1 + 1 Miniatures brings together two very short pieces:
PORTRAIT: a solo piece inspired by the poem “Portrait” by Hector de Saint-Denys Garneau (1891–1943), considered the first Quebec modernist poet and a pioneer of the literary renaissance in Quebec. “Portrait” is part of the collection Regards et Jeux dans l’espace, published in 1937. This short poem, rich in imagery and with a childlike quality, evokes with wonder both the beauty and the fragility of our existence, infusing the gravity of the subject with a sense of lightness.
Note: Another solo piece with the same title (“Portrait”) was created by Lina Cruz in 2022, commissioned by PPS Danse as part of the show “Perles,” performed by David Rancourt, director of PPS Danse.
RECUL: This second solo, also very short, follows directly after the previous one and incorporates the poem “Recul” by the extraordinary and iconoclastic Quebec surrealist playwright and poet Claude Gauvreau. This poem can be interpreted as a call for the right to be different or for the respect due to those on the margins, whether by choice, by nature, or imposed by circumstances.
Lina Cruz
Music: Philippe Noireaut
Choreography and Performance: Lina Cruz
Poem “Portrait”: Hector de Saint-Denys Gameau
Poem “Recul”: Claude Gauvreau
Costumes, Props, and Voice: Lina Cruz
Special thanks: A warm thank you to Rafik Sabbagh and the entire FQD team for this invitation, which has allowed me to bring together these two very special poems! A big thank you to Mylène Robillard and the team at the Maison de la culture Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Monkland for the technical residency during a research project carried out in September 2025. The research phase, which led to several choreographic versions incorporating the poem RECUL, was made possible thanks to the support of the Conseil des arts de Montréal and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec. The adaptation of several choreographic versions incorporating the poem PORTRAIT was made possible thanks to the support of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec.
