Review: (Montreal / Dance) Prismes

In a land of dreams and nightmares
by Chad Dembski, Editor, Dance

Montréal Danse is an intriguing Montreal dance company in that they choose a different choreographer for each new creation. Led by Artistic Director Kathy Casey, they tend to allow an exploration of new ideas and experimentation. Prismes; a highly original, bizarre and ambitious piece was originally created in 2013 at Agora de la Danse explores perception. The perception of colour, of light in space, and of body in as many forms as could be imagined. With a varied and pulsating soundtrack by Laurent Maslé and Tomas Furey the six performers display incredible virtuosity throughout the 75 minute piece.  

Review: (Montreal / Dance) Infinity Doughnut

(Photo: Svetla Atanasova)

The Pleasure of Being Together
by Chad Dembski, Editor, Dance

Upon arriving just on time to Monument National I saw an extremely long line for the coat check. This was the first request of many to shed your outer world belongings and join the performance space area. I left my backpack and shoes at the side, stood against the back wall and held hands with two different strangers. Then as a long line of curious audience members we carefully navigated down a flight of stairs and walked in and around the space.  This instantly brought me back to elementary school and the few exhilarating days we would visit a non-school location. There was a giddy nervousness amongst most of the crowd that chose to go along for the ride; some audience members refused to take their shoes off and join in. Still this simple, opening action helped bring an instant intimacy to the piece and for me a personal awareness of each and every audience member.

Review: (Montreal / Dance) That's It

Any Shape, form or structure imaginable
by Chad Dembski,  Editor, Dance

The solo dance performance of That’s It at La Chapelle is a strong investigation of body transformation in all its possible forms. Brussels based creator and dancer Sabine Molenaar first premiered the piece in 2012 and has toured it extensively before making this its North American première. Her incredible virtuosity and control are displayed from the first image of sitting on the ground, back to the audience and arms wrapped in a mysterious way around her body. My first thought was that this was going to be a contortionist show of intense and unbelievable body moves. This became half true over the next 50 minutes where Sabine pulls, pushes, tears and transforms her body into every imaginable form.

Review: (Montreal / Dance) Le Délire Domestique

The everyday spectacular
by Chad Dembski, Editor, Dance

Le Délire Domestique is the latest creation by choreographer Deborah Dunn featuring seven solo dances focusing on daily domestic life. Based on rituals of cleaning, making food, and taking care of animals the seven dancers each take their own stab at the proposition. With a strong sense of how women are still forced into these roles of housekeeper even when also attempting to pursue careers. We all may say it’s a new world where men or women can take care of the home but there is still an automatic assumption that home duties fall to women.  

Review: (Montreal / Dance) Nobody Likes a Pixelated Squid & Chorus II

Chorus II

A Beautiful Contradiction
by Chad Dembski, Editor, Dance

After one of the most bizarre mixes of two diverse companies I left the Cinquième Salle last night curious how programming decisions are made. Artists often have control over their own work to a certain extent but not always where and how their work is presented. Sometimes two very different shows are put together as a way to show two sides of similar research or at other times a common theme in a body of work. 

Review: (Montreal / Dance) Hors Je

(photo by Ben Philippi)

Never Alone
by Chad Dembski, Editor-Dance

Hors Je is a duet.  A duet with the audience, a duet with video projection and a duet with a vast collection of dancers, both professional and non-professional. These duets take many forms over the evening, all inspired from a choreographic phrase that Dominique Porte gave them. Since there are almost 30 diverse collaborators the results vary quite a bit from each other and yield a lot of interesting results. A highly experienced dancer, Dominique Porte carefully considers each interpretation and finds a way to connect back to each one. She does this while also staying connected to the audience and speaking to us directly about her process, both past and present. 

Review: (Montreal) The Muted Note (Dance)

Photo by Alejandro De Leon

The Freedom of Expression
by Chad Dembski, Editor - Dance
@surpriseperform

There was a moment in last night’s performance of The Muted Note that I felt transported back to the 1960’s.  I’m not sure if it was the jazz musical compositions, the choreographed animated through improvisation or the playful way these two worlds mixed but it felt of another time and place. There is a dark nature to a lot of contemporary dance that I see and it manifests itself often in works that are personal but pessimistic, angry and bleak. The Muted Note is on the opposite end of the scale, a joyous exploration of poetry and the possibilities of collaboration. 

Review: (Montreal) Densité d'un moment/In Mixed Company (Dance)

In Mixed Company (photo by Frédéric Chais)

The Density of Moments
by Chad Dembski, Editor - Dance

Densité d'un moment
The first piece presented in a double bill of works that opens Tangente's season, Densité d'un moment, is a 30 minute six-person performance from recent Université de Québec à Montréal (UQAM)  dance graduates.  The piece explores the density of a moment, how it is experienced differently by each person in that moment, both the active participant and the observer. 

Having been to the Studio space at Monument National a few times I am constantly surprised how a small, seemingly limited space can be transformed with limited resources.

Review: (Montreal) Mike Birbiglia: Thank God For Jokes

Smiling for 75 minutes
by Chad Dembski
@surpriseperform

Until two years ago I had barely heard of Mike Birbiglia other than he was one of the many stand- up comics from New York. Then I saw his film Sleepwalk with Me (2012) and was blown away by the mix of humour, vulnerability and fantastic storytelling ability. I quickly followed up that film with his previous Off-Broadway show My Girlfriend's Boyfriend (2013) that really cemented him as one of my favourite modern storytellers.  

Review: (Montreal) Jem Rolls ONE-MAN TRAFFIC JAM

Jem's Jam
by Chad Dembski
@surpriseperform

The fact that I had not seen jem rolls before is incredible, I have been handed a ton of flyers from him in Toronto and seen his name mentioned with every imaginable Canadian Fringe Festival. A true festival vet who greets each audience member in the lobby before the show has more charm and wit than I could have imagined. Billed as big word performance poetry he soars into his material instantly and has the audience in the palm of his hand. An Englishman with extensive travel in his life he can make a story out of any experience in his life and make it seem interesting.

Review: (Montreal) Over It (Fringe)

The Warning Signs
by Chad Dembski
@surpriseperform

A warning sign when I picked up the flyer for Over It was the main credit written, directed and performed by Laura Pearson.  Even the most talented of one person show performers should know it is brutal to try and take on all three roles in a show. This lack of perspective haunts this show as the performer stumbled over lines constantly, had huge awkward pauses and generally didn’t seem focused at all. A much told tale of the well travelled child (through a diplomat Mother) who has no set home, the story does little to engage or enlighten the point of the piece. 

Review: (Montreal) FRAG / Sneak It up Your Sleeve (Fringe)

Going for the Quick Laugh
by Chad Dembski
@surpriseperform

A very short double bill of a dance film and performance about tampons. The first presented piece FRAG is a trio of short films shot around Montreal with a movement or dance element in them. It was cool to see Montreal locations integrated so well with dancer movements that were both subtle and at times a bit risky in a public place. These films were quite well shot, had great music and seemed very carefully put together.

Review: (Montreal) Real Dead Ghosts (Fringe)

And the Interest Lies Where...?
by Chad Dembski
@surpriseperform

A couple from New York (they are actually from New York) go on a weekend retreat to get away from the city and confront their relationship to each other. Set in an old cabin in the woods with the husband hoping for a ghost sighting on the trip while the wife has planned out every minute of the trip. Soon their relationship is in obvious tension as they cannot agree upon anything in their itinerary. We get some back story from both sides and news that a job has been lost (or the person fired) but both seem a bit lost in their next direction.  

Review: (Montreal / Theatre) Save The Date (Fringe)

The Typical
by Chad Dembski
@surpriseperform

Save the Date is a typical sketch improv. Comedy set up with two performers and a moderator cutting in to change things up.  I was at the second show and I got the impression the performers change each performance and that makes it hard to judge the show as a whole.  Still there is a feeling with the show that we are watching an open improvisation class more than a show  There is a charming quality to a piece that is created before your eyes but you need top notch comedians to keep the energy and ideas up.

Review: (Ottawa/ Montreal / Dance) Room With Sticks

(photo by Rod MacIvor)

Wait for it…
by Chad Dembski

Patience is a difficult task for an audience member in this day and age.  In a time where we expect instant messages, instant food, and instant entertainment it can be extremely challenging to be put through a slow evolving show.  Room with Sticks is a unique collaboration between choreographer Tedd Robinson, who is based just outside Ottawa and Ame Henderson who is an artist that runs Toronto based Public Recordings. They began collaborating a few years ago and their research is mixed with sound artist Charles Quevillon who has been working with Tedd Robinson for quite a few years.  

Review: (Montreal / Dance) Antigone Sr.

(photo by Bengt Gustafsson)

Twenty Looks at the mind and soul of Trajal Harrell

by Chad Dembski

A 10 minute introduction at the beginning of the evening greets the audience and serves as a good preparation for the epic onslaught we are about to experience. In the humble and insightful opening Trajal Harrell explains that this piece is part of a series of works that come in different sizes (xs,s,m,l). The entire series is based on the proposal of bringing the dance and style of voguing into the modern dance of the 1960’s and the Judson Church in New York City. He explains it is not a historical interpretation but more in the realm of imagination and fantasy.  He also cautions that both the costumes and lights are a work-in-progress and that no matter what they will go on.  

This intro leads into a series of solo dances on white islands on the front of the stage to variety of music. A system seems to be set in place as each of these solos present an individual take on the aforementioned combination of styles. Then suddenly out of nowhere Trajal screams out to stop the show and all the lights go out. It is here where the Antigone aspect of the show begins to emerge and bring an interesting and bizarre element to it all. For regular theatregoers this radical pulling apart and extreme deconstruction of the Greek classic would probably be too much but there is a commitment in it that is addictive. In a way that doesn’t seem possible all three inspirations feed into each other and seem to blend in a way that is unique and totally refreshing.

Review: (Montreal / Dance) Built to Last (FTA)

(photo by Julian Roder)

The Current destiny of our Community
by Chad Dembski

There is a moment with most shows where you feel, thank you, that was great and you wish it would just end there. Some shows it’s because of the ‘false ending’, a tease of the creators to make it seem like the piece is ending but really there is more. Sometimes, like with Built to Last the piece contains so many ideas that you’re not sure where it begins and ends. There is of course the obvious lights up and down, but with this piece from Meg Stuart and Damaged Goods, it was difficult to gauge where it all begins and ends. 

Review: (Montreal / Theatre) Culture, Administration and Trembling

(photo: Stephen Thompson, Dominique Petrin)

It's Not About Seeing
by Chad Dembski

I haven’t been to church in a really long time.  My parents used to take me every Sunday until I was 13 and had confirmation. (a bizarre ritual where you discuss the ultra-repressive Catholic religion with other kids all hitting puberty). Once confirmed I was told I could decide if I wanted to keep going to church; I decided that I never wanted to go again. Apart from one or two Christmas services I haven’t been back and can’t say I miss the Catholic church but miss the ritual, communion and the room full of strangers looking for transcendence. Last night at Agora de la danse I was reminded of the transformative power of performance, the ability of the live experience to provide a jolt of unexpected pleasure and confusion that offers to take you to a new place.  I felt I was brought into a new church, a place where transformation is not only possible but permitted as well.

Sunday Feature: Interview - Marie-Hélène Falcon, Artistic Director, Festival TransAmériques

(photo by Julie Gauthier)

The Pleasure of an Audience

by Chad Dembski

Marie-Hélène Falcon’s career has followed a path that explores the ever-shifting frontiers where art and ideas meet and interact in a co-mingling of tradition and innovation. Her artistic direction hones in on the essential – the tangible essence of a strong, vibrant stage piece, the quality of an artist’s presence in the flesh, the curiosity and enchantment of an audience keen to discover the new and the unknown. For over 30 years, Marie-Hélène Falcon has been committed to presenting the best of contemporary creations from the international scene. The co-founder of the Festival de Théâtre des Amériques, she was its general and artistic director as of 1983, going on to create Théâtres du monde in 1996 and Nouvelles Scènes in 1997. In May 2007, the Festival de théâtre des Amériques was transformed, becoming the Festival TransAmériques. Now a major annual showcase of dance and theatre, the new festival places Montreal in line with other major international events where the contemporary performing arts are the raison d’être of the festival, thus reflecting and updating the ideals underlying the original concept. Marie-Hélène Falcon is frequently invited to attend international festivals as well as conferences on issues facing the performing arts. She has received several awards, including being honoured as a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government, and being named an Officier de l'Ordre national du Québec.

Let it be said I went into the Festival TransAmériques (FTA) offices the morning they had to publicly announce that Helen Lawrence was cancelling out of the festival. This event has since exploded online into the troubling relationship between Actors Equity, producing theatre companies and increasing problems with touring. While I will leave my opinion out of the debate, it is extremely sad that the very first time a Canadian English theatre production was going to open the Festival TransAmériques it had to be cancelled due to mismanagement (I’ll let you look up all the articles posted the past week from each organization and make your own decision).

I have been going to the FTA since 1997 and its various works have brought me enormous pleasure, inspiration and challenge for almost 20 years. It was a pleasure to interview Marie-Hélène Falcon, a Montreal cultural icon who founded the festival back in 1985 and grew it into Canada’s largest international theatre and dance festival.  Its influence on the PuSh festival in Vancouver and World Stage in Toronto is massive and almost impossible to really measure as it was the first. 

CHARPO: How did it all start back in 1985?  

FALCON:  I founded it with Jacques Vezina, we both came from L'Association du Jeune Théâtre.  I was convinced Montreal needed an International theatre festival at that time.  I am still convinced that Montreal needs an International Arts Festival. We just put up the project and did it, it was not easy, there were lots of barriers. We had to convince everybody, of everything, including convincing the governments to give us money. We needed the community to trust that we were going to promote their work. We also had to convince the audience that they would have a great time, knowing what was happening around the world by showing side by side, our companies and the big international stars around the world, theatre-wise.  It was a huge job, but we did one, then two, then three and now 30 years later, here we are.  So the big thing in 2007 when we lost the dance festival (FiND) was, what are we going to do with that?  I proposed what the festival is now, and that project was accepted by the arts councils and by the funding bodies. And now by both milieu and the audience as well.  They cross from dance to theatre and theatre to dance. It’s easier from theatre to dance, it’s a bit more difficult from dance to theatre. But it’s improving, the challenge is to interest all of them to more than one discipline.

Review: (Montreal / Theatre) Mies Julie

Bongile Mantsai, Hilda Cronje, Thoko Ntshinga, Tandiwe Nofirst Lungisa (photo by Murdo MacLeod)

History repeats itself, over and over again.
by Chad Dembski

Often in reviewing live events we are able to get two tickets to a show and invite a friend or peer to see it with us. For Mies Julie, which opened last night at Place des Arts in their 5e salle series, I invited a designer who I have collaborated with a couple times in the past. A work as complex, intense and layered as Mies Julie deserves a good discussion afterwards as it is a piece with many ideas.  

The play seems to almost begin the moment you walk in the lobby which is filled with smoke that is pouring from the theatre. As I entered I noticed one of the performers sitting in the audience on the far side right who seemed stoic and highly focused. The lights faded down and as the music swelled I got the chills associated with those first moments of an event where you are not quite sure what will happen. The woman in the audience got up and slowly made her way to the stage, adding singing to the music mix and providing a wonderful atmosphere to the mysterious beginning. As each performer entered from the audience doors I got a sense immediately that this would be a more radical adaptation of Stringberg’s classic tale of innocence to experience. Immediately a physical nature is established by the two main characters; Julie and Peter, jumping off tables and using the stage to maximum effect. Physical repetition is used quite often; Peter polishing black boots, over and over again and Julie pulling at her dress and hair. This connection to the physical nature of all three performers was transfixing as I don’t often see so much physical interpretation of character in Canadian theatre.