Arden show digs deep

If you were to hear the name Lhasa de Sela, would it ring a bell? No? Well then you would be in the majority.

However, the Montreal-based, Mexican-American born singer-songwriter was on the cusp of international stardom when she died of breast cancer at the age of 37.

She was one of those artists that achieved fame more through word of mouth than media connections.

Before her death in 2010, de Sela’s world status was ascending year by year as evidenced through various awards: the QuĂ©bĂ©cois FĂ©lix in 1997, a Canadian Juno in 1998 and a BBC award for world music in 2005.

Pierre-Paul Savoie, founder of PPS Danse, a Quebec-based modern dance company whose goal is to connect with other art forms, became quickly enamoured with her songwriting. It spoke to the core of his soul.

“She was warm in an engaging way and she connected with me. She questioned life and that resonated with me. In her music she would ask the universal philosophical questions. What is the meaning of my life? What are we doing? Where are we going?” said Savoie.

“I was moved in my guts because it resonated with my life. It resonated so strongly I felt I had to do something to have people know her songs.”

After de Sela’s death three years ago, Savoie pondered creating a tribute dance and by November 2011, PPS Danse premiered Danse Lhasa Danse at the Coup de Coeur, a festival of francophone music.

“It was very powerful and received an amazing reaction. So we made a touring version.”

The touring version of Danse Lhasa Danse makes its Arden Theatre debut on Thursday, Jan. 16, highlighting 16 dancers and a five-piece band with bass, guitar, cello, drums and piano.

The embryo of de Sela’s unusual songwriting lay in the cultural background of her hippie parents and the gypsy lifestyle they led.

Born in New York State, she lived a nomadic lifestyle for the first decade, criss-crossing the United States and Mexico in a converted school bus with her parents and siblings.

The children were homeschooled and much of their learning was from books, music and artistic activities. From this atypical education, de Sela grew into a citizen of the world. In later years, she often stated her parents taught her to follow her heart, find her way and be original.

In de Sela’s late teens she moved to Montreal, honing her craft singing in bars and composing in three languages. Her three albums, the Spanish La Llorona (1997), the French-Spanish The Living Road (2003) and the English self-titled Lhasa, were tracked with songs inspired by dreams, love, relationships and life events filtered through an imagination moulded by folk narratives.

“I listened to the three albums and made a selection of songs. I wanted to represent the three eras,” Savoie noted.

He chose 19 numbers that vary from flamenco, folk and jazz to pop and soul.

The entire show is based on three mediums – music, dance and videos with de Sela speaking to the audience. Savoie describes it as an encounter rather than a performance.

“Each song is a little universe that culminates with the song Where Do We Go and an image of Lhasa going away.”

The show aspires to present de Sela’s deep humanity and spirituality through imagery that is energetic, even chaotic and hopefully cathartic.

“The main reason to see Lhasa is the exceptional quality and deepness and how it will nourish you. Many people say it’s the best show of their life and only deepness can do that. You will be richer when you go out than when you came in. It’s a show that will stay with you.”