Temps de chien
Part 2 of the Climatology of bodies trilogy.
A Sylvain Émard Danse, the National Arts Centre, the Banff Centre (Canada), the Canada Dance Festival and the Grand Théâtre de Lorient (France)
Temps de chien (2005), a piece for six dancers, explores the uncertainties, uneasiness and desires provoked by an increasingly unsettled environment.
While daily life conspires to keep us off balance, we are distracted with tales of easy bliss. Temps de chien features video in the set design and is grounded in a rigorous language of movement. The choreography underscores the fundamental humanism and sensuality of bodies that are standing witness to such transformations. The bodies alternate between defiance and insouciance, finally leaping into a comfort zone where there is neither memory nor a future. But, with rainfall always comes a resurgence of hope...
CHOREOGRAPHY Sylvain Émard
DANCERS Éric Beauchesne, Kate Holden, Laurence Lemieux, Manuel Roque, Heidi Strauss, Darryl Tracy
ARTISTIC ADVISER AND REHEARSAL MISTRESS Ginelle Chagnon
ORIGINAL SCORE Michel F. Côté and Tim Hecker
SET DESIGN Richard Lacroix
LIGHTING Etienne Boucher
VIDEO Effe
COSTUMES François Saint-Aubin
MAKE UP Angelo Barsetti
REVIEW EXCERPTS
“Temps de chien (Dog Days) which premiered in Montréal last fall, is a big hit at the Canada Dance Festival and for good reason [...] The dark, angry, bewildered Temps de chien is today's zeitgeist writ small.” Paula Citron, On the arts, Toronto Classical 96,3 Fm, June 9, 2006
“The set design, music and dance combine to create a strange and beautiful universe, at once dark and luminous, that is full of tenderness, violence and abandon and where the desire to love and communicate is often frustrated by the other's inability to understand. [...] This is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished works Sylvain Émard has ever created.” Le Devoir, October 17, 2005
“An uncompromising choreographer [...] A tautly designed set of unfailing beauty [...] Sylvain Émard has taken a dive into the troubled waters of human relationships and succeeded brilliantly.” Isabelle Poulin, Première Chaîne, Radio-Canada, Désautels, October 14, 2005
“Temps de chien shows Sylvain Émard in full control of his art.” La Presse, October 15, 2005
“A poetic world skilfully crafted by Émard and his collaborators [...] Temps de chien is solid proof that we can use technology or refer to it without the equipment becoming an undue burden [...] The general feeling of this piece is much like the artist himself: gentle, subtle, even-tempered, but with surprising contrasts that are coherent and never excessive.” Voir, October 20-26, 2005
CALENDAR
March 2009 – Climatology of bodies trilogy: Pluie, Temps de chien and Wave, New Territories, Glasgow, Scotland
Febuary 2009 – Circuit-Est centre chorégraphique, Montréal, Canada (benefit event)
May 2007 – Schouwburg Arnhem, The Netherlands
Septembrer 2005 – Théâtre Eric Harvie, Banff Centre, Canada
April 2007 – Grand Théâtre de Lorient, France
April 2007 – DanceXchange, Patrick Centre, Birmingham, Angleterre
April 2007 – Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, Leap Festival, Angleterre
June 2006 – National Arts Centre, Canada Dance Festival, Ottawa, Canada
October 2005 – Usine C, Montréal, Canada
