Review (Montreal / Dance) 6,3 Évanouissements

How I Fell In Love With Contemporary Dance
by Aleksandra Koplik, Senior Contributor

There's something about this performance that is strangely captivating from the very beginning. As the audience gathered in the vestibule, waiting to be seated, one of the choreographers and performers (Benoit Lachambre), approached a few individuals and told them that something was going to happen in a few minutes, asking them to freeze at the appropriate moment. At this point I knew this was going to be interesting. As predicted, everyone froze at the right time and looked in the directions we were told. We found that five performers had been among us the whole time. They too were frozen, at first, but then started convulsing in a range of motions. We were then all slowly invited to be seated. Before we sat down, we find one of the dancers on stage alone. She is light and windy in her movements. There's always a fine line between an enticing-weird and uncomfortably-weird contemporary dance show. This performance by Danse-Cité and Agora de la Danse was most definitely fascinating, even to the untrained eye. Six incredibly talented artists come together for 6,3 Evanouissements: Fortner Anderson, Marc Boivin, Sophie Corriveau, Michel F Coté, Benoit Lachambre and Catherine Tardif. They create a space in time describing the act of fainting. Where one's consciousness or spirit goes, in a very relatable and humorous way.

@SahsaVK

What an absolute delight! Working in a blackbox, they had two white brick walls, six windows with thin reflecting drapes, a few chairs, some fruits and liquids, a bench, a stage curtain that moved on and across the stage and lighting (by Marc Parent) to work with. They maximized the use of their props and used their bodies in the most condensed way. The work that these artists created on stage was colossal. They used poetry, voice, song and their bodies in a way that I had not seen before, it was very theatrical. This contemporary dance performance was indeed different, because of the various personalities and backgrounds on stage. Thematically arranged, they touched on fainting from happiness, unhappiness, pain, boredom and passion. The dancers worked individually and socially to create very distinct pieces that were like a puzzle - beautiful on their own, but really made you think about the larger picture when it all came together. With religious and political connotations, these social commentaries just blew my mind away. If you want to have a good time and watch a performance that will give you something to think about - go see this with an open mind and it will not disappoint. 

November 12 - 15