Trowback to Martin Messier dance company for its show in the area!

Our executive director has slipped into the shoes of a blogger on the occasion of the arrival of Martin Messier dance company few weeks ago! Discover some magical moments of this show throught words and pictures from our executive director. Cheers!

Martin Messier’s dance company was in SDC Côte-des-Neiges territory on the evening of September 2 to present a piece from their dance répertoire, Inside Outside, as part of the Septembre Festif festival. When Eve Côté team from the borough suggested that we add this show to our program, we immediately jumped in! Adapted by the company for the occasion, the show was offered as four performances lasting 20 minutes each in three locations in the neighborhood! The dancers therefore stopped at Halte Côte-des-Neiges, Promenade Jean-Brillant and Placette CDN.

5, 6, 7, 8… show time!

The temperature is mild, the sun is shining and the students are back in the neighborhood! What a better way to attend an outdoor show? I followed Martin and his dancers alongside Eve and her team from the Maison de la culture CDN between each performance, camera in the neck, sunglasses on our noses and technical equipment in our hands. The joy that dwells in us is palpable. Finally, we can share a show in the neighborhood after school hours and in unusual spaces!

I already knew Martin’s work and being passionate about contemporary dance and urban dance, I was very excited to welcome the company to the territory! We were completely under the spell of this unique piece which puts the dancer in contact with his.hers direct environment. The parallel between their work and the one from our SDC does exist: as much as Martin’s company performs piece of arts that place the dancer at the center of his real environment, the SDC wishes to create a rapprochement between the interior of the business, the street and the citizen!

Hands up to Martin and his dancers Paco Ziel, Elie-Anne Ross, Silvia Sanchez and Valmont Harnois for their flawless technique and the way they interacted with public space, street furniture and spectators. You might not know that this is a very special work since it allows the choreographer, Martin Messier, to whisper through a microphone the movements to be performed. The dancers, equipped with discreet earplugs, can then bring the movements to life. Thus, each performance was adapted to the space and the context.

Even if the performances could not be announced in advance due to the pandemic, the citizens were delighted to discover these unexpected shows in the heart of the neighborhood after work and school hours! Many did not hesitate to move their heads to the sound of the music and to capture these moments through their live stories on Instagram. A real balm for the heart to watch people appreciate these moments! We are already looking forward to the next upcoming surprise projects.

Text: Félicia Balzano

*This event is possible thanks to Arrondissement Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and the Maison de la culture Côte-des-Neiges, during the festival Septembre Festif of the SDC Côte-des-Neiges*

Performance at Halte Côte-des-Neiges:

Pictures credit: Félicia Balzano

Performance at Promenade Jean-Brillant:

Pictures credit: Félicia Balzano

Performance at Placette Côte-des-Neiges:

Pictures credit: Félicia Balzano

The finale of the show at Halte Côte-des-Neiges:

Pictures credits: Félicia Balzano