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) Coming and Going

Siren's Call
by Élaine Charlebois

In Stéphanie Morin-Robert’s piece Coming and Going presented by Tangente at Théâtre Prospero,  female contemporary dancers inhabit the stage as the voice and music of poet Ian Ferrier fill the room, adding a narrative nature to the piece. Although there is no clear-cut storyline to Coming and Going, the combination of Ferrier’s beautiful words and the fluid performance of the dancers allowed a feeling of nostalgia to sink in. The poetry and sound allowed the audience to be swayed by the images that were conjured by Ferrier’s words and expressed so wonderfully the comforting yet melancholy mood that is characteristic of sea-port towns. His voice was so soft yet so full of emotion, enriching the piece as it unfolded. 

Review: (Montreal) Native Girl Syndrome

A Beautiful Act of Falling Apart
by Chad Dembski

A mood is set from the moment the audience enters the Monument National Studio space and warbling electronic music fills the space and the two performers slowly sway on the spot on the far right side of the stage. Both performers have a multi-layered costume that is both haphazard and also carefully constructed in places.  

Tangente is a well known dance presentation company that has presented most of Quebec’s independent choreographers and also presents other artists from Canada and the rest of the world as well. Their ambitious programming encourages brave choices, independence and allowing the artist voice to come through. 

Lara Kramer is an independent dance artist who graduated from the contemporary dance program at Concordia in 2008 and is originally from London, Ontario. She has been presenting works steadily since graduating with previous showings at the MAI in Montreal (2011), the Talking Sticks festival in Vancouver, The Banff Centre, and the Canada Dance Festival just to name a few. Native Girl Syndrome (NGS)  is her first feature length work and her first featuring other dancers other than herself.