A creation by Marie Béland

A coproduction and artistic partnership between MARIBÉ – SORS DE CE CORPS and Montréal Danse

Performers and Collaborators: Rachel Harris, Sylvain Lafortune, Bernard Martin

Dramaturge: Kathy Casey

Lighting Designer: Karine Gauthier

Costume Designer: Dave St-Pierre

Premiere: March 26, 2019 at Théâtre Panopée in Vanves (France) as part of the Biennale de danse du Val-de-Marne, co-presented by Festival Artdanthé

Creation residencies: Cardiff Dance Festival – Dance4 International Center for Choreography, Nottingham – La Rotonde de Québec – La Corporation Hector-Charland – Théâtre du Vieux-Terrebonne

Marie Béland, Choreographer

For 22 years, Marie Béland has distinguished herself through works that have been presented in theaters, festivals, private and public spaces across Quebec, Canada, Europe, and Africa. Drawing from our various uses of the body, she gathers everyday gestures and makes visible their inner complexity. The stage acts as a revealer of the blurred boundaries of fiction, intertwining truth, falsehood, and verisimilitude. Her creations approach live performance as both a social and aesthetic phenomenon, an opportunity to explore the transformations that our ordinary bodies undergo in contact with the stage.

Kathy Casey, Dramaturge

Artistic Director of Montréal Danse since 1996, Kathy Casey works as a dramaturge with choreographers who are rethinking, redefining and reworking what is dance. Through a process of deep questioning of performance and the body, she encourages bold ideas and discovering ways to express them and give them form. She also organizes and facilitates an annual choreographic research workshop, runs research labs and facilitates or co-facilitates dance and interdisciplinary dramaturgy workshops. In addition to her responsibilities with Montréal Danse, Kathy Casey works as an artistic advisor for several independent choreographers in Montreal.

Rachel Harris, Performer

Originally from British Columbia, Rachel Harris moved to Montreal in 1990 to continue her contemporary dance training at LADMMI (now L’École de Danse Contemporaine de Montréal). Since 1993, she has collaborated with over thirty choreographers in more than forty works, within in a wide variety of choreographic styles. These creations have taken her on tour and in artistic collaborations around the world. Recently, Rachel has participated in works by Benoît Lachambre, Aurélie Pedron, Marie Béland, Thea Patterson, Amy-Claire Huestis, Caroline Laurin-Beaucage, Sybille Müller, and Andrew Turner. Since 2010, Rachel also leads movement workshops in women’s shelters with the organization Dance Against Violence.

Sylvain Lafortune, Performer

Since 1979, Sylvain Lafortune has performed all over the world with renowned companies such as Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Lar Lubovitch Dance Co., O’Vertigo Danse. More recently, he appeared in projects of Montréal Danse, Estelle Clareton and PPS Danse. Since 1998, he teaches in various dance and circus professional training program. In 2018, he co-created L’un l’autre (One Another), a duet that expresses his sensitivity and skill as a partner. His extensive dance and teaching experience, his doctorate degree and the recent publication of “L’art et la technique du travail de partenaire” (2020), make him an authority on dance partnering.

Bernard Martin, Performer

Bernard Martin is a dance performer and teacher. He started his professional career in 1991. He has been working ever since with numerous companies and a wide array of choreographers: Les Grands Ballets Canadiens (James Kudelka, Nacho Duato, Ohad Naharin, Jiry Kilian, Mark Morris, Georges Balanchine and more), Montréal Danse (José Navas, Paula de Vasconcelos, Marie Béland and more), La Fondation Jean-Pierre Perreault, Système D/Dominique Porte, La La La Human Steps (Édouard Lock), Le Carré des Lombes (Danièle Desnoyers), Louise Bédard Danse, Susanna Hood as well as Dave St-Pierre.Since 2009, Bernard Martin has been teaching ballet and performance at l’École de danse contemporaine de Montréal.

Choreographer and Performer: Tanveer Alam

Music composition: Kishan Patel

Live Musicians: Ramona Sylvan, Sukriti Sharma, Daksh Raj, Gandhaar Amin

Tanveer Alam, Choreographer/Performer

Toronto-based Tanveer Alam, trained in Kathak under Sudeshna Maulik and Sandhya Desai and holds a western contemporary dance degree from Dance Arts Institute. He has performed in works by Lata Pada, Padmini Chettur, Harikishan S. Nair, Brandy Leary and others. As an emerging choreographer, he has presented work at SummerWorks Festival, Battery Dance Festival +, and CanAsian Dance Festival. His curatorial contributions include programming with Dancemakers, TOES FOR DANCE, and CanAsian Dance. In the 24/25 season, Alam performed solos at Vilaya Festival, New York Kathak Festival, and Navatman Black Box Baithak. He choreographed for Sampradaya Dance Creation’s Salaam Rahman and premiered Ibaadat, a collaborative work with Barkha Patel, at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre in Mumbai.

Ramona Sylvan, Musician

Ramona Sylvan has been studying tabla for 25 years underthe guidance of Ustad Mohan Singh Dahaley and nowcontinues her training with Ustad Sattar Tari Khan. Hermusical roots lie in the Punjab Gharana, with a lineage tracingback to her Parama-Guru Ustad Mian Qadir Baksh.Ramona’s exposure to various Gharanas, including Delhi andBenares, has shaped her versatile style. She has performedsolo and accompanied artists on vocals, flute, sitar, andsarangi. Guided by her Guru’s blessings, she continues toshare her passion for tabla through her performances.

Sukriti Sharma, Musician

Sukriti Sharma began her Kathak training under Guru Sh. Ashok Chakraborty and further developed her skills under Sangeet Natak Academy awardee Guru Sh. Krishan Mohan Mishra. Shecompleted a rigorous Post Diploma program at Kathak Kendra in New Delhi and holds a degreefrom Indira Kala Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya, Khairagarh. As a graded artist with Delhi Doordarshan, Sukriti has several years of teaching experience in both India and Canada. She has performed at prestigious festivals, including Kathak Mahotsava, Khajuraho Festival, and Vasantotsava, showcasing her talent alongside renowned artists. Sukriti has been an integral part of Padmashree Smt. Shovana Narayan’s repertoire ‘ASAVARI’ and has contributed to various productions led by esteemed gurus. Her notable achievements include participating in the Choreographic Mentorship Program by Sampradaya Dance Creations, presenting her solo debut in the festival”Momentum,” and touring India with the production ‘Mandala.’ Most recently, she contributed tothe creative project ‘Muhandis’ by Tanveer Alam.

Daksh Raj, Musician

Daksh Raj is a President’s Award-winning classical and ghazal vocalist, singer-songwriter, and composer. Based in Canada, he studied jazz music at Humber College and has worked on Broadway productions, musical dramas, dance dramas, and Kathak dance recitals. With a deep love for poetry and ghazals, Daksh has launched several artistic projects. He co-founded “Sak- sham Daksh”, a duo dedicated to promoting ghazal and classical music. Their original composi- tion, “Raagmala Samaychakra”, won the Indian Independent Music Award in 2023. He is also a founding member of the “Kalakaar Collective”, an artist-driven group that blends Indian classical music with Bollywood jazz, qawwali, and ghazals.

Kishan Patel, Composer

Kishan was born and raised in Portland, OR. He has been learning music since he was 6 years old. He received his initial training under Portland’s Dr. Nisha Joshi, who trained him in not just Hindustani Vocal and Bhajans, but also taught him to play Tabla, Harmonium, and Sitar as well. After studying with Dr. Nisha Joshi for about 12 years, he began studying under the tutelage of his current guru, Shri Arijit Mahalanabis. Under Arijitji’s guidance, Kishan has also been groomed as an accomplished accompanist on Tabla and Harmonium, Santiniketan Esraj, and has began producing compositions for both music and dance. He has had the fortune of accompanying some of India’s finest musicians including Smt. Aditi Kaikini Upadhya, Sandipan Samajpati, Mitali Banerjee Bhaumik, Samir Chatterjee, Satish Vyas, Arnab Chakrabarty, Ruchira Panda, Ranjani Ramachandran, and many others.

Gandhaar Amin, Musician

Gandhaar started learning Indian classical music from his father, Nitin Amin, at the age of 4. He started touring with his father at the age of 8, and began his journey as a solo performer at the age of 12. Those early years spent immersed into the world of Indian classical music helped him create a strong melodic base to launch his musical exploration. It was in college that Gandhaar started exploring other forms of music from around the world. He spent a few years playing in bands and recording for producers from around India, and eventually found his unique sound, combining traditional Indian melodic composition with modern electronic music production. Gandhaar has since released multiple albums and singles, while also producing music for other indie artists. He has also been composing background scores and songs for TV and films for over a decade. He was notably a collaborator and co-composer on the debut music album by His Holiness The Dalai Lama, titled Inner World. Gandhaar performs this unique and fresh music as a solo performer, or with a band. He has played at festivals and private events across India, and has recently moved to Toronto, Canada, looking to cater to the diverse tastes of western, urban audiences.

Director: Peter Bingham

Performers: Anne Cooper, Francesca Frewer, Arash Khakpour, Alex Mah, Olivia Shaffer, Antonio Somera Jr.

Dramaturg: Raïna von Waldenburg

Peter Bingham / EDAM Company

Peter Bingham / EDAM Company (Experimental Dance and Music) is a contemporary dance company based in Vancouver. Founded in 1982 by a collective of seven independent artists, EDAM has flourished over the decades under the visionary leadership of Peter Bingham. Bingham has performed in over 100 improvised works with a multitude of national and international improvising artists. For over three decades, he has created innumerable choreographed works that highlight both athleticism and a graceful elegance. Since 2017, Bingham has had the pleasure of working with the current EDAM company creating and directing ensemble improvisations. Today, EDAM remains a presentation hub for contemporary dance and a centre for the research and performance of Contact Improvisation.

Anne Cooper, Performer

Anne Cooper is a dancer, improviser and teacher, dancing in EDAM/Peter Bingham’s works both choreographed and improvised for 30 years.She is grateful to live and work in Vancouver, BC, situated on the unceded and ancestral lands of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. She has danced for Chick Snipper, Lola Dance, Kinesis Somatheatro, Co. Erasga, Mascall Dance, Le Groupe Danspartout (QC) among others. In the field of improvisation, she’s performed with Nancy Stark Smith in the U.S. in the Glimpse Performance Installations. She has created and performed her own work and teaches Contact Improvisation at EDAM and other locales, since 2000.

Francesca Frewer, Performer

Francesca Frewer is a contemporary dance artist living as a grateful guest on the unceded, ancestral territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations. Her practice celebrates movement as an experience of the unfolding unknown — in performance, dance practice, creating work, producing shows at the DIY space Boombox, and teaching contemporary dance, Contact Improvisation, and The Feldenkrais Method.

Alex Mah, Performer/Musician

Alex Mah is an interdisciplinary performing artist, composer-musician, and practitioner of contact improvisation. He composes mostly weirdo experimental music and sometimes sweet songs for dance and theatre. He is grateful to have worked with EDAM/Peter Bingham since 2015 and was fortunate to be a jam musician for 300 dancers at contactfest Freiburg 2024, Europe’s largest CI festival. He is fond of folk music, loves a good cheesecake, and prefers taking things slowly.

Olivia Shaffer, Performer

Olivia Shaffer is a Vancouver-based Dance Artist and EDAM’s Associate Artistic Director. Her career spans 17 years as a dedicated dance and somatic movement practitioner. As a freelance performer and improvisor, her practice has been enriched by working with a wide range of collaborators. As a choreographer, her work has been presented in Canada, the US, and in Europe. She holds a BFA from Simon Fraser University and is certified in the Feldenkrais Method®. Olivia teaches at EDAM, at several professional training institutions, and internationally at Contact Improvisation festivals such as Freiburg, SFDI, and CI@50.

Antonio Somera Jr., Performer

Antonio Somera Jr. is a queer and quirky freelance dance artist who lives and works on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples. His interests lie in improvisation, whether it be through contact dance, freestyling in street dance battles or becoming an adult.

Arash Khakpour, Performer

Arash Khakpour (آرش خاکپور) is a dancer and choreographer from Tehran and is privileged to be a dance artist based in the Coast Salish Territory (Vancouver, Canada). Arash has been practicing dance and performance for the past 15 years and has been a company member of the EDAM Contact Improvisation ensemble since 2017. He tends to invest in the nuances of prejudices in the body as a way of inviting the unconscious to the conscious, and as a doorway to confront unknown emotions. He sees dance as a process of physical, emotional and spiritual discovery and a mode of transformation.