Local Gestures
because the personal is cultural
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,
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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.
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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 Categories
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