In Limbo is a research project under the artistic direction of Lynda Gaudreau and Companie De Brune. Lynda has worked in collaboration with Tangente for six years. She sought out and mentored two young artists, providing them with insight, opportunities and resources to investigate their curiosities in dance. The artists, Marie Claire-Forté and Julie Favreau, chose to present their findings, thus creating the double bill presentation of In Limbo.
It was explained to the crowd by Tangente artistic director Stéphane Labbé that this evening, we were not audience members, but rather witnesses to a choreographic research in progress. From this perspective it is difficult to write a “review,” but I can let you know what attending In Limbo can offer.
Rooms by Marie Claire-Forté
©2011 image tirée d'une captation vidéo d'Yvo Dimchev | Marie Claire Forté
Marie Claire-Forté shows the conclusions of her research in a self-solo form. The theme of her exploration is space or ‘rooms,’ specifically the performance theatre. She offers us disconnected propositions, choreographic ideas that she seems to have meditated upon, clarified and dug into rather than expanding upon and complicating.
Here’s what happens on stage: Claire-Forté wears an extremely baggy tan-ish colored sweater and wide legged black dress pants. The initial proposition is her, simply circling one wrist to the varying rhythm and intensity of the soundtrack. What we hear is her the playback of her voice describing various locations, recorded at the sites. This continued for quite a long time.
Following this, she embarks on a sort of discovery and play with her surrounding, not unlike the first step in creating a site-specific dance piece. She breaks this exploration with a movement sequence, which was very primary in its structure, working with one action at a time, and pausing between every motion. She then pairs movements to phrases that she speaks out loud, building a relationship between the two actions and playing with the vocabulary she has created.
Her last proposition was to stand on the edge of the risers and shake powerfully, vibrating the chairs and spectators. Again, she maintains this state for a shockingly long time, which was not only physically demanding for her, but also demanding of the crowd with whom she was making eye contact. It was a strong idea, well executed.
Antonel by Julie Favreau
©2011 Julie Favreau | David Albert-Toth
Julie Favreau explains before hand that she is a visual artist, and that she works primarily with photo, video and sculpture. Her work is a solo interpreted by David Albert-Toth, playing the role of ‘Antonel’. The stage is set with props, or more appropriately, interactive sculptures. The colouring and treatment of the objects creates a cohesive, stylized environment. There is a weather-beaten wooden table, a crumpled piece of paper, a tall wooden post, white sculptures reminiscent of bones, etc. The work is a step further from the gallery for Favreau, who has experience creating immersive installations. Her photography insight is also evident throughout the piece as tableaus are formed and morphed through the performer’s actions.
Albert-Toth, dressed in black, walks among the objects, interacting with them in a decidedly internal and thoughtful manner. He is very calm and pensive, slowly moving set pieces and himself about the room. The work is peaceful and becomes a little hypnotic with its steady, consistent pace. Favreau refers to ritual as one of her intentions, and this comes through.
One striking image is created when Albert-Toth covers himself in a large black cloth, and crawls under it across the floor, slowly changing its shape and sometimes stopping to let a hand or head peek out from under the fabric. At another moment, he is holding one end of wooden post, as tall as he is, and spinning around. These curious actions, like wearing a piece of paper like a glove, are intriguing and come with a sense of importance, simply via their execution. The creation of the character, Antonel, with his rituals and this environment to contain them, was successful.
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If you are intrigued by this production, get your money’s worth and go to the Friday night show, which will be followed by a talk-back with the artists. Tangente does this often, and I think it would prove to be a particularly vibrant discussion given the nature of these works.
In Limbo is presented by Tangente and is playing at Monument National February 16th - 18th at 8:30pm and the 19that 4pm. Both pieces are about 30 minutes long with a short intermission between them. As per usual, tickets are $20 regular, with different discounts for students, seniors, groups, children and performing artists.
-Allison
