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Local Gestures

Because the personal is cultural

Cru d'automne 2012: A Review

21/12/2012

2 Comments

 
PictureJean-Sébastien Lourdais's Trois peaux, photo by Luc Lavergne
Here it is, the last dance show of the year. As customary, it is provided by the third-year students of L’École de Danse Contemporaine de Montréal and involves three pieces. The first two come courtesy of Montréal Danse and the last, an original creation for ÉDCM, is by visiting French choreographer Julien Desplantez.

Trois peaux, by Jean-Sébastien Lourdais

The human body transformed until it is no longer human, transformed until it is animal, but no particular animal: humanimal. Fists instead of hands, hunched over, head hanging low, on all fours. Mouvement half fluid/half stops, the organic interrupted by the robotic. (The music, which could be described as electrogrunts, reflects this aspect.) Sometimes, in passing, the dancers appear to be flexing, with their awkward arm positions. The body shakes, organic, too organic, uncontrollable. The movement is other, less articulated than that of human beings, but it says plenty of other things, things that cannot be understood and that are therefore unsettling.

Husk, by George Stamos

Already discussed at length here: http://www.localgestures.com/1/post/2012/02/husk-a-review.html
Only thing to add: did the costume Rachel Harris wore in the Montréal Danse version lose its dick? Why? Are the third-year students at ÉDCM not all adults? Is it because the show is mostly performed in front of their family and friends? And, most importantly, who cares? L’art n’est pas fait pour les demi-mesures.

Il y avait ce fou…, by Julien Desplantez

Thank God, the fashion-trash music that opens the piece soon subsides to offer us what school dance shows do best, i.e. the superficial pleasures of excess: a dozen dancers onstage from beginning to end, so much action that the eye cannot take it all in, synchronicity. Did Desplantez steal his small stationary steps from Hofesh Shechter’s Political Mother? If so, good for him. Even though his choreography is not particularly innovative, it’s still less lazy and juvenile than Shechter’s. De la danse-bonbon.

December 19-22 at 7:30pm
Conservatoire d’art dramatique de Montréal
www.edcmtl.com
514.873.4031 ext. 313
Tickets: 18$ / Students: 10$

2 Comments
Alexandre
24/12/2012 04:30:25 am

Hello M. Verstricht,

Just to address some of your unanswered questions:
Firstly no worries, Rachel`s costume is still intact (dick and all). For this version 2 imitations were created because of the original costume`s fragile state. Due to bugetary constraints the dicks were discarded.
Also, I cannot speak on the school administation`s behalf but I doubt that a school who openly chooses Trois Peaux for its students to perform is particularly worried about pleasing the crowds of parents and friends. The priority here is on audacious collaborations with choreographers that prepare one for the dance milieu and not fake male sex organs. Finally, I can confirm that all of the 3rd years at l' EDCM are adults.

Thanks,
Alex

Reply
Sylvain Verstricht link
25/12/2012 10:22:54 am

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer these questions, Alex! Who knew fake male sex organs were so expensive? Just one more reason to love contemporary dance: because it offers us conversations like these.

Happy Holidays!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Sylvain Verstricht

    has an MA in Film Studies and works in contemporary dance. His fiction has appeared in Headlight Anthology, Cactus Heart, and Birkensnake.

    s.verstricht [at] gmail [dot] com

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