Espaces chorégraphiques 2, or EC2, is a digital platform that extends the mandate of Fondation Jean-Pierre Perreault (FJPP) to preserve dance heritage and advocate for accessibility of contemporary dance. The original Espace chorégraphique was the name of the space owned by FJPP which, according to the website, was the first Québec dance organization to own its locale. The development of the platform has been ongoing since Lise Gagnon, general director of FJPP, joined the foundation three years ago and is part of the ongoing transformation of the foundation beyond archival work and toward advocacy and accessibility for dance. It launched on September 21.
EC2 is described as a “dance memory lab and forum for research and reflection.” This includes a virtual museum and library of Québec dance, a digital collection of choreography tool kits and a discussion forum on contemporary dance heritage.
Gagnon told The Dance Current that EC2 is part of the evolution of a sustainable and diverse contemporary dance ecology. “This year, we want to create a committee of intellectuals and artists in scientific and artistic disciplines to help us think about the choreographic tool kits and events, to think with us so that the FJPP becomes a place of reflection and exchange around questions of documentation and transmission of dance.”
Thousands of dollars and many months of work by choreographers, dancers, rehearsal directors, makeup artists, lighting designers and others went into making a choreographic tool kit, making each file rich with detailed information and insight. Gagnon explains: “It’s like we have the choreographer right next to us saying, ‘Extend your arm like this.’ ” It is her hope that the information contained in each tool kit facilitates the recreation of those works and research by future generations and, with the rest of the EC2 resources, continues to tackle the central mandate of FJPP, which is “how we keep the memories of dance alive.”
Learn more>> espaceschoregraphiques2.com
Tagged: Archiving & Preservation, Contemporary, Uncategorized, QC
