ONDE DE CHOC

Long fascinated by the human body, a fantastic and multifaceted machine, the choreographer Ginette Laurin penetrates here into its innermost depths. What can be heard deep within? Is it possible to render visible or audible the forces that move (in both senses of the word) the body? Seeking to flush emotion out from its deep recesses and its most primal forms of expression, she eavesdrops on its breathing, its murmurs, its heartbeats. They constitute the soundscape and the rhythms of an invisible, organic dance and music that resonate with the footsteps, physical contact and gentle touching of dancers on a “processed” wooden floor. The heartbeat of one propels the other. Martin Messier gives musical shape to that raw rhythm, and British composer Michael Nyman orchestrates counterpoints with lyrical overtones. Luminous oscillations vibrate against a backdrop, echoing the inner agitation of the dancing women and men. As eight performers move in and out of tune with each other, the gaze moves beyond the skin (vibrant with the blood coursing beneath it), beyond the breath expelled, and matter-movement emerges from the depths. Shock wave or dream catcher? A world premiere at the Festival.