Revolution on tour | Raw talent, despite a few missteps

Thousands of fans of all ages gathered at the St-Denis Theater to admire the stars of Revolution, the popular TVA show. They were treated to a series of acts as exhilarating as they were touching, despite missteps in the animation and the staging.

Let’s start by saluting the impressive amount of talent brought together for two hours. From breakdance and ballet to hip-hop, contemporary and a bit of voguing, the variety of styles was great to see, even if we missed the social dance performers, who always cut a fine figure at the episode.

From the outset, b-boy Samuel Cyr resumed his contemporary breakdance number in which he performs in a dressing gown with a coffee cup on Aznavour. The perfect embodiment of rigorous casualness, he possesses a charisma and a sense of humor that make him particularly endearing. Good idea from the director Serge Denoncourt to use it as an opening and to ask him to come back for interventions halfway between dance and acting, like a common thread.

We could list thousands of superlatives to describe the work of Yannick and Eliana, alias Ben & Jerry, whose musicality, precision and fluidity are obvious. Nevertheless, it is their refreshing side that we wish to honor.

When we see these two dancing with fireworks in their eyes and a smirk, we simply crack.

Finalists of the third season, the duo Willow dazzles with its uniqueness, its lightness and its ability to transport us into a dreamlike universe without ever dropping the general public. All this, while demonstrating the same accuracy when we take him out of his world to invite him to a group number.

Let’s also talk about Janie and Marcio, big winners of the second season, who represent grace, virtuosity and breathtaking ease, with or without music, so much the alloy of their bodies is enough to seduce us.

The absence is felt

Special mention to Marcio, who joined Alex Francoeur in one of the most powerful acts in the history of Revolution : the confrontation between a father and his son on the song Kid, a critique of the toxic masculinity of Eddy de Pretto. If we felt the risky portions a tad more placed than between the two Alex (Francoeur and Carlos), who have been dancing together for years, Marcio’s interpretation as a homophobic and castrating father was striking. They wonderfully set the table for an even stronger number – if that’s possible – while all the boys were united in a number on the tube of Stromae Papaoutaiillustrating different facets of masculinity.

Speaking of Francoeur, it was surprising to see him so little. Even though the show is mostly dedicated to some finalists from seasons two and three, as well as the first winners (Team White), it’s a shame not to use his talent more.

We also wonder about the underuse of Bianca (her partner Vincent, present in the crowd, was he injured?) and the impression of a lack of female representation. We would have taken the boosted energy of T.acos or Krankyd.

We were nevertheless served by the giant of emotional flexibility Tommy; Cindy’s strength and intensity; the explosive and fun character of Break City All Stars; the power and refinement of Yoherlandy, as well as the extraordinary joy of dancing of Team White who, although their numbers suffered slightly from the absence of camerawork, garnered some of the loudest ovations of the show.

The jar now. The lack of transition between the numbers is glaring. It almost always feels like we’re in for a YouTube zapping session. Despite the efforts of the creative team to bring together the songs, which follow each other well, we often have the feeling of passing from one universe to another in a brutal and disjointed way.

Above all, the animation of Jean-Marc Généreux weighs down the show on many occasions. We love him when he dances with Bianca. We know he is passionate about his discipline. But several of his interventions ring false. His voice is shrill. The judgmental moments portion of the show is endless, unease-laden, full of poor rhyme and predictable metaphors, and feels like it’s taking the audience by the hand. We would have taken it in small doses. To better focus on what makes this show a must: the dancers.

Our journalist attended the performance on May 8th.