28 May 2011

Levee des conflits

The final show! On Thursday, May 26th, Jury group #2 saw Boris Charmatz/Musee de la danse's 'Levee des conflits.' This dance performance really appeared to test the performers' endurance, since they repeated the same series of actions for an hour and forty-five minutes. I was really riveted at the beginning and at the end, with a little dip in the middle, but overall I enjoyed it. I picked out favourite dancers who I followed throughout the performance to see how their movements changed.

You've Changed

On Wednesday, May 25th, Jury group #1 saw Zoo/Thomas Hauert's 'You've Changed,' a dance performance based on repetitive movements that were performed live, but also projected onto screens, sometimes in front of, and sometimes behind the live dancers. I liked the dance and the music separately, but not so much together. What can I say, I'm a sucker for matching rhythms. A Dutch-speaking and French-speaking journalist talked to the Jury members to get their comments.






Talking to the dancers after the performance


Playing on the stage





Monde.com

On Tuesday Jury group #3 saw Mokhallad Rasem's Monde.com at the beautiful Les Brigittines theatre. There were some interesting aspects to the show, including creepy baby dolls and explosions. Mokhallad stayed after the show to talk with the kids and answer their questions. We all learned an important lesson: You can't ring the beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell, ring the bell. The bell. Can't ring the bell.










Habit(u)ation (Encore)

On Monday (May 23), Jury group #5 was treated to a PIZZA DINNER on the rooftop of the Theatre National thanks to Coordinator Extraordinaire, Diane, and a full tour of the Theatre National thanks to Technical Director, Colin. We got to see where the costumes were made, the dressing rooms, different theatres and sets. We also got to ride in a giant elevator. Colin saved the backstage tour of 'Habit(u)ation' until after the Jury watched the show. I think they were even more creeped out than Jury group #4 was, but seemed to enjoy finding out how the technicians created the illusions; particularly, how they made it look like the goldfish was being boiled alive. If you want to know more about that, ask Ethan. He's an expert now. We also learned why you can't say the word 'rope' backstage in a theatre, and why bunnies are bad luck.




























The girls from Ecole Aurore treat us to a dance performance while waiting for the show to start in the lobby!