This text is part of the special Youth Culture section
The performing arts have the merit of exposing young audiences to a diversity of artistic expressions. In the Quebec spring cultural calendar, creations are taking shape which, beyond their respective disciplines, feature stories for all ages.
For toddlers
As part of the Petits bonheurs festival, the musical and immersive circus show The cellphone is aimed at both infants and 2 to 4 year olds. We owe this creation to La marche du crabe, a research and performing arts creation company intended for early childhood and young audiences. Advocating a sensory approach, the company mixes several disciplines such as circus, storytelling and music. In a setting reminiscent of the traditional decoration of a children’s room, the overhead performances will captivate a young eye, while the melodies coming from various literary and cultural sources will develop the ear. The performances take place from May 2 to 4 at the Maison de la culture Maisonneuve.
For ages 6 and up
The treasure, the last work of Pierre-Paul Savoie before his death in 2021, renowned choreographer and founder of PPS Danse, explores the imagination of childhood. The basis of this multidisciplinary piece is above all a rich repertoire of emblematic Quebec songs. The paintings in this composition represent various play scenes where two young characters, in the company of their cat Piano, invent a life for themselves on a rainy day. The recurring phrase “if I had…” begins each choreographed and poetic sequence in a world visually designed by Richard Morin. This moment of sweetness will be presented at the Les Gros Becs youth theater, in Quebec, until April 14, then at the Manuvie theater, in Brossard, on May 5.
Also at the Les Gros Becs youth theater from April 23 until May 5, Me, Chiquita : a creation that overturns the codes of the story of the perfect princess. The character engages in an introspective exploration to discover what it truly means to be yourself and how to embrace your authenticity. We forget the glitter and pretense to learn our different facets, whether they are contradictory or on the margins. Guided by her Abuela, Chiquita transforms and takes control of her own story in this dance tale created by Citlali Germé.
From April 24 to 28, Tohu welcomes Gaëtan Levêque (associated artist of the French company Le plus petit cirque du monde) and his show Dodge. On stage, six acrobats defy gravity and jump from trampoline to trampoline. They intersect in their flights, creating poetic trajectories, an impressive aerial ballet. Gaëtan Levêque was passionate about studying this circus equipment that is the trampoline and its multiple possibilities: for movement, for the body, for space. This performance expresses the challenge of danger, but also the quest for freedom and a celebration of fragility. Wonderful philosophies to pass on to the younger generation.
Bouge de là is a Quebec dance company for young audiences. Created by Hélène Langevin, the company has strived since 2000 to make dance accessible to children and families by using innovative visual and bodily storytelling techniques. His latest creation, Glitch, inherits this style and evolves in a universe imbued with surrealism. The story follows four young people as they explore a deserted theater, a strange place filled with various objects and unknown avenues. They are guided by the Glitch, a laser that comes to life as a fifth character and controls movement and stage rhythm. The show is currently on tour in Quebec and the next performances will take place in Îles-de-la-Madeleine (April 19 and 20), Saint-Hyacinthe (April 28 to 30) and Saint-Jérôme (May 6 and 7) .
For teenagers
In Where are your shoulders when you kick, by Rosalie Dell’Aniello and Marie Fannie Guay, the behavior of a group of women is being studied. Six of them get together for a soccer game. The contours of the roles they must play become blurred, allowing us to explore the notion of sorority whose archetypes are not always positive. On the contrary, the creators surrounded themselves with collaborators to showcase a collective force, drawing on the imagination and sporting gestures to associate it with dance theater. Starting April 17 at the Wilder building – Espace danse, in the heart of the Quartier des spectacles.
For the whole family
Dance comes to the ice with the big return of Patin Libre, which has been transforming the face of skating for around fifteen years by combining contemporary movement. His new creation Murmuring brings together 15 skaters and refers to the natural phenomenon observed in certain species of birds, including starlings. Each individual reacts to the movement of its neighbor, thus creating a visual choreography, complex and synchronized patterns, testifying to a collective intelligence. This is exactly what this ballet on ice is about, where the performers will have to stage this hypersensitive harmony, with speed and precision. From April 16 to 21, it’s happening at the Mont-Royal arena!
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.