For our 25th Anniversary, a re-creation of BAGNE.

More than 20 years after the original creation of Bagne, co-creators Pierre-Paul Savoie and Jeff Hall revisit their most acclaimed success. Confined in a huge metal structure, two men embrace under the watchful eyes of captivated spectators. In this intense and moving amalgam of dance and theatre, a humanly brutal force transforms to a universal tenderness. The imprisoned beings entwine in raw and sensitive movement. It is a hymn to liberty and the power of love.

In offering this creation to a new generation of male dancers and inviting the first-time collaborators to revisit the work, a fresh reality and timelessness is achieved, infusing the original statement. A re-creation whose universality profoundly touches the audience while being discovered by a new public and new generations.

« Un must et ce, que vous aimiez la danse, le théâtre, la vie… Une œuvre universelle, qui pourrait être présentée absolument partout et toucher à peu près tout le monde.
Chapeau. » Anne-­Marie Lecomte, La Presse (1992), Montréal

 

The Chairs in Philadelphia and on tour in Québec

In performance or showcased at a location near you, our 2015 schedule already offers an exciting list of activities:

  • In January, PPS Danse was in Philadelphia to present our English version of The Chairs as part of the “Spotlight” series at the International Performing Arts for Youth 2015 (IPAY).
  • On February 15th, The Chairs was presented at the Bourse RIDEAU 2015, followed by an informal discussion with the audience.
  • In 2015, The Chairs takes to the road around the province of Quebec. From Ste-Thérèse to Le Bic by way of Quebec City, check our tour dates for this great show!  Dance and theatre merge to portray the imaginary whims of an elderly couple beset with boredom. Don’t miss this tragicomedy by Eugène Ionesco, a must-see for kids and adults alike!

Watch this recent Interview clip with Pierre-Paul Savoie and Heather Mah, produced by Alejandro Jiménez (English version).

Flashback on 2014: festivals, conferences, tours and workshops…

2014 wrapped up on a high note for the PPS Danse company. With 14 presentations last fall, our works delighted audiences here and abroad, including performances of Tales for Naughty Children in Mexico.

Amid our various missions, conferences and talks (collgiums), Artistic Director, Pierre-Paul Savoie, also devoted his time and talent to creating two new works. Add to this some 75 Introduction to Choreography workshops that captivated and inspired participants young and old.

Catch some of the action in this video clip produced at a workshop in partnership with Salle Pauline-Julien, the CHSLD Vigi Dollard-des-Ormeaux and Danse sur les routes du Québec.

Video of cultural workshop at CHSLD Vigi in Dollard-des-Ormeaux


Caption: Video d’un atelier culturelle au CHSLD Vigi à Dollars-des-Ormeaux (par xxx yyy).

 

The PPS Danse team wishes to thank all its partners, technicians, artists and designers who so generously give their talent and enthusiasm to achieve the company’s artistic projects. To our audiences and collaborators, we wish you a joyous festive season. May 2015 be a year of exciting creativity for everyone! 

PPS Danse - Playing Hookey - © Richard Morin (detail of "P'tit Loup")

RADARTS-ROSEQ Award for Playing Hooky (L’école buissonnière)

Continuing its creative initiatives, PPS Danse is earning top marks for its participation at cultural development/marketing events, with 3 of its works presented in Moncton and Montreal.

After presenting its new youth project, Playing Hooky, at the FrancoFête en Acadie in Moncton (N.B.) last November, PPS Danse and co-producer DansEncorps were honoured to receive the RADARTS-ROSEQ Award. Still in the process of creation, Playing Hooky will also be showcased this fall at ROSEQ’s 2015 “Rencontre d’automne”.

Festival Cervantino and Mexican Tour

“Cuentos para niños traviesos…”

PPS Danse has just completed its first Mexican tour. The company delighted in presenting Tales for Naughty Children in Spanish at the 42nd edition of the prestigious Festival Cervantino in Guanajuato. The show was also presented in the cities of Léon and Mérida.

Quite a challenge for the entire team, rewarded by sold-out venues (1,350 spectators at Léon!) and wonderfully receptive audiences. The tour also gave us a chance to conduct cultural mediation workshops at schools in the region. Here are a few pictures…

Conference on Dance for Young Audiences

First edition – surefire success!

The first conference on dance for young audiences was held in Montreal on September 25 and 26, 2014.  Organized by dance companies Bouge de là and PPS Danse along with UQAM’s dance department, in collaboration with Cas public, the Conference brought together more than 100 participants, including artists, instructors and representatives of dance organizations and presenters. With so many creative and constructive discussions, it was a great success!

This keen participation highlights the interest and need for such encounters to ensure (forge/carve out) a place and recognition for young audience creations in Quebec. We especially wish to thank our 25 panelists who so generously invested such amazing energy for this first edition as well as Mr. Stéphan La Roche, Chief Executive Officer of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec and Nathalie Maillé, Executive Director of the Conseil des arts de Montréal.

 

Pierre-Paul Savoie – PPS Danse

Hélène Blackburn – Cas Public

Hélène Langevin – Bouge de là

Francine Châteauvert – Sursaut

The Chairs – Premier of English version

Presented in co-production with the Segal Centre, PPS Danse is pleased to invite you to the first international premier performance of The Chairs in English.

Eugène Ionesco’s celebrated tragicomedy, which enjoyed (earned / garnered) public praise for its French version in 2013, retains its comic poignancy here. With stunning staging and choreography by Pierre-Paul Savoie, we see an elderly man and woman, and chairs…  lots of chairs! This adaptation by playwright and novelist Lise Vaillancourt conveys the hilarious absurdity in a show of equal appeal to adults, in a form and language for children.

A show to delight the whole family, for ages 8 to 88!

Performance – The Chairs (Les chaises) – English version
September 7, 2014 – 2:00 p.m.
Segal Centre Performing Arts
5170 ch. de la Côte-Ste-Catherine, Montreal

Reserve your tickets now by calling the Segal Centre box office (514-739-7944) or visit

http://www.segalcentre.org/buy-tickets/ .

PPS Danse - Contes pour enfants pas sages - © 2014 Photographer

Our 2014 – 2015 Season : Shows, Workshops & new Creations

PPS Danse amorce la saison 2014-2015 en force avec 35 représentations au programme, dont plus de 25 représentations à travers la province du tout nouveau spectacle Les chaises. Pour sa cinquième année de diffusion, Contes pour enfants pas sages quitte le Québec pour une tournée mexicaine qui s’arrêtera pour 4 représentations au prestigieux Festival Cervantino, puis dans les Maritimes au Canada en mars 2015.

Avec les activités de médiation culturelle prévues cette année, l’équipe de PPS Danse explore de nouvelles avenues territoriales, générationnelles et sociales. Certains de ces ateliers s’adresseront à des groupes de jeunes adultes et d’autres, à des groupes d’aînés. Visant à développer une plus grande sensibilité à la danse contemporaine et au processus de création chorégraphique, plus de 320 ateliers d’initiation chorégraphique sont déjà planifiés.

Du côté de la création, Pierre-Paul Savoie explore à nouveau l’œuvre de Jacques Prévert dans L’école buissonnière, un spectacle danse et chanson pour enfants, en coproduction avec DansEncorps (Moncton). Un premier extrait de cette création sera même présenté en vitrine lors de l’évènement de marchés La Francofête en Acadie, le 7 novembre 2014. Parallèlement à ce projet, le metteur en scène et chorégraphe, Pierre-Paul Savoie débute également la création de son prochain spectacle grand public.

À surveiller…