Since May 4, the winners of the second season of RevolutionJanie Richard and Márcio Vinícius Paulino Silveira, are on tour across Quebec with their new creation, Without you[T]. This time, the duo leaves the stage to eight professional dancers and surrounds themselves with Frédéric Bélanger, artistic advisor who, for the first time in his career, is working on a show entirely devoted to dance.
“As soon as we started touring with our first show, Tuning, we already wanted to create something else together, to continue to show dance and connect with the public,” recalls Márcio. The duo of artists traveled through Quebec for the first time with their first post-Revolution, but when we started this project, the pandemic came knocking on our doors. Luckily, they were able to continue, because only the two of them were on stage.
To continue this relationship with the public, the two artists questioned themselves, not on a theme, but on a situation that speaks to as many people as possible. And quickly, the idea for the table came to them. “I remember it like it was yesterday. Every Sunday, we went to my grandparents’ house and the table was full of food, from 6 a.m. until late. My family loved entertaining, there was music, noise, lots of conversations, etc. It gave me a lot of pleasure to be there,” remembers Márcio of this moment spent in his Brazil native. Janie and Márcio then wanted to explore all facets of the table, and what it can represent, from the joyful and unifying object to the empty space filled with sadness. “Without our memories, we would not have been able to create this show. It is then the roof of the theater, but also of our homes, which is there to protect these memories. »
For Without you[T], Janie and Márcio wanted to give way to the dancers on stage and this time only wear the hat of choreographers. A practice that they developed in particular during their time at TVA. ” Before Revolution, Márcio and I were mainly performers. For the show, we created everything together, what we wanted to dance and say, and we really got more into this role,” explains Janie. For this new creation, the duo still surrounded itself with two other choreographers, Myriam Allard and Sarah Steben. “They come from very different backgrounds than us. Myriam from flamenco and Sarah from house and hip-hop. We wanted to bring different energies,” she adds.
Finally, the duo also decided to call on Frédéric Bélanger, a director in the theater sector. “We want to make dance that doesn’t just speak to the dancers,” explains Márcio. That’s why we needed Frédéric. » According to the choreographers, the fact that Frédéric does not come from a dance background is “a strength”. “It helps us understand the public who comes to see us, so that we can really connect with them,” adds Janie.
“My role is to make sure that what they are, what they want to become, begins to be born on stage. I’m the kid who asks questions. “What do you mean ? What is that ? That, I’m not sure, etc.” We then look for solutions together,” explains Mr. Bélanger.
Give a place to the dancers and the public
140. This is the number of dancers who presented themselves during the auditions of Without you[t]. In addition to talent, Janie and Márcio wanted to focus on the diversity of profiles to be able to select them. “We chose five well-established professional dancers who work in several other projects, three emerging dancers, two of whom this is their first professional contract. It was important for us to give beginners a chance, because I didn’t have that chance when I was young. They asked me for experience, but they didn’t give me any,” says Janie.
“As soon as you enter, there is a table where the public can share a memory they have experienced, in a memory box. In the piece, a dancer will offer an improvisation inspired by this moment,” explains Janie. Indeed, for the dancing duo, it is essential to reach the public. “Having an audience that reacts during our show is important, whether it’s beautiful or touching emotions, we want emotions without guiding them,” she continues.
In addition, Janie and Márcio also include young amateur dancers from each city in their performance. In fact, schools receive the video of a choreography to learn with their teacher three months before the date of the show. The week before, Janie and Márcio bring the young people into the room to sort out the final details and do a dress rehearsal. “We also did it with our first project and it worked really well: 93 schools and more than 800 dancers danced with us across Quebec. It’s a way for us to help the next generation and give young people a concrete project to stick to,” says Janie.
In addition, this formula makes it possible to target an audience “who have not necessarily seen a professional dance show before”, according to Márcio, but also to accustom younger people to dance. “We need to develop our audience. Most of the time, we see subscribers in the room, but where are the young people? For our community to survive, we must highlight the quality of dance, research, local artists and for all generations to come and consume it, he concludes. Young people are those who will replace the public of tomorrow, so we must already develop habits, and an attachment, with them. »