This text is part of the special notebook Dance in Quebec
Did you know that Quebec dance was recognized abroad even before being broadcast throughout our territory? It is thanks to community mobilization and the creation of the Dance on the Roads of Quebec program by the Regroupement québécois de la danse (RQD) that this art form now lives in all our regions.
In the mid-1990s, the need for national diffusion was particularly acute in dance, believes Paule Beaudry, former general director of La danse sur les routes du Québec and today director of territorial initiatives and client services at the Conseil des arts of Montreal.
At the time, big local names, such as Marie Chouinard, Édouard Lock with La La La Human Steps, Margie Gillis and Jean-Pierre Perreault, were touring extensively abroad, and had been doing so for several years already. “These companies made extremely solid productions, but which the Quebec public did not know,” says Mme Beaudry.
The birth of a program
However, these creators also wanted to film in Quebec. The RQD therefore brought together the dance community in order to design a network to circulate the discipline. Not only did we have to find presenters who would agree to present this type of show, but we also had to convince audiences who were not familiar with this art form to attend.
“The dance community always manages to resolve problems,” says Francine Bernier, general and artistic director of Agora de la danse. When we had a problem with broadcasting across Quebec, we invented an organization to solve it. Today, cities like Sept-Îles, Baie-Comeau or Gaspé are important places that present dance. »
Indeed, almost 30 years later, the network has grown from six presenter members to around fifty, thanks to which artists can present themselves almost everywhere in Quebec, and not only in large centers. “Interest was created and funding was granted to allow broadcasters to get involved in the adventure,” notes Paule Beaudry.
“In my opinion, it is this program which promoted the cultural broth by associating the regions, Quebec, Montreal, young artists and more established companies, which allowed dance to travel across Quebec,” says Johanne Dor, teacher at the École de danse de Québec and former general and artistic director of La Rotonde.
Dancing on the Roads of Quebec is a program that remains relevant today: it helps creators break into new markets, offers training to artists and presenters and still develops new products. In addition to the broadcast network, it now includes a network of creative residencies. “It brings artists from large centers to the regions, both to create and to meet audiences,” underlines Mme Beaudry.
This regional strength contrasts with the rest of Canada, where we can observe a certain erosion of the diffusion of dance. “The poles are less numerous than in Quebec. It’s a vast country, so you have to have financial support for dissemination and a desire to develop it,” notes Francine Bernier, who indicates in the same breath that the artists have this ambition to tour throughout the country. Canada, and not just in big cities.
Quebec, a hub of dance
We said it from the outset: local dance was recognized elsewhere in the world before being broadcast throughout our territory. This happened in the 1970s, with the emergence of great talents who were able to develop international links. But the International Festival of New Dance (FIND), which was held every two years from 1985 to 2003, also contributed to this excitement, believes the former artistic director of the Festival TransAmériques (FTA) Martin Faucher.
“It was an unmissable event for the Montreal dance community and the general public to discover the major European and international trends in contemporary dance. As there was great excitement in Quebec dance, this quickly allowed local dance to access international networks. »
Although FIND ceased its activities in 2003, its mandate was taken over in 2007 by the FTA, which was previously the Theater Festival of the Americas. Mixing theater and dance, the FTA has become a discovery tool for the public. But it is also a showcase for creators.
“The fact that there are so many international presenters who come to the FTA is a good springboard for the shows presented to be taken up by other festivals or other structures that present dance,” notes Mr. Faucher. .
This showcase is also beneficial for distribution within Quebec itself and the development of audiences in the province and elsewhere. At each edition of the FTA, a delegation from La danse sur les routes du Québec goes to see shows. “When people return to their broadcast center, they are better equipped to talk about an artist or a show. Dancing on the roads that attends the festival gives keys, tools, courage to present all kinds of things throughout Quebec,” explains Martin Faucher.
Occupy your territory
Dance is without a shadow of a doubt part of Quebec’s heritage, hence the desire to bring it to life throughout the territory. And to live, a discipline cannot only be disseminated. We need production and training centers throughout Quebec, believes Francine Bernier.
“The territory must be occupied by dance. We know that historically, for all artistic disciplines, it developed in Montreal. But now, it is the occupation of the territory that must be carried out. This involves the tour, but the artists must also be present in various ways,” maintains the director of the Agora de la danse.
She gives as an example Priscilla Guy, who set up her company in Gaspésie. We can also think of Chantal Caron, who opened a school in her name in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli.
“For me, transmission goes through the body and through movement, not just through the history of dance,” says Johanne Dor. At the time, I was doing choreography for the student show at the École de danse de Québec. Much later, I went to see one of my former students and recognized my signature. She had adopted my gestures. It’s snowballing! »
Dancing on the roads of Quebec
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