cabane (2008) - Fortier Danse

Photo: Denis Lavoie
CrEdits
Concept, choreography and direction: Paul-André Fortier
Performers:
Rober Racine and Paul-André Fortier
Music:
Rober Racine
Images:
Robert Morin
Lighting Design:
John Munro
Set Design and Accessories:
Daniel Vallée,
based on Paul-André Fortier's idea
Costumes:
Denis Lavoie
Instrument Maker (strings on "bedspring") :
Martin Ouellet
Rehearsal Direction, Choreographer's Assistant and Show
Manager:
Ginelle Chagnon
Technical and Production Direction:
Guy Levesque
Technical Assistant:
Simon Pineau
Co-producers :
Festival TransAmériques, Montreal, Canada
National Arts Center, Ottawa, Canada
Canada Dance Festival, Ottawa, Canada
tour schedule
May 30 - June 1,2,4,5, 2008
Premiere / Festival TransAmériques, Montreal, Canada
presented at: Espace Go, Shed 16 in the Old Port, Ball
Room - Windsor hotel, Circuit-Est centre chorégraphique
November 20, 2008
OFF CINARS /Circuit-Est centre chorégraphique, Montreal
April 23-24, 2009
New Dance Horizons, Regina, Canada
June 11-13, 2009
Scotiabank Dance Center, Vancouver, Canada
September, 2009
BWDC, Edmonton, Canada
Dancer’s Studio West, Calgary, Canada
October, 2009 / Dance Umbrella, London, UK
March, 2010 / Liège (to be confirmed)
June, 2010 / Canada Dance Festival, Ottawa, Canada
Cabane
(2008)
A disturbing universe removed from reality, a place beyond reason. A work that
is part in situ performance and part installation art that journey in unusual
places such as an indoor parking lot and a ballroom.
The trio of dancer and choreographer Paul-André Fortier, visual artist/writer/performer/musician Rober Racine and filmmaker Robert Morin came together for
Cabane. The shack in question is a real, portable and readily convertible hut. It is
a world unto itself - a shelter, a workshop, a screen or perhaps a mausoleum enmeshed in spaces strongly evocative of luxury, poverty and artifice. A man
dances a musical score of words and takes the measure of his territory while a
musician (Racine) plays mesh-sprung box springs and, thanks to images created
by Morin, a vulture takes flight. Ordinary objects lose their conventional designation as a door, walls and windows open up to a surrealist world. The stage technicians are visible under the simplified lighting of John Munro. A gibe at technological overkill?
Paul-André Fortier has been travelling the world for the past two years with Solo
30X30 (2006), exposed to the vagaries of the weather and the gaze of passersby
- their indifference or their curiosity, their admiration, mockery or desire. (...) A
dancing itinerant of no fixed address.
“The shelter of Cabane is a continuation of the site for Solo 30X30, but this time
constructed and enclosed. It contains the whole world, and also evokes somewhat
the island in La Tentation de la transparence (1991).” It is a self-contained universe that can be transported like a puppet theatre. Alive with the treasures of the
imagination, it is a workshop, a nest, a womb, a home, a shelter built by long-time
friend Daniel Vallée with no attempt at technical sophistication. “Rather than a
lush, sumptuous approach, I wanted to play with ordinary everyday things”(...)
Without really being aware of or delving into the direction the piece was heading
into, during the genesis of Cabane the choreographer established a sort of chain
of huts or shacks, each one linking up to the next, randomly intersecting according
to the diverse experiences that occurred during the quasi-initiatory journey of Solo
30x30. These included installations viewed at the Yokohama Biennale of
Contemporary Art, a flat-roofed shelter used for his solo in Nancy, France, a scalemodel used in Solo 1X60 - Un jardin d'objets (2006), and so forth. Added to these
more or less accidental junctions and links was Rober Racine's account of his
fascination for a cage of vultures he saw in Barcelona, as well as Robert Morin's
interest in Racine's drawings of those birds of prey (Fantasmes fragiles, La galerie UQAM, 2005), with one thing leading to another. “The themes intertwined, and
a desire to work together took shape. When I was dancing 30X30 in Montreal,”
notes Fortier, “Rober came by almost every day. He would stay on the periphery, on
the outskirts of the platform and the work site. He would walk along the fence, all
alone with his umbrella. It was a performance in itself, and I was fascinated by
this almost Beckett-like character, a character I wanted to hold on to.”
Text of Michèle Febvre, Associate Professor of the dance department at UQAM, for
the programm of Festival TransAmériques 2008.
This work is dedicated to Françoise Sullivan.
Ginelle Chagnon
jardin
Choreography by Paul-André Fortier,
in a stage design created by visual artist Takao Minami
credits
Choreographer and dancer:
Video artist and stage designer:
Original music:
Lighting designer:
Costume designer:
Rehearsal mistress and
Choreographer’s assistant:
Technical director:
Un
Solo 1X60 /
d’objets (2006)
Paul-André Fortier
Takao Minami
Alain Thibault
John Munro
Denis Lavoie
Ginelle Chagnon
Armando Gomez Rubio
Co-producers:
Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media, Yamaguchi, Japan
Place des Arts, Montreal, Canada Grand Théâtre de Lorient, Lorient, France
tour schedule
May 10-11, 2007
John L. Harr Theater, Edmonton, Canada
March 6-10, 2007
Grand Théâtre de Lorient, France
December 13-16, 2006
Cinquième Salle, Place des Arts, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
July 22-23, 2006
Yamaguchi Centre for Arts and Media, Yamaguchi, Japan
July 19-20, 2006
Creation residency at the Yamaguchi Centre for Arts and
Media, Yamaguchi, Japan
Paul-André Fortier created Solo 1x60 - Un jardin d’objets at the Yamaguchi
Center for Arts and Media in Japan, while presenting his site-specific Solo
30x30, a 30 minute piece, performed outdoors for 30 days. The choreographer
conceived Solo 1x60 with a return to the theatre in mind.
a complex set of relationships between dance, image
“andSolomusic.1x60Aestablishes
man dances alone on an urban tension wire. This bold tightrope
walker appears eager to contravene established codes, proposing a new look
at man in the city.
Paul-André Fortier
”
Solo 1x60 combines lights, videos and refined, yet surprising sounds. For this
creation, Paul-André gathered his team of artistic collaborators, as well as
Japanese video artist Takao Minami. By sharing his space with other creators,
Paul-André reveals once more his interest in the integration of different art
forms. These combined talents create a stylized world, where one can express
a rigorous and untamed dance.
In a visual environment near the installation, or rather a garden of objects
created by Takao Minami, this “man who dances” reveals to the public precise
gestures and a controlled energy. Whether the movements are graceful or
harsh, symmetrical or contorted, incisive and deep emotions emerge from the
dance. With Solo 1x60, Paul-André Fortier probes audaciously deeper into the
themes he cherishes. Choreographer of his time, he questions the human
being’s resonance in an urban universe, and the place one forges for oneself
in the midst of it.
Solo 30x30
thirty minutes- thirty days (2006)
credits
Choreographer and dancer:
Paul-André Fortier
Rehearsal mistress
and choreographer’s assistant:
Ginelle Chagnon
Costume designer :
Denis Lavoie
Co-producers: Canada Dance Festival, Ottawa, Canada
Place des Arts, Montreal, Canada
TOUR SCHEDULE
September, 2011
Montreal, Canada (to be confirmed)
April 2010 / Grand Théâtre de Lorient, Lorient, France
February, 2010
Liège / Hasselt / Eupen, Belgium (to be confirmed)
August, 2009
The Joyce Theatre, New-York, USA (to be confirmed)
June 19 to July 18, 2009
Dancing on the Edge, Vancouver, Canada
September 1st to 30, 2008
Biennale de la danse de Lyon, France / Halles Bocuse
November 9 to December 8, 2007
Romaeuropa Festival, Rome, Italy
San Lorenzo in Lucina Square
October 3 to November 1st, 2007
Festival Dance Umbrella, London, UK
On Liverpool Street, in front of Liverpool station
August 8 to September 6, 2007
Transart festival, Bolzano, Italy / Piazza Municipio
October 20 to November 18, 2006
Place des Arts, Montreal, Canada
On a waste ground, at the corner of Sainte-Catherine and Clark streets
June 19 to July 18, 2006
Yamaguchi Centre for Arts and Media, Yamaguchi, Japan
On a little bridge by Yamaguchi’s market
May 12 to June 10, 2006
Canada Dance Festival, Ottawa, Canada
On a small esplanade, downtown Ottawa
April 7 to May 6, 2006
CCN Ballet de Lorraine and Centre culturel André Malraux
de Vandœuvre, Nancy, France / On the roof of a shed in the parking lot of Nancy’s train station
March 1st to 30, 2006
Dance City, Newcastle, UK
On the Gateshead Millennium Bridge
Using a daring approach, Solo 30x30, offers an original concept proposed as an
event/performance. Designed as a site-specific 30-minute performance, the solo
piece is presented outside each day at the same place and at the same time for 30
days. The venue is an unusual place for a show. Although transitory, it is part of the
city and its activities and allows for a privileged encounter between the artist, his
surroundings and the public.
900 minutes of intimacy between a man and a city. A unique environmental
“encounter
with a dancing man. Paul-André Fortier proposes a controlled drifting-off
into the urban landscape where his dance is part of the street, exposing itself to
good or bad weather. This dance plays no tricks and does not compromise; it simply
appeals to the gaze of passers-by who then decide if they should stop or carry on.
This man is dancing where one least expects it. His impertinent body reveals itself
to your gaze and dares your secret desires of transgression and freedom; he is both
you and himself redefining his place within the urban fabric. He expects you but is
not waiting for you; you will find him without looking for him. A chance meeting with
a celestial tramp. - Paul-André Fortier
”
is no ticket booth to get a ticket that will guarantee you a good seat. In
“factThere
there is no good seat. The illusion of perspective provided by the Italian stage
has disappeared. We are outside, in a city. The body of a man almost sixty delivers
his kinaesthetic experience of urbanity. A body whose traces of aging do not have
the same meaning for any two passers-by. What will we perceive? An architectural,
mechanical, formal movement, or just the man and his frenzy? With this moveable
and adaptable work, Fortier gives a performance in which the body of the third millenium man is no longer making a social or political claim, but is an interface in
movement, offering an intermediate conception of the environment.
Normand Marcy*
”
In his creations, Paul-André Fortier frequently encourages other artists, to contribute
to his work. Solo 30x30 pursues this combination by having, in each city, one (or
more) other creator working around it. This artist creat a video, photo, musical or
writing piece from Fortier’s performance. Though the choreographer is not necessarily the subject, he is always the starting point. At the end of the 30x30, the
creation is shown to the public, independently of the solo. - Details on the different
artistic projects upon request.
http://fortierdanse.blogspot.com - Through this blog, visitors from all over the
world can discover Solo 30x30 and stay up to date on performances throughout the
season and around the globe. Photos, videos, articles and comments highlight each
step of the tour.
*Journalist and dance critic, Ph. D student in Arts Studies and Practices at UQAM, Artist-researcher in
movement staging
Robert Etcheverry
credits
Choreographer:
Paul-André Fortier
Piece for two dancers
Original music:
Alain Thibault
Lighting designer:
John Munro
Video artist:
Patrick Masbourian
Video consultant: Yves Labelle
Videographic images: Yves Labelle
Alain Lavoie
Videographic animation
and video editing:
Patrick Demers
Set design:
Paul-André Fortier
Set construction:
Manœuvre Montréal
Costumes:
Denis Lavoie
Rehearsal mistress and
Choreographer’s assistant
Ginelle Chagnon
Residencies: Brian Webb Dance Company (Edmonton)
Usine C (Montréal)
Tour Schedule
March 2 to 5, 2005
Contemporary Dancer’s Studio, Winnipeg, Manitoba
March 11-12, 2005
John L. Harr Theatre, Edmonton, Alberta
April 1-2, 2005
Premiere Dance Theatre, Toronto, Ontario
November 20, 2004
Aoyama Round Theatre, Tokyo, Japan
Febuary 13 to 15, 2003
Sir James Dunn Theatre, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Ferbuary 20 to 22, 2003
Salle Pierre Mercure, Montreal, Quebec
Febuary 26, 2003
Deutsches Nationaltheater, Weimar, Germany
Febuary 28 to March 1, 2003
The Tramway Theater, Glascow, Scotland
March 15, 2003
Théâtre Saragosse, Pau, France
March 22, 2003
DSN-Scène Nationale, Dieppe, France
July 4-5, 2003
Vancouver Playhouse, Vancoucer
June 11, 2002
Théâtre du Centre National des Arts, Ottawa
August 15 to 17, 2002
Hebbel Theater, Berlin, Germany
September 24-25, 2001
Usine C, Montreal, Quebec
tensions (2001)
light plays on a dark forest of men. The encounter is unlikely:
“ Harsh
one, wearing the marks of age, and the other, resplendent, youthful, naïve. (…)
They are men, nothing more. Men who dance.
”
Aline Gélinas
With their backs to a grey sheet-metal wall, two men are seated side by side.
With apparent neutrality, their arms stretch out, their heads turn, but their eyes
do not meet. From the beginning, their improbable encounter is there, contained
in the impassable proximity which one feels between their two bodies. A perilous
exercise that rarely forgives dangerous associations, the duo formed by Paul-André
Fortier and Éric Beauchesne is surprisingly right. In fact, it is not actually a duo, but
rather two parallel solos, like an echo. One performer, in his early thirties, is at
the height of his potential, both technically and in terms of his performance.The
second displays a calm maturity.
In Tensions, the dance performance is enhanced by new image and sound
technologies. For this piece, the choreographer worked with a team of innovative
artists including composer Alain Thibault, whose music supports the density of the
dancers' bodies with techno rhythms and sinuous sounds that are in turn disturbing and energetic, Patrick Masbourian, whose video takes a very organic
and abstract look at image, lighting designer John Munro and costume designer
Denis Lavoie.
This work is dedicated to Gilles Savary
Technical addendum available upon request
Tensions was created on September 24, 2001 at l’Usine C in Montreal, at the Festival International de nouvelle danse (FIND). Fortier
Danse-Création would like to thank Alex Gazale, Production Director at the National Arts Centre (Ottawa), for his valuable collaboration; the Brian Webb Dance Company, which hosted the company in Edmonton during the summer of 2000 for Tensions’ first
sketches; and Usine C, where the work was completed in residence, in August 2001 .
has created an extremely effective spare, stripped-down set design.
“It isFortier
a definitely contemporary, urban work, extremely demanding technically,
and of a rare intensity. Tensions reveals, once again, the true talent of Fortier,
one of our great Montreal choreographers.
”
Program of the 17th Grand Prix du Conseil des arts de Montréal, 2001
paul-andré fortier
Paul-André Fortier was born into the world of dance in the
1970's via one of Quebec and Canada's most innovative
choreographic ensembles, Nouvelle Aire. While at this
company, he worked with some of the most distinguished
artists in his field.
Even before Fortier began to be known for choreography, he
had already earned a reputation for his strong presence
and elegant and refined interpretations. He was a part of
strong, determined and rigorous form that was able to inspire a whole generation of
choreographers open to the risk of creation.
It is this risk that Fortier always knew to take. Drawing on a dance theatre that had
left an indelible mark on the choreographic practices in Quebec in the 1980s, he
embarked, in grandiose fashion, on a solo adventure with a trilogy (Les Males Heures,
1989, La Tentation de la transparence, 1991, Bras de plomb, 1993), accompanied
twice by Betty Goodwin. Following that decisive encounter, Paul-André Fortier would
favour collaborations with other artists: visual artist Pierre Bruneau, composer Alain
Thibault, and video artists Patrick Masbourian and Takao Minami.
Though attentive to all developments in the current art scene, particularly to the dawn
of multimedia and new technologies, he does not blindly follow contemporary trends
and current tendencies toward “everything technological”. He has weighed the symbolic and aesthetic scope in his most recent projects, notably Tensions (2001), Lumière
(2004) and Solo 1X60- Un jardin d’objets (2006).
Martine Doucet
He started over in 2006 with Solo 30X30, a minimalist dance stripped of the stage’s
artifice and resolutely grounded in the urban décor. He performed this thirty-minute
piece for thirty days in Ottawa, Montréal, Yamaguchi, Japan, Nancy and Lyon, France,
Newcastle and London, U.K., and Bolzano and Rome, Italy.
all the projects of this period, those of his masters and
those of his peers (Edouard Lock and Daniel Léveillé,
among others), before creating his own company in 1979,
which later became Fortier Danse-Création. He is also
credited with co-founding, alongside Daniel Jackson, the
company Montréal Danse in 1987. For ten years he was a
professor at UQAM’s dance department.
Fortiers’ career as choreographer immediately had a significant impact. He was the forerunner of a style recognized
early on by his peers for blending theatrical components
with the high tensions of the modern world, creating a
As guest at the Ballet de Lorraine in Nancy in 2008, Paul-André Fortier created Spirale,
a piece for fifteen dancers. He went on to present his latest creation, Cabane, at the
TransAmériques festival. Half-way between in situ and installation performance, this
last piece brings the choreographer and visual artist/musician/writer Rober Racine
together around a modular shed.
Paul-André Fortier’s creative work is recognized on an international level and is distinguished by its search for renewal and a desire to surpass itself. Fortier describes
himself as “a man who dances” and constantly challenges himself to meet the highest
of artistic standards.
Paul-André Fortier was the recipient of the prestigious Jean A. Chalmers award for
choreography as well as the Dora Mavor Moore prize. From 2003 to 2007 Fortier was
the resident choreographer at the Cinquième Salle at Place des Arts in Montreal. He is
also member of the Sponsorship Committee at the Grand Théâtre de Lorient (France),
created during its inauguration in June 2003. His career would lead him to work on over
40 choreographies in 30 years, presented in 10 different countries.
Text of Michèle Febvre, Associate Professor of the dance department at UQAM.
paul-andré fortier
artistic journey
2008 Creation of Cabane at Festival TransAmériques. Creation of
Spirale, created on commission from Ballet de Lorraine for 12 dancers.
2007 European tours with Solo 30x30. Creation of the duet -20ºC on
commission from Ballet de Lorraine.
2006 Creation of Solo 30X30 with its international tour. Creation of Solo
1X60 at the Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media.
2004 Creation of Lumière at the Canada Dance Festival where dance,
videos, music and sophisticated lighting are combined.
2002-2003 European tours with Tensions. Creation of Risque. Choreographer
in residence at Cinquième salle, Place des Arts de Montréal for a period
of three years. Member of the patronage committee, Grand Théâtre de
Lorient (France).
2001 Première of Tensions at FIND.
2000 Creation of Loin, très loin for soloist Peggy Baker of Toronto. Guest
Teacher at CNDC d’Angers in France.
1998 Creation of Jeux de fous, his first work for a teenage audience, in
partnership with Agora de la danse.
1996 Creation of La part des anges, the first work created for a small
ensemble after 10 years of solo work.
1989-1993 Creation of three landmark solo works: Les Males Heures
(1989), La Tentation de la transparence (1991), and Bras de plomb
(1993), the latter two pieces created in close collaboration with visual
artist Betty Goodwin.
1989-1999 Professor, Université du Québec à Montréal dance department.
1986 Creation of Mythe Décisif for Les Grands Ballets Canadiens.
Co-founder, with Daniel Jackson, of Montréal Danse, for which he provides artistic co-direction until 1989.
1985 Participates in the Festival international de nouvelle danse (FIND) with
Chaleurs.
1981 Fortier founds his own company: Fortier Danse-Création. Winner of
the Jean A. Chalmers Award, Canada’s highest award for choreography.
1979 Creation of Fortier’s first two choreographies for Groupe
Nouvelle Aire.
1973-1979 As a dancer with Groupe Nouvelle Aire, he performs works
in the company's repertoire and interprets Édouard Lock’s first creations.
Teaching activities
Paul-André Fortier has a wealth of teaching experience, having taught
at Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) from 1989 to 1999. The
10 years spent at UQAM gave him an opportunity to discover a passionate and impas­sioned new generation of dancers, for whom he
created Jeux de Fous (1998), interpreted by Emmanuel Jouthe, Ève
Lalonde and Ivana Milicevic, three young dancers just graduating
from university. Pursuing his support for young new talent, his next
work, Risk (2003), is also dedicated to young performers just beginning their careers.
Paul-André Fortier is regularly invited to teach at institutions
in Europe and across Canada, including: le Centre national de
danse contemporaine d’Angers (CNDC), the Victoria School of
Performing Arts in Edmonton, the School of Contemporary
Dancers in Winnipeg, les Ateliers de danse moderne de Montréal
(LADMMI) and the School of the Toronto Dance Theatre. As part of
his teaching activities, he created MVTS (Pièce urbaine) in 2001
for CNDC students, Excès (2002), a piece interpreted by LADMMI
graduates and more recently, Sparks (2003) for eight students at
the School of Contemporary Dancers in Winnipeg.
While educational projects are a key element in the company’s goals,
Fortier Danse-Création is also involved in audience development. In
addition to his work as a choreographer, Paul-André Fortier has chosen
to dedicate a significant amount of his own energy, plus that of his
performers and associates, to dance awareness activities.
In association with the presenters who host the company in different cities, Fortier Danse-Création is developing relevant teaching
projects that are compatible with the environment, the audience, the
location, the presenter's objectives, and the company's own creative
endeavours.
excerpts - press review
Cabane
« Fortier has a stylized sense of humour and applies it liberally
throughout Cabane. Born to be watched and enjoyed, there is a slender strength to his moves that grabs your attention. You never know
what he will do next and his stream of consciousness flow endlessly
fascinates. » Kathryn Greenaway -The Gazette – Montreal - June 1st, 2008
« Le duo Cabane étonne et détonne dans le parcours de Paul-André
Fortier. Lui dont les récentes créations sont d’une plastique nette et
graphique, orchestre, avec son camarade Rober Racine, un délire
éveillé autour d’un petit cabanon (...) Fascinant de constater à nouveau à quel point un lieu peut avoir de l’effet sur la lecture d’un
spectacle » - Stéphanie Brody – La Presse – 2 juin 2008
« Énergique, Cabane respire l’enfance »
Marie-Chantal Scholl - www.dfdanse.com - Montréal – 3 juin 2008
« Pour les fervents amateurs de virtuosités, sachez que Fortier, à
soixante ans passés, n’a rien perdu de sa vigueur, de son charisme et
de son époustouflante élégance. La maturité de sa prestation ajoute
un charme et une forte teneur poétique à l’ensemble de l’œuvre.»
Mélanie Viau - www.montheatre.qc.ca - Montréal – 30 mai 2008
Solo 1x60 - Un jardin d’objets
«On a l'impression de se retrouver dans l'antre du chorégraphedanseur, dans sa caverne ou sur son terrain de jeu. (...) Chaque objet
appelle une danse, un petit univers clos ; chaque danse tisse un rapport complice avec l'objet. »
Frédérique Doyon, Le Devoir, Montréal, 2006
“ Choreographer and dancer Paul-André Fortier is a rare bird. He
knows now what he wished he'd known then and is still spry enough
to apply the wisdom to his performance.”
Kathryn Greenaway - The Gazette, Montréal, 2006
Solo 30x30
«Le projet Solo 30x30 est sans doute l’un des plus fous et des plus
stimulant qui aient été conçus ces dernières années à Montréal.
C’est en tout cas celui où le chorégraphe Paul-André Fortier a pris le
plus de risques. »
Fabienne Cabado - Voir, Montréal, 2006
“Solo 30x30 from Paul-André Fortier is an ambitious exploration of
man and his environment; the first step of a global journey; a man in
his element; a man amongst the elements.“
www.visitnewcastlegateshead.com , Newcastle, 2006
“Paul-André Fortier is literally crossing boundaries. (...) From the very
beginning of his career, he has managed to alter people’s perceptions
of dance. Now is no exception.»
Philip Szporer – The Hour, Montréal, 2006
«Je repars avec en mémoire les gestes singuliers d’un minuscule
géant, qui nous a convaincus que la beauté pouvait pousser partout.»Tristan Malavoy-Racine – Voir, Montréal, 2006
“Avec le Solo 30x30, le chorégraphe et danseur Paul-André Fortier a
transplanté son art au coeur des villes”
Valérie Lessard - Le Droit, Ottawa, 2006
others
«Avec son type de recherche toujours à la fois très solide et branchée,
qu’il continue sans cesse d’approfondir, notre doyen demeure sans
conteste l’un des chorégraphes les plus à l’écoute de son temps.»
Normand Marcy – Voir, Montréal, 2005
«Paul-André Fortier (...) est une figure incontournable de la danse au
Québec. Depuis 20 ans, il plonge son regard lucide de créateur sur le
monde et c’est la danse qui a recueilli ses multiples dons de chorégraphe, d’interprète et de pédagogues. Et avec Tensions, Paul-André
Fortier démontre qu’il na rien perdu de sa touche incisive.»
Isabelle Poulin -Le Devoir, Montréal, 2001
“What really made Lumière a modest gem was watching the wide
range of dancers […] perform a highly structured and demanding
piece that was imbued with just enough individual casualness and
connectedness with each other […] to keep the performances warm
despite the high-degree precision of the choreography.”
Kena Herod - Maisonneuve Eclectic Curiosity, Montréal, 2005
“Joyous and intense, Paul-André Fortier’s Risk is an unexpected explosion of kinetic exuberance, a dance that unabashedly celebrates life,
youth and the sheer vitality of the body. One of the pleasure of any
Fortier Danse-Création is the dedication to esthetic distinction in
every element, and Risk is no exception.”
Pamela Anthony - Edmonton Journal, Edmonton, 2003
visuals
Cabane / Photo: Robert Etcheverry
Cabane / Photo: Robert Etcheverry
Cabane at Hangar 16 / Photo: Robert Etcheverry
Solo 1x60 - Un jardin d’objets
Photo : Ginelle Chagnon
Solo 1x60 - Un jardin d’objets
Photo : Katsu Miyauchi
Solo 30x30, Yamaguchi / Photo : Rumi Tanabe
Solo 30x30, Nancy / Photo : Daniel Denise
Solo 30x30, Montréal
Photo : Robert Etcheverry
Fortier Danse-Création
Paul-André Fortier
Gilles Savary
Contacts
Artistic Director
paf@ fortier-danse.com
General Manager
admin@ fortier-danse.com
Philippa Favreau
Communication / Diffusion
diffusion@fortier-danse.com
Anne-Astou Lopes
Communication / Administration
communications@fortier-danse.com
2022, Sherbrooke East
Office 301
Montreal (Quebec) H2K 1B9
Canada
tel : 514-529-8158 / fax : 514-525-8575
Thérèse Barbanel
Colette de Turville
International Touring
Les Artscéniques
8, rue D'Estienne d'Orves
94220 Charenton
France
Tél./fax : 33.1.48.93.66.54
tbarbanel@numericable.fr
Martine Doucet
Governmental Partners
Canada Council for the Arts
The Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec
The Conseil des arts de Montréal
Emploi-Québec
Fortier Danse-Création is an active member of
Circuit-Est centre chorégraphique
recent Collaborators
Rober Racine,
visual artist, writer, musician
performer in the creation 2008
Rober Racine is a multidisciplinary artist being a musician, writer, performer and drawing
artist. Strangeness and poetry are seen throughout his work, which is dominated by excessiveness. Some of his creations were influenced by the life and works of composer Erik Satie
and writer Gustave Flaubert. He is also passionate about the complexity and the subtleties
of sound, language and literature. He published 3 novels, Le mal de Vienne, Là-bas, tout près
and L'ombre de la Terre for which he won the Prix Ringuet from the Académie des lettres du
Québec. As a visual artist, his works have been shown in museums and galleries throughout
Quebec and Canada, and as far away as the United States, Europe, Australia and Japan.
Since 2002, he produced hundreds of drawings of vultures, a series that ended in 2006. He
was also a cultural columnist for the CBC. He worked with renowned choreographers. In
2007, Racine received the prestigious Paul-Émile Borduas award by the government of
Quebec.
Robert Morin,
Cinéaste
Créateur d'image dans la création 2008
Robert Morin has been enriching the world of Quebec cinéma for over twenty-five years. He
has, from the beginning, imposed his own style and vision, leaving indelible marks on the
collective imagination. A founding member of the Coop Video de Montréal in 1977, Robert
Morin has made about thirty films and videos of which most have won awards and nominations internationally. He has been the focus of countless homages, retrospectives and has
received many distinctions. Here some of the works that have made their marks : Le Neg'
(2002), won a Jutra for best editing and Canada's top Ten by the Toronto International Film
Festival Group ; Whoever Dies, Dies in pain (1997) ; Yes Sir! Madame (1994), Grand prix de
Genève ; Requiem pour un beau sans cœur (1992), selected at the Semaine de la Critique at
Cannes and best Canadian film (Toronto / CityTV Award) ; The Réception (1989) and ScaleModel Sadness (1987), Gémeau nomination for best film. In 2005, Robert was doing one
more feature films with May God bless America.
John Munro, Lighting designer
John Munro began his career in 1969 at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, where he worked
until 1985. Since then he has freelanced for some of Canada's leading theatre, dance and
opera companies, including thirteen seasons at the Stratford Festival. Since 1988, he has
been lighting coordinator for the Canada Dance Festival. As resident lighting designer for Les
Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal he designed the lighting for all of the new works in
their repertoire from 1996-2001. His extensive collaboration with Édouard Lock includes,
Étude (GBC) Exaucé and Amelia with La La La Human Steps, Touch to include, for the
Nederlands Dans Theatre and André Auria for L’Opéra de Paris. In 2000, John Munro was
appointed Associate Artist in Residence at the National Arts Center in Ottawa. In 2001, John
Munro was a member of the production team for The Queen of Spades, choreographed by Kim
Brandstrup for Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. He collaborated with Paul Andre Fortier on his
four recent works.
recent Collaborators
Ginelle Chagnon, rehearsal mistress
and choreographer’s assistant
Ginelle Chagnon has been active in the Quebec dance community since 1971. She began
her classical ballet studies at the age of seven, at the Academy of Les Grands Ballets
Canadiens, and then danced professionally with the company. In the early eighties, she
trained to teach ballet. At the same time, she became seriously involved in learning to use
José Limon’s mo-dern dance technique. With her very solid technical background, she then
joined the Quebec contemporary dance community. It is while working with Dansepartout and
Montréal Danse that she developed an interest in directing rehearsals of repertory works and
in observing young creators in the creative proccess. For the past 15 years, she has worked
as teacher, rehearsal mistress and assistant to several prominent Montreal choreographers,
including Paul-André Fortier, Jean-Pierre Perreault and Louise Bédard.
Denis Lavoie, costume designer
Denis Lavoie’s name is associated with more than a hundred productions, mainly in dance
and theatre. He has contributed to works by Fortier Danse-Création, Cas Public (Hélène
Blackburn), O Vertigo (Ginette Laurin), Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, the National Ballet of
Canada and Ballets Jazz de Montréal (James Kudelka, Gioconda Barbuto). From 1987 to
2001, he teamed up with Carmen Alie under the name of Trac Costume, working for many
ballet companies in Canada and the U.S. In 1994 Trac Costume designed Mick Jagger’s
wardrobe for the Rolling Stones’ Voodoo Lounge Tour. He has also worked in the theatre world,
with directors Claude Poissant, Martin Faucher and Fernand Rainville.
Takao Minami,
Video artist and stage designer
Solo1x60
Takao Minami is a media artist from Kyoto. After studying art history, Takao Minami pursued
his research into visual and sound expression. A member of the art group “Ressentiment”
since 2000, he has given many presentations throughout Japan. Starting with video work, he
has gradually diversified his means of expression through installations, performances and
formative arts. He has participated in numerous expositions including the 2nd Yokohama
Triennial of Contemporary Art, Rock the Future in the United Kingdom, and at Ars Electronica
in Austria. In 2003, Takao Minami took part in Media Sockets, the opening event for the
Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media. In addition, he has collaborated with “USUSU,” an art
collective that primarily presents live performances. In 2006, Takao Minami created the
visual design environment for Solo 1x60 - un jardin d'objets during Paul-André Fortier's
residency at the Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media.
Alain Thibault, composer
Alain Thibault has contributed to a wide range of multimedia, video, dance and theatre
productions. His latest recordings was realeased on Orange Music, Ascend Recordings and
empreintes DIGITAles labels. Presently he is the Artistic Director of the ELEKTRA Festival.
PurForm is a duo formed by visual artist Yan Breuleux and composer Alain Thibault, who were
awarded a mention for their a-light video-music at the Prix Ars Electronica 1998 (Linz,
Austria), in the Computer Animation category. Their videographic sequel a-b-c-light was
presented and broadcast in many European countries. Their multi-screen work titled
FausTechnology was premiered at the ELEKTRA 2001 event in Montreal, and was presented
in October 2002 in Nagoya (Japan) during the International Symposium for Electronic Arts,
ISEA 2002 and at Dissonanze Festival in Rome in 2003. Black_Box, their latest work for
quadraphonic sound and multi-screens, was premiered in May 2003 at Usine C. Alain
Thibault created the music for the last four works of Paul-André Fortier.
Danser octobre 2009, Paris / Danser October 2009, Paris
The Geogia Straight Juin 2-9 2009, Vancouver / The Geogia Straight June 2nd-9th, 2009, Vancouver
The Globe and Mail, 18 juillet 2009, Vancouver/ The Globe and Mail, July 18th, 2009, Vancouver
Le Devoir, 28-29 mars 2009, Montréal / Le Devoir, March 28-29, 2009, Montreal
L’Union, 11 septembre 2008, France / L’Union, September 11, 2008, France
La Presse, 2 juin 2008, Montréal / La Presse, June 2, 2008, Montreal
Props! Cabane shifts and shapes itself in amazing ways
Performers complement each other. Makes no linear sense, yet absurd interaction transforms into delightful installation art
KATHRYN GREENAWAY
The Gazette
Sunday, June 01, 2008
If the Odd Couple Felix and Oscar had a shabby shack in the woods by a pond and spent their days discovering
new and wonderful ways to annoy and entertain each other, no doubt they would behave just like Paul- André Fortier
and Rober Racine in the collaborative work Cabane, which played at Espace Go Friday as part of the Festival
TransAmériques.
Fortier has a stylized sense of humour and applies it liberally throughout Cabane. Born to be watched and enjoyed,
there is a slender strength to his moves that grabs your attention. You never know what he will do next and his
stream of consciousness flow endlessly fascinates.
Opening night, Racine was the more mischievous one, perching atop tripods, pacing the premises and turning the
shack full of everyday objects into impromptu instruments.
They went about their everyday business with life in the shack revolving around the manipulation of props for the
edification of one and the other.
Racine began his day screeching into a megaphone like a raptor. Just the sort of thing you do first thing in the morning to irritate your roommate.
Their relationship was fluid, familiar. They complemented each other despite their very different demeanors - Fortier
noble, Racine boisterous. Cabane doesn’t make one bit of linear sense, but it shifts and shapes itself in amazing
ways. Place a prop in a particular manner and an absurd interaction transforms into a delightful installation-art
moment, helped in heaping amounts by John Munro’s inspired lighting design and brief video clips of fluttering birds
filmed by Robert Morin.
Performers, props and the Daniel Vallée-designed shack will have visited three distinctly different locations by the
end of the five-show run. The idea is to place the work in both luxurious and simple surroundings to see whether the
environment influences the way the public responds to the piece.
Cabane is at Hangar 16 at the Clock Tower Pier in the Old Port today at 4 p.m. and tomorrow at 9 p.m.; The
Windsor, 1170 Peel St., on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.; and Circuit-est, 2022 Sherbrooke St. E., on
Thursday at 9 p.m.
Tickets cost $38.
FTA dance today: Vancouver choreographer Dana Gingras brings her dance/technology fusion Smash Up to the
Monument National, 1182 St. Laurent Blvd., today at 4 p.m. Tickets cost $32.
For Festival TransAmériques information, call 514-844-3822 or visit www.fta.qc.ca.
kgreenaway@ thegazette.canwest.com
© The Gazette (Montreal) 2008
The Gazette, 1er juin 2008, Montréal / The Gazette, June 1st, 2008, Montreal
Voir, 29 mai 2008, Montréal / Voir, May 29, 2008, Montreal
Extrait du roman Champagne de Monique Proulx, 2008 / Excerpts from Champagne, a novel by Monique Proulx, 2008
1/2
Extrait du roman Champagne de Monique Proulx, 2008 / Excerpts from Champagne, a novel by Monique Proulx, 2008
2/2
Sipario, Mars 2007, Milan, Italie / Sipario, March, 2007, Milan, Italy
Corriere Della Sera, 24 février 2007, Rome, Italie / Corriere Della Sera, February 24, 2007, Rome, Italy
Le Devoir, 14 décembre 2006, Montréal / Le Devoir, December 14, 2006, Montreal
Voir, 11 décembre 2006, Montréal / Voir, December 11, 2006, Montreal
The Gazette, 9 décembre 2006, Montréal / The Gazette, December 9, 2006, Montreal
The Gazette, 2 novembre 2006, Montréal / The Gazette, November 2, 2006, Montreal
Hour, 14 septembre 2006, Montréal / Hour, September 14, 2006, Montreal
Chugoku News Paper, 20 juin 2006, Chugoku, Japon / Chugoku News Paper, June 20, 2006, Chugoku, Japan
The Ottawa Citizen, 20 mai 2006, Ottawa, Canada / The Ottawa Citizen, May 20, 2006, Ottawa, Canada
Hour, 11 mai 2006, Montréal / Hour, May 11, 2006, Montreal
Voir, 11 mai 2006, Montréal / Voir, May 11, 2006, Montreal
Ballettanz (extrait), Mai 2006, Allemagne / Ballettanz (extract), May, 2006, Germany
The journal, 2 mars 2006, Newcastle, Royaume-Uni / The journal, March 2, 2006, Newcastle, United Kingdom
La Presse, 17 avril 2005, Montréal / La Presse, April 17, 2005, Montreal
Edmonton Journal, 3 novembre 2003, Edmonton, Canada / Edmonton Journal, November 3, 2003, Edmonton, Canada
Le Devoir, 25 septembre 2001, Montréal / Le Devoir, September 25, 2001, Montreal