“HERBERT is a danced tribute to my grandfather, Herbert Berndsen, who passed away in February 2022. HERBERT is a portrait of his stormy past, his joie de vivre, his tragic departure and the inspiring person who ‘he was… HERBERT, it’s also my way of saying goodbye to him and making him live forever in motion and in my head.” Pauline Gervais
TOUCH is a dance film that takes place in an imagined future: where for unmentioned reasons, humans have been living without physical touch for a very long time. We witness our characters interact with a simple mechanical device in a large, private space. This is in order to experience the touch of another human being, for the first time in the new physically distant future.
Of all, three things remained:
The certainty that everything was beginning,
The certainty that we had to continue,
The certainty that it would be interrupted before it was finished.
Make an interruption, a new path,
Make a fall, a dance step,
Make fear, a staircase,
From the dream, a bridge,
Of research…
An encounter.
An animal’s cast or sloughed skin, especially that of an insect larva.
Emerging from a global pandemic, we’ve unexpectedly had to face ourselves, and our patterns. With this new insight and self-awareness and realizing the importance of others, we shed old habits, and discover new ways of being.
Filmmaker Marites Carino and choreographer/dancer Elon Höglund collaboraTED to explore the possibility of physical, intellectual and spiritual growth in EXUVIAE, a dance duet for the camera with dancer Amara Barner.
Through percussive dance and a song, Refuge refers to a place of belonging.
SMUDGE: [definition] “A practice used by many Indigenous people involving the burning of medicine plants and immersing ourselves in the smoke. It is used to cleanse, bring good energy, dispel the negative, connect with our ancestors and the Earth.”
Two generations, the past and future. The strength of tradition, the isolation of the contemporary world. Joined by blood, joined by Earth. Can this connection overcome the emptiness?
This short film follows the creation of the piece Fauncal Se Ligueye by the group Taafé Fanga, a legendary ensemble of versatile musicians and dancers who have been evolving in the field of mixed arts in Quebec for 20 years.
The show features an indoor multicam recording of a single musical and choreographic piece created by the group, interspersed with short excerpts from rehearsals in the wild and in the studio. The lyrics, sung in the Wolof language by griot and master percussionist Sadio Sissokho, tell the story of believing in oneself and persisting to achieve success, despite the difficulties encountered along the way.
ENTRACTE (15 MIN)
Perceive me please, even my imperceptibility
And I am a seive
Grieving when you wash over me
If I could catch flies in the subtle way of leaves
If I could simply rise from the couch and leave
And where then would I be?
So remote and so late that I miss the changing of the leaves
So apathetic in space that I’m ignored by the breeze
centered on a sidewalk walking sideways past railways and cemented things
Concrete misgivings
Heavier than the heavens where I spend my time.
Caught in a dance that is regulated like a clock, the three performers of Engrenage³ move through the soundtrack within this uncluttered circular space, in a world where human contact has been rejected with the back of the hand. Together, they increase in power and volume to deliver a gesture that is both mechanical and frantic.
Written for a tightrope dancer, the piece goes beyond acrobatic virtuosity to explore the introspective process and reflect on the nature of balance. In an imaginary restricted space within the clutter of our individual and collective subconscious, the solo questions our need for control and stability and our desire for abandonment and freedom.
Faced by the global pandemic and reawakening of racism, a performer dedicates a moment for personal catharsis through movement.
The Essence Remains is a visual poem, a kind of declaration of values of the dancer Margie Gillis. Narrated and danced by the artist, she reveals her profound convictions: “Dance is a search for love, communication and transformation. Dance is a way to deepen experiential wisdom and touch the very core, yes the very essence of who we are and to share that.” Margie Gillis
Abyssal explores the ambivalence of a complex femininity, mired in archaism yet yearning for emancipation. From an obsession with purity to the blind gestures of a freedom without reference points, Abyssal probes the depths of intimacy in a withdrawal that is both distressing and saving, revealing a stripped-down body that seeks only to exist.