Tuesday evening took place the unveiling of the second work by the Mickaël Spinnhirny Agency, in collaboration with Lydia Bouchard and Merryn Kritzinger (La Résistance), Midnight somewhere. A major proposition that brings together 10 virtuoso performers on stage, directed by eight renowned Quebec choreographers. Despite a few drawbacks, it is a successful and unifying bet that allows us to create bridges between audiences.
A promising cast. This is first of all what evokes Midnight somewhere. Combining personalities highlighted by the popular dance show Revolution (Zachary Bastille, Alexandre Carlos, Kyra Jean Green, Véronique Giasson, Katerine Leblanc, Yoherlandy Tejeiro Garcia) and well-established artists from the contemporary scene and/or ballet (Sophie Breton, Cai Glover, Danny Morissette, Lila-Mae Talbot) , this new creation is going big with this beautiful showcase. In the choreography, we again find a clever mix of eight artists, including public media figures, such as Lydia Bouchard (jury in the show Révolution), Charles-Alexis Desgagnés (also revealed in Revolution), but also names associated with the more abstract side of dance, such as Marie Chouinard or Virginie Brunelle.
The poster therefore aroused great expectation and excitement. And the audience, or should I say the audiences, was there for this premiere night. Because in fact, with such names, and this assembly of worlds (because yes there are several worlds in the world of contemporary dance), the Mickaël Spinnhirny Agency and La Résistance were guaranteed to attract different audiences: amateurs of televised virtuosity, curious of all kinds, and fervent lovers of conceptual gestures.
This desire to create bridges, to bring universes together, is not only found in the cast, but in the play itself. The performers navigate through eight very diverse scenes, both in intention and gesture, lighting and music. We dance to electro, pop, but also experimental jazz, opera and more abstract sounds. On the interpretation side, we are moved by the delicacy of a duet, we get excited about bodies touching in an electrifying light, but we also celebrate, full of hope and glitter. These different spaces follow one another, without really resembling each other. The only common denominator: the virtuosity of the performers. Indeed, through this creative journey, it is their technical mastery that is highlighted, magnified by their ability to adapt and play with such varied gestures and body states.
Connect or isolate?
The popular vocabulary of contemporary dance is there. The lifts are numerous and delicate, the ground is used a few times, the body lines are beautiful to see and the release-contraction couple sprinkles the entire work. In addition to that, we are treated to beautiful moments of well-balanced, delicate and sought-after unison. A winning combination for the general public. Alongside, we also allow ourselves some explorations of less popular codes, a little more abstract like grimaces, or even groans. A colorful assortment that works.
Despite this, a few moments pass, in my opinion, by the wayside. Sometimes, we have the impression that certain passages have only been assembled, glued together and not thought of as a whole. The choice is assumed to want to please a large number of people and to want to play on several cards (musical, gestures, etc.). But at what cost ? Can we only juxtapose short pieces? How to delve into one and the same story, a single narrative? There are really few of them, but I have sometimes questioned the relevance of an accessory, of music that is too niche, of an intimacy that is too sudden. Would it have been possible to link all of this, to find a common thread? Or alternatively, press the board side even further and completely break the main axis.
To conclude, Midnight somewhere completely fulfills its mission as a unifying piece, a work that exudes dance and which takes the audience through the multiple journeys that the night offers. For more than an hour, the ten performers marvelously inhabit the space. Time passes quickly, we cling to them and the beauty of their movements. A promising piece which will surely fill many scenes and whose initiative should be highlighted. Perhaps by creating more bridges between disciplines, it will then be possible for dance to attract more audiences, fill its venues more and hope to be able to display more dates.