The selection of January as the month that marks the beginning of a new year is no doubt arbitrary, and yet it still affects the way we perceive things. For me, it means I've put out my list of the dance shows that stuck with me over the past twelve months and it's like the slate has been swiped clean. So when I begin to see shows again in January, I find myself impatiently waiting for the first great one. We've now crossed over into February and it's finally here: Annie Gagnon's La Marche Invisible.

Dance purists might struggle with her mixed-media endeavour, but those interested in art in all its shapes and forms are bound to be delighted. Gagnon conceived the show with Pascal Lareau, a multidisciplinary artist whose contribution to La Marche Invisible is imposing and fascinating sculptures that bring animals into a very human world. The two creators have surrounded themselves with top-notch collaborators. La Marche Invisible is one of those rare shows in which all elements work perfectly together. Composer and musician Antoine Berthiaume's live performance straddles that fine line between asserting itself without overpowering the dance, colouring it in all the right ways. Erwann Bernard's lighting design skillfully sculpts the space and gives each of the two sections its own distinct flavour. And dancer David Rancourt is, as always, outstanding.

In the first piece, "La Biche Lumineuse," the luminous doe is standing tall at the end of a red rectangle surrounded by crumpled newspaper. Gagnon and Rancourt enter the stage decisively. Their expression is cold; their movement, mechanical. We sense a solitude between these two figures, a solitude that, as opposed to loneliness, inhabits intervals rather than internal spaces. Each looks at the other as if trying to understand, without ever succeeding. The other appears as an overflow of emotion, incomprehensible. Even in the sexual encounter, the other remains just that: other. Yet in the final moments, despite their blank stares, it seems there might be something more than mere physical proximity. Their bodies are so close that they overlap, forcing their movement to mirror each other. They appear as two beings who, from a common desire, walk together in the same direction.

Rancourt introduces us to the second half, "Le Lapin Samouraï," by blindly and awkwardly mimicking the short but stout samurai rabbit at the back of the room. When Gagnon joins him onstage, he watches her fall repeatedly, more likely to pull away than to come to her rescue. His lack of action is less malicious than an apparent feeling of complete helplessness in the face of the world's destructive forces. Her body lying on the ground, he takes her hand as if it's the best one can hope for: to join oneself with a casualty of life or, more optimistically, with the other's vulnerability. More simply, it might just be what must be done, the duty of the samurai.

Despite what the title of each section might imply, more emotionality emanates from "La Lapin Samouraï." The dancers embrace and, on the other hand, shove each other. The contrast between the previous coldness and this sudden emergence of emotionality makes the latter appear cliché. So, for better or for worse, Rancourt loses his connection to Gagnon as his movement becomes robotic, a trauma caused by his inability to truly connect with the other.

Gagnon might be a young choreographer, but her work is mature and courageous. She is not afraid to be serious in her art. She is also unafraid of choreographic silences. She understands that they are just as much a material as sound, that one can sculpt with them, that they are necessary for rhythm. They also provide contrast and build anticipation for the next movement: when? what? where? By blending dance, sculpture and performance art, Gagnon and Lareau have crafted one of the best shows of the year.

La Marche Invisible
Tangente
February 4-7, 2010
Tickets: 17$ / Students: 14$
514.525.1500

Another year is coming to an end and once again I find myself looking back to see what is still visible in the mass of dance I’ve taken in this past year. Out of this pile of now mostly undistinguishable shows, the letter A stands out, blood red.

​While my love for contemporary dance stems from the unexpected that fuels the best shows, Tammy Forsythe’s Golpe showed me the limits of the medium by stepping well outside of them. As even one of its many detractors admitted, “J'ignorais […] qu'on pouvait être punk en danse contemporaine.” (Pablo Maneyrol) Sporting a DIY aesthetic, Golpe was raw, messy, and rough. It made me want to beat up anesthetically polished dance shows until blood started coming out of their pores, a most welcome sign of life dripping onto their bourgeois-wannabe clothes. Any so-called improvement that Golpe could have undergone would only have made it more generic. I would call it the most memorable show of the year if the French word “marquant” weren’t better, its “K” sound like a knife that cuts through the skin to leave a permanent scar. It’s thanks to Golpe that I can now entertain the hope that I might one day see a metal dance show.

​At the other end of the spectrum, there’s La Marche Invisible. While the definition of art is ever elusive, one still feels the certainty of being in the presence of a work that is deserving of the word at its most qualitative when watching Annie Gagnon’s creation. It was a perfect blend of dance, sculpture, music, lighting, and performance art. It showed the choreographer’s maturity as an artist.

​This past year, I was also fortunate enough to be in New York City when legendary post-modern choreographer Trisha Brown was celebrating the 40th anniversary of her company. For the occasion, I got to see Opal Loop/Cloud Installation #72503 (a work first performed in 1980) in the intimate space of the Baryshnikov Arts Center. When the curtains opened, a cloud of smoke rushed forward and made its way through the audience. Amidst these “clouds”, four dancers emerged, independently operating in silence for fifteen minutes. So when two of them suddenly jumped against one another at the exact same moment, it had the effect of an earthquake. Like what everything is a matter of contrast.

​Once again this year, Tangente (who was also behind La Marche Invisible) asserted itself as the venue for contemporary dance, programming daring work that many bigger spaces would never touch. Nowhere was this more apparent than with their Idea-Based Dances program, a three-week event where conceptual works were allowed to shine. Ula Sickle’s Solid Gold especially stands out. Dancer Patrick Mbungu (aka Dinozord) single-handedly covered the entire spectrum of dance from the African diaspora, from its roots in the motherland to recent street styles coming out of Los Angeles. All this in a mere thirty minutes, with his breath and footsteps as his only soundtrack. The most impressive performance of the year.

​Part of the same program, Tawny Andersen played with the intensity of her performance in Uncanny Valley. Armed with a deadpan sense of humour, she demonstrated that, to be compelling, one needn’t necessarily fall into excess.

​At Agora de la danse, Michael Trent also surprised us with a highly conceptual work, It’s about time: 60 dances in 60 minutes. Five dancers repeated the same sequence of fifteen actions four times, each action first taking a minute, then fifteen seconds, three minutes, and a minute again. The experiment turned out to be a fascinating exploration of duration and its effects on both performers and audience members.

​For their part, UQAM students proved once more that daring work does not only belong to the most seasoned choreographers. With her graduating work Chorus, Raphaëlle Perreault put on a show that unfolded like a great piece of minimalist music. Only after each movement had been repeated numerous times was the next movement allowed to come in, so that the choreography slowly but surely took us to a different place than where it had started. Her schoolmate Sarah Dell’ava showed how deeply committed she is to seeing her ideas through to the very end. With her first professional work Dans les carnets, she proceeded to unfurl a large roll of paper over the ten minutes the piece lasted. The mystery that clouded her process made the performance captivating.
 
A work that speaks to the spirit with which this selection is gathered is Michaël Cros’s Le Zoo “Chaleurhumaine”. While I greatly appreciated it when I saw it back in January, I did not expect it to find its way on this list. However, almost a year later, I am forced to admit that I am still haunted by its strangeness. In what is doubtlessly the best ambulatory dance piece of the last couple of years, audience members walked through a human zoo where two performers interacted with dummies entirely covered in black lycra. Disturbing images of racism, incest and violence raised important questions about the nature of the modern zoo in this highly experiential work.

​Last, but certainly not least, is Merce Cunningham’s Nearly 90. The late master’s ultimate work demonstrated why he is one of the most influential choreographers of the last century, his style so pure as to be monumental and timeless.

Salves, Maguy Marin (Danse Danse) Septembre 26-28

Because last time Marin was in town, it was back in 2007 with Umwelt, which still holds as one of the best shows performed in Montreal this past decade.

Prismes, Benoît Lachambre (L’Agora de la danse) October 16-19

Because Lachambre made quite the comeback last year with Snakeskins, his best show in years.

Henri Michaux: Mouvements + Gymnopédies, Marie Chouinard (Danse Danse) October 31-November 2

Because Chouinard’s last show, LE NOMBRE D’OR (LIVE), is the one that has had the biggest impact on me since performer Carole Prieur first translated Henri Michaux’s drawings into dance back in 2005. We can only imagine what it will be like when all the dancers of the company will follow in her footsteps.

Cuire Le Pain De Nos Corps, Sarah Dell’ava (Tangente) November 21-24

Because Dell’ava is probably the most intelligent mover in Montreal.

LA VALEUR DES CHOSES, Jacques Poulin-Denis (Lachapelle) January 21-25

Because Poulin-Denis manages to expose the absurdity of human life while remaining funny and touching.

The Nutcracker, Maria Kefirova (Tangente) January 30-February 2

Because Kefirova is one of the few choreographers in Montreal who knows how to deal with video in live performance.

The adaptation project, Michael Trent (L’Agora de la danse) February 12-14

Because the last time Trent was in Montreal, he surprised everyone by being as conceptual as he was playful.

Reviens Vers Moi Le Ventre En Premier, Annie Gagnon (Tangente) February 27-March 2

Because she’s one of the few choreographers in Montreal who’s not afraid to be serious.

Mayday remix, Mélanie Demers (Usine C) March 12-14

Because, with just a few works, Demers has managed to establish herself as one of the most consistently good dancemakers in Montreal and it will be a treat to see her revisit her past works before moving on to the next artistic stage in her career.

Mange-Moi, Andréane Leclerc (Tangente) March 20-23

Because Leclerc’s contortionism isn’t just a circus trick; it’s a philosophy that allows her to approach and explore space differently.

http://dansedanse.ca/DDA_1314/en/
http://www.agoradanse.com/en
http://tangente.qc.ca/
http://lachapelle.org/
http://www.usine-c.com/