Survivors of a devastating fire from which they emerge orphans, Étienne and his sister Viviane attempt to rebuild their lives, while far away, in the land of dream beaches, the hurricane season unfolds with fury. Their sister Sophie, back home after a vacation interrupted by hurricane Irma’s passage, is in the employ of an insurance company, but is unaware of the tragedy that has shaken her family. When she reappears in the life of Étienne and Viviane after years of absence, she is burnt-out; she too almost reduced to ashes, annihilated before the urn of their parents, their home, their old life ... All three try to decide what to do next. Meanwhile, winter is coming, the last white rhino is dying and the pizza that Viviane ordered hasn’t arrived. Is it the end or the beginning of a world?
Combining theater, contemporary and percussive dance, step dancing and traditional laments, Cendres ventures into the territory of our hopes and our dispossessions. Artists Emmanuelle Jimenez and Menka Nagrani team up in this new show by Les Productions des pieds des mains.
In this sad and comic piece, at once dazzling and touching, we find made-to-measure characters — pure, enthusiastic characters who are both child-like and adult-like in the style of Réjean Ducharme. Who better to embody this candor and freshness than the atypical actress Gabrielle Marion Rivard? This actress has an intellectual disability: Williams syndrome. Her acting skills can be seen in the movie Gabrielle where she plays the lead. We cannot wait for you to see her in this hybrid creation of theater, dance and music that will showcase all her talents! Just like in her unique version of Le Chemin des passes dangereuses, Menka Nagrani is inspired by the elements of Quebec’s heritage which she reinvests in a contemporary creative approach. Le Chemin des passes dangereuses presented at the Prospero Theater in 2015 comes to mind. The production successfully toured Quebec several times. Originally written for the theater by Michel Marc Bouchard it was re-envisioned in a dance theater format, using step dancing and the traditional music of Quebec. In the footsteps of this approach Menka Nagrani brings you Cendres. She turns this time to author Emmanuelle Jimenez, from whom she commissioned a text tailor-made to her particular cast — talented actor- dancers Gabrielle Marion-Rivard, Marilyn Perreault and Olivier Rousseau.
« All three performers do well with honors through their triple mastery of performance, song and step dancing, a demanding art that reveals here its surprising theatrical potential. »
- Marie Labrecque, Le Devoir, February 26, 2019
« The Director of Productions des pieds des mains converges her passions in a highly decisive way (…) It’s by turns funny, critical, tender, poetic and poignant. »
- Christian St-Pierre, Revue Esse, February 27, 2019
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Production by : Les Productions des pieds des mains Type of performance : Dance theatre, general public Length : 90 minutes Adaptation, Staging, Choreography and Musical Direction : Menka Nagrani Text : Emmanuelle Jimenez |
Creation and performance : Gabrielle Marion-Rivard, Marilyn Perreault and Olivier Rousseau Step Dance Choreography Development Artist : Mélissandre Tremblay-Bourassa Original Composition and Traditional Musical Arrangement : Maëva Clermont * with a tune by Michel Faubert Lighting : Anne-Sara Gendron |
Costumes and Scenography : Erica Schmitz Assistant Rehearsal Director : Yaëlle Azoulay Staging Assistance : Maude Bouchard and Félix Monette-Dubeau Photo credits : Mikaël Theimer |
Booking of the shows Cendres et Le Chemin des Passes-dangereuses :
Name : Yaëlle Azoulay
Phone : 514-521-4445 / 514-912-9235
Email : danse@agenceresonances.com