A reflective and creative autumn in dance

Dance to question yourself

This fall, artist duo David Raymond and Tiffany Tregarthen, Out Innerspaceand the choreographer Alejandro Sajgalik raise reflections on time and the future. On the one hand, New Creation reveals a panoply of improbable characters who question the interest of the future. What if it was better before? How to escape the extinction of dreams? On the other hand, in Nova ExpressAlejandro Sajgalik stages characters after the implosion of their planet. Between memories of chaos, abandonment, impulsiveness, they will have to co-create a new world together. A tribute to the infinite possibilities of man.

New Creation. HAS the Agora de la danse from October 23 to 26, and at the Salle Multi, in Quebec, from October 31 to November 2.

Nova Express. At Tangente, from November 7 to 10.

Multi-beat dances

Still in this reflection on time, we find the choreographer Lucy M. May. With The Conditionsthe artist invites six performers from improvisation to anchor themselves in the present, to let feelings emerge with the place and the physicality of emotions. The Innu artist Sun Launiere is accompanied on stage by her 1-year-old daughter and her 70-year-old mentor in Aianishkat. A transgenerational proposal that speaks of time and transmission.

The Conditions. By Lucy M. May. At MAI, November 12-15.Aianishkat. At the Agora of Dance, from October 2 to 5.

Dance, but not only…

It is in a universe inhabited by images, sound, words and to the live music of Simone Provencher that the artist Sebastian Kann decides to give himself up. In his room Topical Danceit takes us on a journey where all the senses are awakened. For its part, Line Nault chooses to combine performance, technology and installation to explore the philosophy of bodies and places. In Reef Storiesthe artist transposes short poems into “moving landscapes”. The four performers then construct the show before the eyes of the audience.

Topical Dance. At La Chapelle Contemporary Scenes, from November 27 to 30.

Reef Stories. At the Agora of Dance, from December 4 to 7.

Coming from elsewhere

This season again, international artists have a big place in Montreal. The Belgian designer Miet Warlop will come to present One Songa favorite at the Avignon Festival and considered one of the best performances of 2022 by the New York Times. A musical and physical performance, this creation highlights the human being who is running to his doom. Cloud Gate Dance Theater of Taiwanone of the leading contemporary dance companies in Asia, will present Lunar Haloa show inspired by a strange ring of light that surrounds the Moon. Straight from the United Kingdom, the choreographer Botis Seva draws inspiration from hip-hop culture and contemporary dance to create. With BLKDOGit explores self-acceptance and inner turmoil.

One Song. At Usine C, from September 27 to 29.

Lunar Halo. At the Maisonneuve Theater at Place des Arts, from November 28 to 30.

BLKDOG. At the Maisonneuve Theater at Place des Arts, from November 6 to 9.

Indigenous traditions

Wolastoq and Quebec artist Ivanie Aubin-Malo pays tribute to the Giants, “entities of the different oral traditions of the Wabanakiak peoples.” Through dance, song and music, the dancer and violinist Julian Rice want to reconnect and transmit knowledge. At the same time, the company Dancers of Damelahamid pays tribute to the woman who created the troupe in 1967, Margaret Harris, a symbol of indigenous culture on the northwest coast of British Columbia. With Raven Motherthe company wishes to honor Mr.^me Harris, but also to highlight the role of mothers in the transfer of knowledge.

Wahsipekuk. Beyond the mountains. At the Agora of Dance, from November 13 to 16.

Raven Mother. At the Fifth Room of Place des Arts, from November 12 to 16.

Dance to pay tribute

This fall, the Grands Ballets Canadiens are celebrating the 100th anniversary^e anniversary of the birth of Ludmilla Chiriaeff, a pioneer of dance in Canada and founder of the company in 1957. Four renowned artists (Jean Grand-Maître, James Kudelka, George Balanchine and Ginette Laurin) who were influenced by M^me Chiriaeff or who knew her will then share the stage. The choreographer Jose Navas returns with a solo that aims to recall the figure of his companion William Douglas, taken by AIDS at a young age. As in a ritual, Mr. Navas tells their story and his memories in body.

Ludmilla. At the Wilfrid-Pelletier hall of Place des Arts, from October 24 to 26.

Aves. At the Fifth Hall of Place des Arts, from October 22 to 26.

And the cultural centres?

Parts+Labour_Dance, Intertwined destinies, Daniel Leveille Dance, Winnie Ho, Leticia Vera, Brice Noeser and finally Antoine Turmine And Jonathan C. Rousseau. Here are the creators and companies who will present a piece this fall in the various cultural centres of Montreal, including those of Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and Janine-Sutto, in Centre-Sud. And the best part? It’s all free! No reason not to go see, or re-see, certain works to nourish yourself with dance, explore new horizons and relive a beautiful stage moment. Just dig a little and dance is everywhere.

Introducing young people to shows

For the second year in a row, the Festival Quartiers Danses is offering a family program composed of outdoor works and works presented indoors, but not only. The artists Alexandra Caron And Emmanuelle Lizère interpret Path of a thousand shoots directly in the CPEs of the South-West of Montreal with the aim of democratizing dance. To mark the end of the year, the circus company Okidok promises to make us laugh with HA HA HA. On stage, two funny acrobatic clowns transport us into their imagination through sketches, each one more comical than the last.

Path of a thousand shoots. From September 25 to October 4.

HA HA HA. At the Tohu, from December 18 to January 5.

Highly anticipated

The return ofAndrea Peña on the Montreal stages is a must. After being acclaimed at the opening of the 17^e Venice Biennale, the work Bogota will finally come to life in our country. The choreographer revisits, with a postcolonial and queer perspective, her dual origins, between Canada and Colombia. As always, she mixes installations and performing bodies that exude disobedience. Much loved by the public, the circus company The 7 fingers reinterprets in his own way the famous story of Romeo and Juliet in Duel Reality. In games as in love. But this time, it’s the audience who has to choose their side so that the characters can love each other.

Bogota. At the Red Space of the Wilder Building, from December 11 to 14.

Duel Reality. In games as in love. At the Tohu, from October 16 to November 17.

What’s new in Quebec?

The artists Ariane Voineau And Joshua Beaucage come back with their show Under the leaf. A very gentle creation intended for 18 month to 5 year olds, it transports the audience, then installed under shelter in tents, into the infinitely small and the infinitely large. The company DynamO Theater will evoke friendship and community in Battleswhere five people want to share a couch that can only accommodate four. 2023 International Broadcast Award of the Montreal Dance Awards, Pretty thingsof Catherine Gaudetwill take to the stage in Quebec. The performers follow the rhythm of a metronome, between rigor, performance and desires.

Under the leaf. At the Les Gros Becs theater, from September 27 to October 6.

Battles. At the Les Gros Becs theater, from October 27 to November 3.

Pretty things. At the Multi room, November 28 and 29.

To see in video