Sylvain Émard + Stefania Skoryna + Jera Wolfe

Les danses à deux temps

L’École de danse contemporaine de Montréal presents Les danses à deux temps, featuring its first- and second-year dancers, under the direction of Lisa Davies.

Rhapsodie by Sylvain Émard

Propelled by indomitable energy, dancers are surrounded by fascinated spectators, witnesses to the intrinsic force of the group, of a mass movement taking shape. Bodies freely respond to hypnotic, essential music, revelling, almost despite themselves, in spontaneous movement, guided by a subversive impulse. A manifestation, a convocation or a ritual, this communion of spirits strikes a powerful chord as it captivates. Fascinated by discos and dance halls, and convinced that dance responds to a fundamental, irrational human need, with this work, Sylvain Émard presents a snapshot of a society in constant upheaval. A tribute to the liberating power of dance, Rhapsodie celebrates the visceral and instinctive side of our nature. While the dancers respond to the rhythm of the music with fervent, swirling movement, what emanates from these transfixed beings is the essence of humanity undergoing profound change.

Ellipses25 by Stefania Skoryna

A piece that mesmerizes with its hypnotic circular movement, Ellipses25 delights in revealing the layers and multiplicities of an intoxicating music. The performers wander within and between the sound of the strings, mastering a virtuosic musicality. Their interplay of oscillation and unison creates an impression of control with seemingly elusive logic. The choreography seeks to reveal swaying moments when bodies ultimately achieve freedom. Passionate gestures and audacious impudence capture the audience’s attention. The narrative tension is sharpened by the back-and-forth between restraint and revelation, leaving the spectator craving to see the bodies liberated.

New creation by Jera Wolfe

Credits

Artistic and program director Lisa Davies

Choreography Sylvain Émard, Stefania Skoryna, Jera Wolfe

Creation and performance advisors Emmanuelle Bourassa-Beaudoin, Anne Le Beau

Lighting design Tim Rodrigues

Costumes Roxanne Bédard, Margot Lacoste

Second-year dancers 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

Firts-year dancers Ophélie Bégin, Laurianne Bergeron-Routhier, Lilly Bouvier, Nathan Buldakova, Coralie Caloz, Xalbat Corret, Krystale Crockett, Julie Dupin, Livia Fortin, Elouan Gourvennec, Fanny Hamel, Alikisa Ikauno, Mélhya Kilic-Pégourié, Stephania Koujelev, Solveig Langlois, Fanny Laplanche, Mathis Mailloux, Elisa Martin, Oli Pedneault-Doucet, Noémie Pino-Buisson, Margaux Pommier, Marine Rausis, Regine Sénatus-Lange, Catherine Simard

Biographies

A prolific and internationally respected artist, Sylvain Émard created his own dance company Sylvain Émard Danse in 1990. Highly theatrical at first, his work soon evolved into a more formal approach to dance. Ever since Ozone, Ozone (1987), his first solo, up to Rhapsodie (2022), a piece for 20 dancers, he has been exploring the territory of human nature through the force and strength of the body. His repertoire now includes over 30 original pieces that have had a resounding impact all over the world. Renowned for his refined style and precise movement, his presentation in 2009 of Le Grand Continental at Festival TransAmériques must have come to some as a surprise. Inspired by line dancing, this unique piece has featured 3,000 non-dancers in several performances across Canada, the United States, Mexico, South Korea, New Zealand, Chile, Germany and Austria, attracting some 125,000 spectators. In 2017, Le Super Méga Continental boasted 375 dancers in Montréal to celebrate the city’s 375th anniversary in a monumental fashion. Sylvain Émard has received numerous prestigious awards, such as the Jean A. Chalmers Choreographic Award (1996). He is also co-founder of Circuit-Est centre chorégraphique.

Since graduating from École de danse contemporaine de Montréal in 2015, Stefania Skoryna has performed for Mélanie Demers, PÉTRUS/Jérémie Niel, Parts+Labour_Danse and 14 lieux/Martin Messier, among others. Then, she focuses on choreography. Her fascination with the relationship between dance and other artistic disciplines led her to collaborate in a wide range of disciplines: comedy, opera, theatre, gymnastics, digital arts, dance video, and musique actuelle. Creations from these collaborations have been presented by Tangente, Dance Matters (Toronto), Centre PHI and MUTEK, among others. She discovered the vast possibilities of storytelling, characters and the pleasure of transporting audiences into fictional worlds through movement. Her involvement in the performing arts community plays a key role in her practice. She has been teaching dance since 2010, is co-founder/general coordinator of Nous Sommes L’Été and co-coordinator of the Écotone platform for fundamental research in the performing arts. Stefania also mentors artists in their career development.

Born in Tkaronto/Toronto, Jera Wolfe is a choreographer and performer of Métis heritage. His captivating choreography has won him the 2019 Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Original Choreography for Trace by Red Sky Performance. He has demonstrated an impressive repertoire of works presented by Canadian Stage, Fall For Dance North, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Festival des arts de Saint-Sauveur, Citadel + Compagnie, Danse Danse, and Jacob’s Pillow. His choreographic works include creations with Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers, Red Sky Performance, the National Ballet of Canada, Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet, and Canada’s National Ballet School. In 2022, Jera’s largest work, Arise, performed by 146 professional dance students from Canada’s National Ballet School, was presented at Meridian Hall as part of Fall For Dance North’s Signature program.