in January 2024. Leroux has built sustainable partnerships with prominent choreographers and has been working with, amongst others, Victor Quijada and Alexandre Morin for years. He is part of the Danse à la carte mentoring team since 2018. Leroux earned his master’s degree in French literature at Université de Montréal. He published novels and plays, plus an essay on performing the self.

Jason Martin graduated from École de danse contemporaine de Montréal in 2012. He performed for various companies, including Compagnie Marie Chouinard, Daniel Léveillé Danse, and Le Carré des Lombes. In 2016, he founded ENTITEY/jason martin, creating dance works centered on the interdependence of the human condition. His solo étude nO.1 won Best Dancer at the SoloDuo NRW + Friends International Dance Festival in Germany in 2021 and the Jury Prize at the Certamen Coreográfico 10 Sentidos in Spain in 2022. Jason is also often invited to choreograph in institutions and companies, notably at Gaaton Dance Workshop (Israel), Ballet Nacional Dominicano (Dominican Republic), and Compañía Nacional de Danza (Costa Rica).

After her graduation form the National Theatre School of Canada, Marguerite Hudon makes her place on Montréal’s artistic scene thanks to her creative eye and her versatility. She assisted Olivier Morin in his directing of Jon Lachlan Stewart’s The King Stinks. She also works with Denis Marleau et Stéphanie Jasmin as their stage manager for their shows Les Aveugles, Dors mon petit enfant, and Les Dix commandements de Dorothy Dix. She does not stop herself to stage managing; she also signs the light conception of various shows, sush as Rachelle Bourget’s AFTER THE CAUSE, Hugo Fréjabise’s Équinoxe, and Jean-François Boisvenue and Giverny Welsch’s Æmulus.

I approach dancemaking through the lens and influence of music. I explore the fusion of dance, music, and performance, working to subvert hierarchical forms and ideas around performance. My work explores intensity, playfulness, and the beauty of effort and imperfection. It screams connection and DIY collaboration.

Claude Labrèche-Lemay is a multidisciplinary artist who explores via installation the interactions between photography, sculpture, video, and performance. She currently lives and works in Tiohtiá:ke/Montréal, where she completed her BFA in Photography at Concordia University. Her work has been shown in various group exhibitions at FOFA Gallery (Montréal), Galleri Moniror (Sweden), and Gallery 44 (Toronto). Since 2019, she has been collaborating with choreographer Laura Jeffery. Her practice has received support from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec and the Canada Council for the Arts. Future projects include a group and co-curated exhibition at the Plein Sud centre in February 2024.

Benjamin (Ben) Harvey is a queer dance artist currently based in Montréal and originally from Guelph, Ontario. He is a 2022 graduate of École de danse contemporaine de Montréal and a graduate of the Guelph Youth Dance Training Program. In his training he was lucky to learn from choreographers and teachers that include Louise Bédard, Marc Boivin, David Earle, Lucie Grégoire, Janet Johnson, Christine Lamothe, Alexandre Morin, Linda Rabin, Jamie Wright, and many more. He is currently dancing professionally as well as studying part time in Community, Public Affairs, and Policy Studies at Concordia University. He is interested in the role that art plays in activism and world engagement. Ben approaches dance with a spirit of curiosity, openness and intellect, and looks forward to continuing to grow as an emerging artist.

Sasha Kleinplatz is a dance artist in Tiohtià:ke/Montréal. She is the co-curator of the performance events Piss in the Pool, Short&Sweet, and Total Space Party. Her work as a choreographer has toured throughout Canada, and has been supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec. In 2015, Sasha was awarded the DanceWEB scholarship at the ImPulsTanz festival in Vienna. In 2021, Sasha received a master’s degree from Simon Fraser’s School for Interactive Arts and Technology, and in 2022 she began a PhD at Concordia University. Her current research is focused on consent in dance pedagogy, and practicing interspecies care.

Victor Christ was in the Toronto punk band Soupcans. Afterwards, he co-founded the independent music label Freeer Records with life long pal Andre Charles Thériault. On this label, he continues to release solo music under the moniker Stucco.

Sony Cody is a musician and artist who has been living and working in Tiohtià: ke since 2012, performing solo as well as with groups such as Cheap Wig, Ursula, and Body Break.

Cole Woods is a Canadian musician and sound artist. He is currently studying electroacoustic studies at Concordia University and is a member of the bands Laughing and Jane Harm’s Love Triangle.

Josh Salter is a Montréal-based musician who has toured internationally as the bassist in Nap Eyes. Their work has received coverage from outlets such as Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, The Globe and Mail, CBC, NME, and NPR. They have also been a part of numerous other musical projects, such as Monomyth, Psychic Fair, and most recently Laughing.

After her graduation form the National Theatre School of Canada, Marguerite Hudon makes her place on Montréal’s artistic scene thanks to her creative eye and her versatility. She assisted Olivier Morin in his directing of Jon Lachlan Stewart’s The King Stinks. She also works with Denis Marleau et Stéphanie Jasmin as their stage manager for their shows Les Aveugles, Dors mon petit enfant, and Les Dix commandements de Dorothy Dix. She does not stop herself to stage managing; she also signs the light conception of various shows, sush as Rachelle Bourget’s AFTER THE CAUSE, Hugo Fréjabise’s Équinoxe, and Jean-François Boisvenue and Giverny Welsch’s Æmulus.