Cathy Levy, Executive Producer of Dance at the National Arts Centre, announced today that a new show has been added to the stellar 2014-15 NAC Dance season. Le Patin Libre is a Canadian collective of professional skaters who are reinventing ice skating by bringing urban street dance and high-level artistic expression onto the ice. The iconoclastic Montreal-based troupe will perform Vertical Influences, a double bill showcasing their signature mix of movement, wit, speed and grace. Presented in association with the Minto Skating Club, there will be two evening and one matinee performance of Vertical Influences on Friday, February 27 and Saturday, February 28, 2015. All performances take place at the Minto Skating Centre at 2571 Lancaster Road, Ottawa.

“Skating is a magical way to move human bodies – and we can dance like crazy on that ice.”
Le Patin Libre founder, Alexandre Hamel

“… the splendid Montreal skating troupe Le Patin Libre performed an ice-dance show last Saturday unlike any other … it was not about traditional figure-skating spins and jumps … it was about pushing skating choreography into emotional realms far deeper than anything at the Olympic Winter Games or ‘Disney on Ice.’”
Victor Swoboda, The Gazette (Montreal), March 2013

ABOUT LE PATIN LIBRE
Le Patin Libre is a five-strong collective of prize-winning performers who specialize in the unique art of contemporary skating. The troupe is creating a new kind of ice dancing, far beyond the confines of traditional figure skating. There are no sparkles, no stereotypes and no fuzzy animal costumes. The troupe (Alexandre Hamel, Pascale Jodoin, Samory Ba, Taylor Dilley and Jasmin Boivin) was founded in 2005 on the frozen ponds of Montreal. They first began appearing at winter carnivals and within a short time, they had appeared at Quebec’s biggest winter events, inaugurated a new Olympic site at the 2010 Olympic Games, toured the U.K., France and Switzerland and self-produced many events. Le Patin Libre is proud to initiate many of its spectators to the joys of contemporary performance art with a cool attitude and the virtuosity of world-class skaters.

ABOUT VERTICAL INFLUENCES
Vertical Influences is a National Arts Centre (Canada) and Dance Umbrella London (UK) co-production with research supported by Jerwood Studio at Sadler’s Wells (London). The company’s newest full-length work, it will receive its world premiere in London in October 2014 and the Ottawa performances in February 2015 are presented in association with Minto Skating Club. In Influences the performers play with how our body language can influence others, even with just a casual glance. In the second piece, Vertical, audiences are invited to view the artists up close, seated on chairs on the ice itself … so dress warmly!


TICKETS AND PERFORMANCES
Le Patin Libre performs Vertical Influences at the Minto Skating Centre (2571 Lancaster Road, Ottawa) on Friday, February 27 at 7:30 p.m. and on Saturday, February 28 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for children and students (upon presentation of a valid student ID card). NAC Dance subscribers may purchase tickets immediately. Tickets for non-NAC Dance subscribers will be available on Tuesday, September 2, 2014 at the NAC Box Office or on Ticketmaster.