If the inner universe of our imagination was a stage, it could be nicknamed Bouge de là. Colourful, vibrant and bursting with fresh ideas, this dance company creates a dialogue that ripples with innovation.

One of Quebec’s few professional dance troupes devoted primarily to young audiences, its mission is to tap into the curiosity and emotions of its audience.

Founded in 2000 under the artistic direction of Hélène Langevin, Bouge de là presents contemporary dance that draws on numerous disciplines: theatre, improvisation, shadow play, painting, video and a brouhaha of movement that consists of classical, acrobatics, breakdance and yoga.

In a tour of Western Canada, the company’s L’atelier (The Studio) reveals its spirited 45-minute production as part of the Arden Theatre’s family series on Sunday, March 17.

Langevin had long been attracted to the works of abstract and surrealist artists such as Jackson Pollack, Jean Dubuffet, Sonia Delaunay and René Magritte, as well as expressionism and pop art. Intrigued by the new directions the art was heading, she used their visuals as a springboard for choreography and set.

L’atelier is set in an artist’s studio, a whimsical environment where freedom of expression and inventiveness morphs into unexpected delights and takes off into unexpected directions.

“The dance is influenced by paintings. The dance is like the canvas and the dancers’ bodies are like paint. The movements are translated as colour, texture and line. Everything about the painting is fun,” says Langevin.

In a series of vignettes, dancers Audrey Bergeron, Nicolas Labelle, Jena-Francoise Légaré and Jessica Serli treat the studio as an enchanted toy box. Playing with everything that pops out – fabric, frames, paint, scarves and accessories of sort – the dancers use their bodies, the objects, lighting and projections to bring the art to life.

“We try to put the threads together so they (audience) can connect dance because dance is so abstract. If I make a painting, I create connections with an audience,” Langevin says.

Dancers alter, reshape and transform objects often driven by the whims of their imagination. Some of the vignettes are filmed and immediately processed and transformed by image capture software and then broadcast live.

“People say it’s very creative and they feel a lot of things,” Langevin says. “When I hear it’s a hit and I see the reaction people have, I am happy to see that. It’s a work that provides a lot of satisfaction for the audience. People feel happy and everyone sees something different.”

Comments

NOTE: To post a comment in the new commenting system you must have an account with at least one of the following services: Disqus, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, OpenID. You may then login using your account credentials for that service. If you do not already have an account you may register a new profile with Disqus by first clicking the "Post as" button and then the link: "Don't have one? Register a new profile".

The St. Albert Gazette welcomes your opinions and comments. We do not allow personal attacks, offensive language or unsubstantiated allegations. We reserve the right to delete comments deemed inappropriate. We reserve the right to close the comments thread for stories that are deemed especially sensitive. For further information, please contact the editor or publisher.