Contes pour la fin du temps / Nuit / The Man in Black
Contes pour la fin du temps (excerpt)
Set to Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for The End of Time and performed live by the musicians of Echo Chamber, Contes pour la fin du temps (Tales for the End of Time) explores the concept of artistic expression amidst isolation, inviting audiences to ponder the interconnectedness of circumstance and the act of creation.
Choreographer: Laurence Lemieux
Performers: Morgyn Aronyk-Schell, Miyeko Ferguson, Sully Malaeb Proulx, Sierra Chin Sawdy, Claire Whitaker
Nuit (video excerpt)
Nuit (1986) is a piece in which eight performers, grappling with the hurly-burly of everyday life, interact in a “story without a plot.” During this harsh night, the characters push themselves to their limits, different types of interaction take shape and areas of tension emerge among the various materials, masses, volumes and configurations. Dance becomes a “sculptural material endowed with mobility.”
This demanding, fiery piece, performed in half-light, expresses a troubling, subterranean vulnerability. The singular materiality of Nuit and the interpenetration among the multiple components that Perreault created make this a major work not only in Perreault’s legacy but in the history of Canadian choreography.
Choreographer: Jean-Pierre Perreault
Performers: Morgyn Aronyk-Schell, Valerie Calam, Tyler Gledhill, Connor Mitton, Sully Malaeb Proulx, Brodie Stevenon, Heidi Strauss and Natasha Poon Woo
The Man in Black (excerpt)
The Man in Black, originally commissioned by BalletMet Columbus and given its premiere in April 2010, is one of James Kudelka’s most enduring dances. The work is a celebration of American working-class grit and of the man whose gravelly voice embodied it so movingly, Johnny Cash. The choreography, like the songs that inspire it, is an ode to the human spirit, socially congenial yet proudly independent; vulnerable yet resilient.
Choreographer: James Kudelka
Performers: Zhenya Cerneacov, Miyeko Ferguson, Connor Mitton and Sully Malaeb Proulx
About The Company
Led by Artistic Director Laurence Lemieux, Compagnie de la Citadelle is known for its creative processes and intimate performances of classic works and new creations. Through remount initiatives, the Compagnie also dedicates itself to the preservation of important Canadian dance work, making available iconic repertoire to new generations of artists and audiences.
Having created over thirty original works, Lemieux continues to explore the extraordinary range of her choreographic voice with works ranging from intimate solos to large scale ensemble works. James Kudelka, one of Canada’s finest choreographers, served as the company’s resident choreographer from 2008-2020, allowing him to revisit some of his greatest works while making way for challenging new contemporary creations.
Since its foundation in 2000, the Compagnie has toured extensively, travelling to Russia, Scotland’s Edinburgh Festival, and Vimy, France, as well as major U.S. tours to L.A., Louisiana, Portland, the acclaimed Jacob’s Pillow Festival and Battery Dance Festival.
About The Choreographers
Laurence Lemieux is a dancer, choreographer, and Artistic Director of Citadel + Compagnie. Born in Québec City, Laurence studied dance at L’École Supérieure de Danse du Québec, and at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre (STDT). She danced for TDT from 1986 to 1998, winning a Dora Mavor Moore award in 1998 for her interpretation of Christopher House’s Cryptoversa. Lemieux has choreographed over thirty original works and has danced for some of Canada’s most prominent choreographers, including Margie Gillis, James Kudelka, and Jean-Pierre Perreault. A passionate advocate for the arts, Lemieux created The Citadel Dance Program in 2012, bringing high quality, free dance education to children and youth living in Regent Park.
Jean-Pierre Perreault was a dancer, choreographer, artistic director, teacher and designer whose legacy boasts a large body of choreography and a career of international distinction. His company, La Fondation Jean-Pierre Perreault, was established in 1984 and throughout the 1980s and 1990s he created many renowned works such as Joe (1981), Stella (1985), Nuit (1986), Les Lieux dits (1988), La Vita (1993), Eironos (1996), Les Années de Pèlerinage (1996), L’Exil-L’Oubli (1999) and Comforts of Solitude (2001) for The National Ballet of Canada. Perreault's works often began as drawings and paintings and, accordingly, he is also well known for his designs, which have been given solo exhibitions all over the world. In total, Perreault produced over forty-eight choreographic works in his lifetime, and was awarded the Jean A. Chalmers Award for Distinction in Choreography in 1996, an award that recognizes his entire body of work. In 2002 Perreault was honoured with the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award.
James Kudelka is among todays’ most versatile and innovative dance artists. He has choreographed for many of the world’s leading ballet companies and for smaller contemporary troupes. His creative range reflects his eclectic musical interests, command of diverse movement idioms, and commitment to working collaboratively with artists from other disciplines. Kudelka is renowned for distinctive versions of such classics as The Nutcracker and Cinderella – signature works of the National Ballet of Canada where he served as artistic director (1996-2005). He began an affiliation with Toronto’s Citadel + Compagnie in 2006 and as resident choreographer from 2008 - 2020 has experimented with cross-disciplinary collaborations. Kudelka was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2005 and is among the 2020 Dance Collection Danse Hall of Fame inductees. In 2023 Kudelka was honoured at the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards with a Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award.
Touring Information
Length:
- Contes pour la fin du temps: 60 minutes
- Nuit: 80 minutes
- The Man in Black: 23 minutes
World Premiere:
- Contes pour la fin du temps: November 27, 2024
- Nuit: 1986, Montréal
- The Man in Black: April 23, 2010, BalletMet Columbus
Fee range:
- Contes pour la fin du temps: $7,000 to $9,000
- Nuit: $15,000
- The Man in Black: $5,000 to $9,000 (if part of the full program )
Upcoming Performances / Touring:
- Contes pour la fin du temps: November 27 - 30, 2024, The Citadel: Ross Centre for Dance (Toronto, ON)
- Nuit: March 11, 2025, Grand Théâtre de Québec (Quebec City, QC); March 19 - 22, 2025, Danse Danse (Montreal, QC); March 27, 2025, Théâtre Hector-Charland (L’Assomption, QC)
- The Man in Black: October 3, 2024, Festival of New Dance (St. John’s, NL)
Booking Contact: Laurence Lemieux, laurence@citadelcie.com, +1-647-985-4819
Website: www.citadelcie.com
Facebook: @citadelcie
Instagram: @citadelcie_
