La jamais sombre
With Marc Parent as the architect of light, Michel F Côté as the designer of sound, and Catherine Tardif as the guardian of movement and the female body, La jamais sombre explores, between grace and fear, the ancient mysteries of chiaroscuro.
The life cycle of a solar eclipse. A breach opens onto a cosmic and ancient era. A woman moves into unfamiliar territory. Her wandering is fuelled by the desire to inhabit this imaginary land where conflicting borders converge. Is this the end or the beginning of a world?
La jamais sombre is the manifestation of the poetics of light. A scenic composition by three creators: the lighting designer Marc Parent as the light architect, the composer Michel F Côté as the soundscape developer, and the choreographer-performer Catherine Tardif as the guardian of movement and the female body.
They say that darkness gives way to a subtler, less utilitarian ways of looking and listening. Some states of consciousness are better achieved in the glow of candlelight rather than in broad daylight. Perhaps, in the depths of La jamais sombre, a new form of perception will emerge. Perhaps something different will be perceived. Oscillating between grace and fear, the ancient mysteries of the chiaroscuro are disclosed as we come to realize that what we see was, perhaps, watching us all along. Perhaps…
Produced by Et Marianne et Simon
Cocreated by Michel F Côté + Catherine Tardif + Marc Parent
Choreographed and performed by Catherine Tardif
Lighting Design Marc Parent
Sound and Music Design Michel F Côté
Costume and Make-up Angelo Barsetti
Artistic Advisors Nicolas Cantin + Marcelle Hudon
Additional music: Walter Schumann, musical track from the film The Night of the Hunter (excerpts) + Gil Slavin/Jean-Claude Cosson, Comme un oiseau qui s’envole, interpretation by Grace Jones + François Couperin, Les Barricades mystérieuses (excerpt) + Foodsoon, strike four (excerpt)
Co-produced by Festival TransAmériques
Creative residencies Circuit-Est centre chorégraphique + Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal
Presented in association with Agora de la danse + Tangente
Thanks to Flex Rigging + José Navas/Compagnie Flak + Pierre Laniel
Premiered at Festival TransAmériques, Montreal, on June 9, 2021
Written by Myriam Perraton-Lambert
Translated by Luba Markovskaia
Michel F Côté (Montreal)
Et Marianne et Simon
There is a unique joy emanating from the creation of La jamais sombre, born out of the radiant friendship between three artists: Catherine Tardif, Michel F Côté, and Marc Parent. La jamais sombre is a scenic composition combining all three of their highly regarded artistic practices.
Marc Parent (Montreal)
Et Marianne et Simon
Currently resident lighting designer for Les Grands Ballets, Marc Parent is constantly renewing his art at the local as well as the global level, each time with an acute awareness of the transformative and suggestive powers of luminous matter.
Catherine Tardif (Montreal)
Et Marianne et Simon
Last but not least, Catherine Tardif’s compelling authenticity as an interpreter is matched only by the visionary nature of her choreographic work, which walks the fine line between the comical and the sublime.
Edition 2021
Performances
- Wed09June7 p.m.
- Thu10June7 p.m.
- Fri11June7 p.m.
- Fri11June9 p.m.
- Sat12June3 p.m.
- Sat12June7 p.m.
