Fortier Danse-Création

TWO PIECES BEING RESTAGED

Thirty years - an achievement that calls for celebration! To mark the occasion, Paul-André Fortier will bring Solo 30x30 back to Montreal. This world-renowned performance event, first presented in Montreal in 2006, has been seen in seven countries on three continents, and in more than fourteen cities around the world, including London, Yamaguchi, Rome, Lyon, Vancouver and New York. Designed as a site-specific 30-minute performance, the solo piece is danced outside each day at the same place, at the same time, for 30 days. More information to follow…

Eighteen years after its creation in 1993, Bras de plomb will be restaged and performed in Montreal in the fall of 2011. The piece originated from an encounter between two artists: choreographer and dancer Paul-André Fortier and Betty Goodwin, one of Canada’s leading visual artists. Goodwin and Fortier decided on the theme of arms together. The arms dance, initially as light and graceful as wings, then become tense, stiff and increasingly heavy, as if imprisoned by human destiny. The latest version of this piece will be passed on to dancer Simon Courchel.

INNOVATION AND CONTINUITY

Even after 30 years of creative endeavour, Paul-André Fortier is constantly seeking new sources of inspiration and means of self-expression. Next week, on January 22, he will be presenting a new piece in Regina at New Dance Horizons: Box, l’homme au carton. The idea for this piece came from Solo 1x60 - Un jardin d’objets, which was created in Japan in 2006. During this particular solo, an ordinary cardboard box became a poetic subject and in fact, a dance partner. Paul-André Fortier expanded this choreographic moment into a complete composition.

Cabane will also continue its tour in February 2011. A number of performances will take place in Quebec and the rest of Canada: From February 4 to 6 at Contemporary Dancers in Winnipeg; February 11 to 12 at Danceworks in Toronto; February 17 to 19 at Live Arts Productions in Halifax; March 7 at Salle Jean-Marc-Dion in Sept-Îles; and March 9 at Théâtre de Baie-Comeau.

TEACHING ON THE AGENDA

Paul-André Fortier is well known for his teaching. During this anniversary year, he will spend January 10 to 21, 2011 at the School of Contemporary Dancers in Winnipeg, as part of a teaching and artistic residency.

In addition, Paul-André Fortier and Ginelle Chagnon will offer a dance internship based on Solo 30x30. From June 13 to 24, 2011, at Circuit-Est centre chorégraphique, students will be offered master classes and a repertory workshop. The classes will focus on learning and mastering the solo and part of the internship will take place outside, to immerse the students in the artistic approach adopted by this work.

FORTIER DANSE-CRÉATION

Paul-André Fortier founded his company in 1981. For the past 30 years, the work of this “man who dances” as he modestly defines himself, has been recognized internationally, and his career has been marked by his desire for renewal and his passion for exploring new forms of expression. Inspired by input from other generations, art forms, as well as the advent of multimedia and new technologies, Paul-André Fortier has created more than 40 choreographies that have been performed in 10 countries. Les Males heures (1989), La Tentation de la transparence (1991), Bras de plomb (1993), La part des anges (1996), Tensions (2001), Lumière (2004), Solo 30x30 (2006) and Cabane (2008) are just some of the landmark pieces in his repertoire. These works have pushed him to expand the boundaries of solo creation, explore the aesthetic and symbolic potential of technological tools and pursue numerous artistic collaborations. Françoise Sullivan, Betty Goodwin, John Munro, Rober Racine and Robert Morin are just some of the artists with whom Paul-André Fortier has worked.