Ce n'est pas la fin du monde
Co-produced by Sylvain Émard Danse, Ville d'Eysines/Le Plateau (France), Théâtre de Lorient (France) and the Brian Webb Dance Company (Canada), with the support of iddac, Agence culturelle de la Gironde (France)
Stories of men. Renowned for his striking works featuring male dancers, Sylvain Émard plunges seven dancers into the hurly-burly of a contemporary world undergoing massive change. Driven by doubt and a lust for life, they are searching for their place, sketching the contours of multiple identities. Carried away by their instincts and the power of the group, their only language is subtle, energetic movement, the music of bodies electrified by a shared feeling of urgency. In this poignant ritual of resistance and adaptation to the passing of time, dance seems to be the best means of coming to terms with the world and of being transformed, the better to blend in. This vibrant piece conveys all the complexity and beauty of men coming to grips with the world they inhabit.
Ce n’est pas la fin du monde premiered at Le Plateau in Eysines, as part of the French biennal Danse Toujours, in April 2013.
CREDIT
CHOREOGRAPHY Sylvain Émard
DANCERS* Jason Martin, Mark Medrano, Alexandre Morin, Manuel Roque,
François Richard, Neil Sochasky, Georges-Nicolas Tremblay
ORIGINAL SCORE Martin Tétreault
ARTISTIC ADVISOR Ginelle Chagnon
LIGHTING André Rioux
SET DESIGN Richard Lacroix
COSTUMES Denis Lavoie
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Émilie Martel
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Karine Gauthier
*Original cast : Adam Barruch, Dylan Crossman, Justin Gionet, Laurence Ramsay, Manuel Roque, Neil Sochasky et Georges-Nicolas Tremblay.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
"[...] an ode to the power and meaning of movement." Le Soleil, Quebec City, Canada, February 2016
“Ce n’est pas la fin du monde is typical Sylvain Émard. It’s a tour de force for seven cardiovascularly superb and internationally experienced dancers in their prime.” Dance International, Vancouver, Canada, summer 2015
"[...] a brilliant and engaging hour of provocative and compelling dance that, like its title, re-assures the viewer over and over again, with compellingly gendered prowess, that this is not the end of the world." Bateman reviews, Toronto, Canada, February 2015
"A powerful dance piece; sixty minutes of energetic movement, a lot of testosterone and nonstop motion – solos, duos, trios, septets – all in perfect symbiosis. A dance vocabulary that is very rich and inventive. The piece gains in tension and in virtuosity, creating suspense." Samedi et rien d'autre, ICI Radio-Canada Première, Montréal, Canada, January 2015
"[...] this wonderful piece is far from ordinary and grabs you in the style we’ve come to expect from Sylvain Émard, but never tire of." Dance Profiler, Montréal, Canada, January 2015
"An ethereal piece, anchored in emotion, for seven male dancers trying to survive, together, the end of their own little world." La Presse, Montréal, Canada, January 2015
"A sweet fury inhabits these bodies, bodies that at times give in to moments of abandon while at other times resisting each other and an ever-present hidden threat […] men who doubt, who struggle and who are capable of exposing their sensitivity without wallowing in it." Le Devoir, Montréal, Canada, January 2015
CALENDAR
February-March 2016 – Maisons de la culture Villeray, Plateau-Mont-Royal, Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Frontenac, Conseil des arts de Montréal on tour, Montréal, Canada
February 2016 – Théâtre de la Bordée, La Rotonde, Quebec, Canada
March 2015 – Timms Center for the Arts, Brian Webb Dance Company, Edmonton, Canada
February 2015 – Fleck Theatre, Danceworks, Toronto, Canada
January 2015 – Agora de la danse, Montréal, Canada
January 2015 – University Theatre, New Dance Horizons, Men in Dance Festival, Regina, Canada
November 2014 – Circuit-Est centre chorégraphique, OFF-CINARS, Montréal, Canada
June 2014 – Circuit-Est centre chorégraphique, OFF-FTA, Montréal, Canada
May 2014 – Le Prisme, Élancourt, France
May 2014 – Théâtre Paul Éluard, Bezons, France
January 2014 – Centre culturel Jean-Moulin, Danse Émoi, Limoges, France
June 2013 – Circuit-Est centre chorégraphique, OFF-FTA, Montréal, Canada
April 2013 – Le Plateau-Théâtre Jean Vilar, biennial Danse Toujours, Eysines, France (world premiere)
November 2012 – Circuit-Est centre chorégraphique, OFF-CINARS, Montréal, Canada (work in progress)