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Floreus

Sébastien Provencher

An exquisitely tender ode to eroticism and an appeal to reconnect with the sacred aspect of nature, Floreus is a delightfully contemplative and unsettling work that awakens the senses and opens up the heart.

Details

In preparation for an unusual ceremony, the chapel of the Cité-des-Hospitalières is bedecked with flowers: floral beauties that six performers turn into partners for their sensual games. Through their movements, accompanied by live music, they express textures, scents, and metamorphoses, from budding to decay, interacting with their environment as they lead the audience into a garden of Eden. An exquisite, tender ode to eroticism and an appeal to reconnect with the sacred aspect of nature, Floreus awakens the senses and opens up the heart.

Montreal-based choreographer Sébastien Provencher’s newest work contributes to the ongoing discussions about representations of queer bodies, power relationships, and our interdependence with the non-human world. Exploring ecosomatic principles, he draws inspiration from the gorgeous depictions of flowers by renowned Canadian artist Zachari Logan in this delightfully unsettling work, his first collaboration with a visual artist.

Credits

Produced by Sébastien Provencher
Inspired by the work of Zachari Logan
Choreographed by Sébastien Provencher
Performed by Drew Bathory + Rodney Diverlus + Kizis + Nicholas Bellefleur + Mathieu Hérard + Rony Joaquin Figueroa
Special Contribution Zachari Logan
Floral Design Marc Sardi
Music Drew Bathory + Kizis
Costume and Set Design Jonathan Saucier
Outside Eye Helen Simard
Visual Art Work NelMezzoDelCamminDiNostraVita by Zachari Logan
Lighting Design Tiffanie Boffa
Technical Director Samuel Thériault
Production Manager Maurice-G. Du Berger
Executive Producer Lorganisme
Distribution Fôve Diffusion
General Manager Justin Houde

Co-produced by Festival TransAmériques
Creative Partners Peabody Essex Museum + Jardins de Métis + Département de danse de l’UQAM

Choreographic inspiration: The Dance of the Sun on the Water by Lindsay Kemp and Troup, in Derek Jarman’s film Sebastiane (1976)

Presented in association with Cité-des-Hospitalières en transition

Premiered at Festival TransAmériques, on May 30, 2024

Written by Fabienne Cabado
Translated by David Dalgleish

Sébastien Provencher (Montreal)
LORGANISME

Sébastien Provencher focuses his choreographic explorations on gender identity, homosexual orientation, and power dynamics. Eager to move beyond hierarchies, he relies on collaborative and democratic work in his creative processes and sees the performing arts as an act of resistance and object of sociopolitical engagement.

Full biography