Taminator + Nicole Jacobs

Valérie Chartier, aka Taminator, aka Lady Maddripp, has 42 years of experience in dance, ranging from ballet, jazz, contemporary, hip hop, house, and waacking to krump. Taminator is a pioneer of krump in Canada, and an influential and internationally recognised leader in the movement. She has travelled the world competing, teaching, and judging at world-class events. Taminator is also the general and artistic director of the non-profit Montreal Krump Alliance. She is also the director of the LeadHers educational and artistic program, which aims to develop women’s full physical and mental potential through learning the foundations and the essence of krump. She is also a performer and choreographer. She was most recently a contestant on season 3 of the TV show Révolution, and choreographer and performer of the Krump Dualis duet, which was presented in 2022 at Maison de la culture Mercier. Taminator received the Prix de la Danse de Montréal for best choreography for the 2023-2024 season for THIN.

Marion Arinloye aka Big Rulez is a music producer, beatmaker, rapper and sound designer with over 13 years of experience in music composition, recording, mixing and editing in several music genres in a broad range of industries. He is based out of Paris, France. His love of music and movement started at a young age, and his passion for dance is what sparked his initial interest in beatmaking and producing. He is a pioneer in the production of krump music in Europe and also composes various musical styles, such as hip hop, house, trap, and movie scores. He has been fortunate enough to work with and produce music for several up-and-coming artists internationally, designed music for theatre, TV, and dance. He has released numerous mixtapes that can be found on Bandcamp and popular music platforms such as iTunes, Spotify, etc. His passion and dedication has also led him to expand his talents even further with teaching, performance, videography, and photography. His goal is to continue to perfect his craft and inspire people.

My artistic approach is based on authenticity. Krump takes its inspiration in freestyle, from technical foundations that are personalized through the dancer’s alter ego, which creates their uniqueness. This dance, based on expression, requires a great amount of vulnerability and an ability to express because that’s what makes the dance what it is.

I build my approach on these krump fundamental principles. The quality of the movement and the precision of the execution are also part of my approach. For me, creativity and authenticity take form in the understanding of the body: it is amplified and improved in a body and a mind that push the physicality aspect.

THIN being a real story, my story, it is constructed with these two approaches in mind. The language development is based on concepts that portray what is happening, the goal being for the message to travel and touch with as much clarity and authenticity as possible. The use of the cello is also symbolic, authentic. The instrument and the music embody either the ego or the soul (true self), which influences and guides our thoughts, emotions, and actions. Therefore, the music represents what is being experienced.

Nicole Jacobs is a member of Curve Lake First Nation and a Montréal-based choreographer, teacher, and dance artist. A graduate of Concordia University’s contemporary dance program, Nicole has collaborated with notable creators such as Theatre Junction, A’nó:wara Dance Theatre, Corpuscule Danse, My-Van Dam, and Ange Loft. Her ongoing research explores the intersection of contemporary dance and acrobatics, which she shares through classes and workshops at training institutions, including Espace Ouvert, UQAM, Studio 303, Watershed Dance Program, and École Nationale de Danse du Canada. Nicole’s choreographic work has been presented at Festival St-Ambroise Fringe de Montréal, Festival Quartiers Danses, Here&Now Festival, and Quai 5160 – Maison de la culture de Verdun. Her choreography creates emotionally and physically immersive experiences, transforming space and energy through intimate staging, movement, and design. She draws inspiration from her interest in lighting design and the influence of her experiences in theatre and circus arts.

Guillaume “Kio” Roberts-Cambron is a Montréal-based interdisciplinary artist specializing in collaborative performance design. His productions integrate the use of movement, fire and circus props, set design, lighting, sound, video and interactivity to create immersive experiences that take audiences on an emotional and sensory journey. He brings stories to life by interweaving familiar elements from life’s diverse narratives. As a collaborator, he supports the creative process with combined knowledge and experience both on stage and behind the scenes. He fosters and expands his network of collaborators through the core values of trust, honesty and vulnerability, fostering a dynamic and vibrant creative community.

Paul Osinski is a Canadian musician and artist currently residing in Montréal. His main creative project, the Paulo Sinski Microband, is a two-piece electronic/dance band. His creative endeavours explore the sensory overload of modern life, navigating the ever-shrinking line between euphoria and terror. In addition to music, Paul has lent his sound design skills to indie film, contemporary dance, and new media projects. Among his notable achievements is the release of his EP  PPE/LFO, in partnership with Cosmic Resonance Recordings.

A writer, actor/dancer, theatre director, and dance dramaturge, Mathieu Leroux is a graduate of UQAM’s École supérieure de théâtre. He creates and performs the dance duet Bones & Wires with Sébastien Provencher in 2021. He dances in the Other Animal creation Plasticity/Desires (MAI, 2024). Leroux has built sustainable partnerships with prominent choreographers and has been working with, among others, Victor Quijada and Alexandre Morin for years. He has been part of the Danse à la Carte mentoring team since 2018. Leroux earned his master’s degree in French literature at UdeM. He published novels and plays, plus an essay on performing the self.

Artist and teacher Stéphanie Decourteille founded the dance and contemporary creation program BIG BANG in Montréal in 2018, and a year later co-founded the organization supporting movement artists Espace Ouvert. Professionally trained in ballet and contemporary dance, and stimulated by more than 25 years as a performer, choreographer and trainer locally and internationally, Stéphanie places the development of professional and pre-professional artists (dance, circus, theatre, performance) at the heart of her artistic and cultural commitments. In each of her positions as artistic director, creative advisor or movement teacher, Stéphanie Decourteille works to ensure that process is valued, that skills are perfected, and that all forms of expression are encouraged.

Naomi Gwynn is a dance artist and choreographer based in Tiohtiá:ke/Montréal. Naomi completed the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company’s International Dance Journey Program and danced for Cobos Mika’s Junior company in Palamos, Spain, for the 2019-2020 season. Her work SEVEN was awarded Outstanding Choreography after its premiere at the Montréal Fringe Festival in 2022, and in 2023 she completed GibneyPRO under the direction of Alexandra Wells. Naomi was a choreographic fellow and artist in residence with Danse à la Carte and the Margie Gillis Dance Foundation. Her work has also received the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, the Jewish Museum of Montréal, the City of Ottawa, and the City of Montréal.

The inspiration for Alone in the Living Room arose, unsurprisingly, from my own living room. Every surface held one, sometimes two lamps. Not a single lamp had a lampshade, an unintentional coincidence that I continue to honour. Each evening, I would shuffle around the room, turning lamps on and off, seeking to find the perfect ambient balance. This ritual was a way to create an atmosphere that reflected my internal world at that moment, but also allowed me the opportunity to subtly reshape it.

In my creative process, each lamp came to represent a different facet of myself. Through the sculpting of light, I could choose which aspects to reveal, construct different versions to inhabit, and observe the result of certain parts emerging or disappearing without warning. 

Each new landscape offers the audience space to reflect on the connections and contradictions that shape our inner lives, inviting contemplation of how we navigate who we are and who we may become.