International Dance Day was on April 29 and Québec dance advocacy association Regroupement québécois de la danse celebrated with Québec Danse. This eight-day series of events generated curiosity and new interest in dance by inviting the public to rehearsals, performances, classes, film screenings and exhibitions.
Many notable events were presented in Montréal, including a screening of Marie Chouinard’s Sacre du Printemps, and a workshop exploring cause and consequence in group creation with Paris-based choreographer Rachid Ouramdane. La Grande Bibliothèque de Montréal and several libraries throughout the city hosted exhibitions and conferences on dance.
Québec Danse encouraged people throughout the province to participate — even those who had yet to set foot in the world of dance. On Saturday April 26, passersby at the Place Bourget in Joliette were surprised by a happening led by Julie Pilon. Choreographers from Estrie, the region southeast of Quebec City, showcased excerpts from works-in-progress in Sherbrooke on Sunday for ICI DANSE 2014. In Coaticook on April 28, Liliane St-Arnaud, artistic director of the dance company AXILE, presented parts of L’envers de moi.
In Québec City, La Republica Tanguera invited audiences into the world of Argentine tango. Larmes: Cycles d’une femme-racine, a performance about feminine power, sparked dialogue between slam poet Mélanie Rivet and Québec choreographer Geneviève Duong on April 28. Both events encouraged audience involvement as observers and creators.
Finally, to conclude the festivities, the Circuit Est centre chorégraphique in Montréal organized a flash mob on April 29 at Place des Arts, open to anyone who took on the choreography.
Tagged: Contemporary, dance film, Exhibit, Paris, Performance, Screening, Uncategorized, Montréal , QC
