≈ 1 hour and 20 minutes · No intermission
Last updated: July 3, 2019
I can’t think of a better send off into the summer than with BJM – Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal’s Dance Me, inspired by and featuring the work of the incomparable Leonard Cohen, Montreal’s beloved musical hero.
Dance Me has garnered such great attention and audience response since its premiere, touring to 45 cities in 10 countries on three continents, and even appearing on the big screen. I’m very excited that NAC Dance is able to present a return engagement of this remarkable work for those who missed it the first time around, and those who wish to see it again!
As the company’s most ambitious project to date, the program features the interwoven visions of three internationally-recognized choreographers, under the guiding hand of Director Éric Jean, exploring a range of 15 Cohen songs from early to late in his career. The result is a fitting homage to Cohen’s great art, and a stunning example of the power and beauty of dance.
NAC Dance is honoured to bring you these performances on the traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Nation, and we gratefully acknowledge them as past, present, and future stewards of this land.
Enjoy!
Word from the Artistic Director
Time passes, new creations emerge
In more than two decades with BJM, the Dance Me evening, inspired by the massive talent of Leonard Cohen and the artists of the company, is definitely the production that is most personal to me.
How rewarding it is to return to Ottawa with this unifying dance work, which has now been presented in 45 cities and 10 countries on three continents.
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the people involved in this production, especially Eric Jean, the show’s writer and director and above all, my faithful comrade in arms.
On behalf of the entire BJM team, I leave you with the words of Mr. Cohen:
We are so privileged to be able to gather in moments like this,
When so much of the world is plunged in darkness and chaos.
There is a crack in everything.
That’s how the light gets in.
Bon voyage, and enjoy the evening.
Dance Me
Dance Me is an exclusive creation inspired by the rich and profound work of Montreal-based poet, artist and songwriter, Leonard Cohen.
Approved by Leonard Cohen during his lifetime, and under the artistic direction of Louis Robitaille and the strong and bold dramaturgy of Eric Jean, this riveting homage to the famed poet-singer-songwriter evokes the grand cycles of existence in five seasons, as described in Cohen’s deeply reflective music and poems.
Three internationally renowned choreographers were entrusted with putting movement to Cohen’s legendary songs: Andonis Foniadakis, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and Ihsan Rustem. Their powerful and profound choreographic world reflective of Cohen’s singular work is brought to life by 14 BJM performing artists.
Surrounded by a team of celebrated designers, Dance Me combines scenic, visual, musical, dramaturgical and choreographic writing to pay tribute to Montreal’s greatest ambassador. Dance, music, lighting, scenography and videography all come together in this unforgettable show, for which BJM has been granted exclusive dance rights for five years.
List of songs
Suzanne (1967) – So Long, Marianne (1967) – Famous Blue Raincoat (1971) – Lover, Lover, Lover (1974) – Hallelujah (1984) – First We Take Manhattan (1988) – Tower of Song (1988) – Everybody Knows (2001) – Here It Is (2001) – Dance Me to the End of Love (live in London, 2009) – Boogie Street (live in London, 2009) – Nevermind (2014) – Steer Your Way (2016) – It Seemed the Better Way (2016) – String Reprise / Treaty (2016) – A Thousand Kisses Deep (poem)
Credits: Dance Me
World Premiere: December 5. 2017, Danse Danse, Montréal
Ideation: Louis Robitaille
Dramaturgy and Stage Direction: Eric Jean
Choreography: Andonis Foniadakis, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Ihsan Rustem
Principal Dancers: Céline Cassone, Yosmell Calderón
and dancers of the BJM company
Music Direction: Martin Léon
Music Conception : Alexis Dumais
Scenography and Prop Conception: Pierre-Etienne Locas
Creation Technical Direction: Alexandre Brunet
Lighting Design and Production: Cédric Delorme-Bouchard, Simon Beetschen
Video Design: HUB Studio – Gonzalo Soldi, Thomas Payette, Jeremy Fassio
Costume Design: Philippe Dubuc
Costume Production: Anne-Marie Veevaete
Assistance Stage Direction: Elsa Posnic
Sound Engineer: Guy Fortin
We would like to thank Judy Bronfman for the support given to the creation of the show.
Artists
Ballets Jazz Montréal is an internationally renowned contemporary dance company founded in 1972. With Alexandra Damiani as Artistic Director since 2021 and its troupe of high calibre dancers from around the world, the company continues to pursue its original mission while collaborating with celebrated contemporary dance choreographers that push boundaries and explore new ways of moving and expressing emotion. Ballets Jazz Montréal is one of the most prolific dance companies in Canada and a major force on the Montréal cultural scene.
To date, Ballets Jazz Montréal has presented over 2,600 performances in 68 countries, reaching a total audience of nearly 3 million spectators. Ballets Jazz Montréal would like to thank the Marjorie and Gerald Bronfman Foundation for the support given to the creation of the show.
Eric Jean is without a shadow of a doubt one of the most esteemed and outstanding stage directors of his generation. His appointment in 2004 as general and artistic director of Théâtre de Quat’Sous, and his ensuing success are a reflection of the trust and confidence he has established in the theatre milieu, which quickly saw him as a bold, unique artist who has made a significant artistic contribution to Quebec theatre.
A prolific and inventive director and an occasional actor, he is greatly appreciated for his commitment to up and coming artists, both as a teacher and at the professional level.
Where Jean has truly made his mark and reputation, however, is in his creative approach. Using structured improvisations as his point of departure, he also works in conjunction with playwright and set design, gradually piecing together his stage plays. Striking examples of this, which he calls “writing as action”, are of course his renowned Hippocampe, written in collaboration with Pascal Brullemans, and his 2009 staging of Chambre(s), co-written with Pascal Chevarie. Not only was Hippocampe the recipient of the 2003 Prix de la critique, but the director was also nominated for the prestigious Siminovitch Prize in 2004, one of five finalists.
Other notable productions were Corps étrangers/Cuerpos extranos (2005), a piece co-written with Pascal Brullemans and first created in Mexico before being presented in Quebec. Opium_37 (2009-2011) was written in collaboration with Catherine Léger, after which he staged Luc Tartar’s play for adolescents, S’embrasent (2009-2017). This was followed by Le ventriloque (2012) by Larry Tremblay, Survivre (2013) by Olivier Kemeid, Testament by Vickie Gendreau (2014), Variations sur un temps by David Ives (2015) and Le Joker (2016) by Larry Tremblay.
Fall 2016 marked the beginning of a new adventure for Eric Jean as he left the direction of Théâtre de Quat'Sous to focus more on directing, writing for the stage and directing for film.
For his very first foray into the world of dance, Eric Jean joined the artistic team of Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal in 2017 as dramaturge and director of the large-scale production Dance Me, with music by Leonard Cohen.
Eric Jean is also associate director of the theatre company Les 2 Mondes.
In 2020, Eric Jean joined the BJM as creative director for a new production based on the music of an internationally renowned artist.
