Description
When Eric Gauthier discovered her, he invited her to his Grandes Dames evening in 2018, when she presented the world premiere of Beating, a work that remains memorable for its sensitive musicality and a free, authentic movement language. Now, Virginie Brunelle is coming to COLOURS with her own company from Montreal. The work she is bringing, the title of which translates as “The Swallowed Bodies”, laments our society’s loss of connection and empathy. “Humanity is becoming fragile,” says the choreographer, and she uses her nuanced language of rhythm, glances, gestures and breath – of gentleness and brutality – to portray the dynamics of power, both in private and in wider society. Soft embraces suddenly turn harsh, dancers collide or freeze after soul-baring, intimate duets, and bodies lie stacked like the remains of humanity under grass. Moments of violence and physical frustration give way to affection as Brunelle stubbornly confronts coldness with lyricism. For her, there is dramatic tension in all classical music; the choreographer studied the violin for ten years, until music, as it were, suffused her entire body and she turned to the study of dance. Now, to string music by Philip Glass, Henryk Górecki and Dmitri Shostakovich, she explores how our bodies, through dance, can resist indifference and reaffirm the values of solidarity and love.
Duration: approx. 65 minutes no intermission
Age guidance: from 12 years
In captivating, highly physical ensemble numbers with passionate gestures, as well as in intimate, heartfelt duets, Brunelle creates images that often strike a deep emotional chord and, despite the harshness of the theme, reveal a fragile and moving beauty. — La Presse
Virginie Brunelle succeeds in portraying the world and people of today – disembodied, confused, yet profoundly beautiful in their search for freedom and meaning. — Le Cahier
Everything in the choreography evokes both the strength and fragility of the humans we are, our torments and doubts, our misgivings and our desperate and probably futile attempts to find solace in love. — Pieuvre.ca
