Helen Simard Tributes Iggy Pop with IDIOT at La Chapelle

With this new creation, choreographer Helen Simard continues her tribute to the musician Iggy Pop and the unique way he creates.

Being Idiot, it is also never to self-censor in a creation process, to create viscerally and instinctively. This performance is the second chapter of a trilogy of decadent and sometimes dark creations inspired by the one who is nicknamed the Father of punk.

In a dark, dreamlike universe of decaying decadence, four dancers and three musicians are submerged in a flood of furious live sounds, raw movements, and nonsensical texts as they embark on a surreal journey of vulnerability and trust. They march to a droning guitar at majestically slow pace that is broken periodically by bursts of chaotic speed, creating a trance-like energy and inviting spectators to let go of logic and leave space for emotion. As the senses become overloaded and bodies are unleashed, altered states lead to clarity: in the end, we see things as they are. In the end, nothing is invented or exaggerated. In the end, we tell the truth, but make it ridiculous.

Part dance show, part rock concert and part hallucination, IDIOT is the second of a trilogy of absurd creations, inspired by the legendary American musician: Iggy Pop.

Helen Simard is a Montreal-based choreographer, dancer, rehearsal director, and dance researcher. From 2000 to 2011, she was co-artistic director, choreographer and performer at Solid State Breakdance, with whom she participated in the collaborative creation of nine choreographic works that toured around Quebec, Canada, and Europe. Since 2011, she has worked as an independent choreographer, she draws inspiration from punk rock aesthetics and live music, creating several interdisciplinary solos and group works: On the Subject of Compassion (2011), Last Song: Live Version (2013), NO FUN (2014), Twenty One Angus Young (2014), and Mouvement sans/100 manifestes (2014). In 2016, she collaborated with the Montreal rock band Dead Messenger, directing the music videos for their singles In the Dark and Master Plan (co-directed by Liane Thériault). Helen holds a BFA (Concordia, 2000) and an MA (UQAM, 2014) in contemporary dance, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Études et pratiques des arts (study and practice of arts) at UQAM.

IF YOU GO:

IDIOT

Produced by Helen Simard. Presented by La Chapelle with the collaboration of Montréal en Lumière.

Show schedule: Monday, Feb. 27, 7PM; Tuesday, Feb. 28, 8PM; Thursday, March 2, 8PM and Friday, March 3, 8PM.

Concept and creation: Helen Simard (with the collaboration of the performers). Performance: Stacey Désilier, Stéphanie Fromentin,
Jackie Gallant, Sébastien Provencher, Emmalie Ruest, Roger White, Ted Yates.
Dramaturgic consulting: George Stamos + Mathieu Leroux. Lighting: Benoit Larivière.

LA CHAPELLE / 3700 SAINT-DOMINIQUE / BILLETTERIE 514.843.7738 / lachapelle.org

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