Mixed bill by Mauro Bigonzetti, Bridget Breiner, Étienne Delorme, Jérémy Galdeano and Věra Kvarčáková
CANTATA promises an invigorating dive into contemporary choreographic voices, each declaring their love for dance and creativity. At the heart of the program is Mauro Bigonzetti's Cantata, a work pulsating with visceral, passionate movements that echo the rugged beauty of the Mediterranean. The piece explores the drama of human relationships—seduction, passion, discord, jealousy—set against the vibrant backdrop of Southern Italy, with live singers enhancing the performance's authenticity and emotional depth.
Beyond Cantata, the program shines a spotlight on emerging talents and established creators like American choreographer Bridget Breiner, showcasing In Honour Of, a neo-classical piece that pays homage to artistic drive. Local dancer Étienne Delorme debuts Podium, a contemporary ballet reflecting on the relentless pursuits of the ego, while Jérémy Galdeano and Věra Kvarčáková's NEBE delves into themes of ephemerality and daydreams.
Choreography: Étienne Delorme
Costumes: Julie Pelletier
Lighting: Chantal Labonté
Music: Charles Bicari, Marie Davidson, Nina Kraviz, Leigh Walker and Zao Dinel
Duration: 25 minutes
In his newest creation Podium, a contemporary ballet on pointe, the company’s dancer and choreographer explores the theme of a race against oneself, in which frenzy meets exhaustion, with an experimental soundtrack using the roar of engines and a techno mix by Montreal artists. The dancers will be dressed in costumes inspired by Formula 1, equipped with helmets. Nothing is gained by running, when the journey is just as important as the final destination. A dynamic exploration through dance, with tension and sensitivity.
Choreography: Bridget Breiner
Assistant to the choreographer: Sébastien Mari
Costumes: Thomas Lempertz
Lighting : Marc Parent
Music: Georgs Pelēcis, In Honour of Henry Purcell
Duration: 16 minutes
Breiner’s imagination runs wild with In Honour Of. Drawn from Georges Pelēcis’ composition In Honour of Henry Purcell, this opus explores the legacy of artistic heritage. Following a path carved by previous generations of artists, an athletic trio of dancers is pushed to its physical and emotional limits in this abstract ballet, illustrating the compelling need to create that grips artists.
Choreography: Jérémy Galdeano et Věra Kvarčáková
Costumes: Marija Djordjevic
Lighting : Chantal Labonté
Music: Ezio Bosso, Hania Rani, Dominique Charpentier and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Duration: 25 minutes
Formerly dancers with Les Grands Ballets, Jérémy Galdeano and Věra Kvarčáková have several works under their belts, including DOMA which was added to the company’s repertoire in 2019. With this new creation inspired by the Czech word nebe for both sky and heaven, they invite us to navigate the flow of impermanence and reverie through a dance that evokes lightness, echoing its ethereal costumes. A celestial journey set to delicate music, including Tchaikovsky's famous Swan Lake’s "Pas de deux”.
"NEBE is to hide my head and thoughts inside a cloud… it’s a place above, a place where supernatural beings, souls of people and my unrealizable dreams reside..."
- Věra Kvarčáková
Warning: Please note that the Nebe show contains lasers and strobe effects.
Choreography: Mauro Bigonzetti
Costumes: Helena De Medeiros
Lighting: Carlo Cerri
Music: Original and traditional music from Southern Italy. Cristina Vetrone (vocals and organetto), Lorella Monti (vocals, tambourine and castanets), Enza Pagliara (vocals, tambourine, tammorra and castanets), Enza Prestia (vocals, tambourine and tammorra)
Duration : 40 minutes
Cantata pays homage to Italian culture and to its musical tradition, popular in the most noble sense of the word. The piece is inspired by Italian music from the 18th and 19th centuries, from lullabies to the pizziche of Salento, and with a nod to Neapolitan serenades. This heritage comes to life on stage through the performance of four singers and musicians, accompanying the dancers to the sound of frame drums and the diatonic button accordion. They interpret traditional Neapolitan songs that immerse the public in the atmosphere of Southern Italy. The choreography brings the dancers in a hectic, masterful, compelling, and infinitely complex movement, just as passionate relationships can be. An explosive cocktail, just like Mount Vesuvius in the Neapolitan imaginary.
“Bigonzetti is a passionate, flamboyant choreographer, and Les Grands is clearly born to dance his work.”
- Linde Howe-Beck, Dance International
"This play is unforgettable! [...] You come out of it happy, thinking... la vita è bella!"
- Aline Apostolska, La Presse
"Cantata [...] reveals the GBC dancers in a new light. [...] Absolutely splendid.
- Frédérique Doyon, Le Devoir
"The Cantata evening thus offers a variety of works, each more surprising than the last, but each one highlighting with originality the immense technical mastery of Les Grands Ballets canadiens' dancers, and demonstrating that ballet today opens its horizons and always seeks to renew itself."
Léa Villalba, Le Devoir
"Together, these works open a dialogue between the past and present, between the urgency to live and contemplation, offering the audience an immersive experience at the centre of humanity."
Ivan Cavallari, Artistic Director
Latest update made on March 15, 2024. Cast is subject to change up until the start of the performance.
(All performances)
Duo
André Santos, Bernard Dubois II
4 couples
Anna Ishii, Esnel Ramos
Kiara Felder, James Lyttle
Yui Sugawara, Graeme Fuhrman
Catherine Toupin, Raphaël Bouchard (March 14 at 8 p.m., March 16 at 8 p.m.)
Sarah Branch, Thomas Leprohon (March 15 at 8 p.m., March 16 at 2 p.m.)
Corps de ballet
Mai Kono, Sarah Branch (March 14 at 8pm, March 16 at 8pm) / Maude Fleury (March 15 at 8pm, March 16 2pm), Carrigan Macdonald, Kiara Flavin, Sofia González, Alexandra Eccles, Tatiana Lerebours, Calista Shepheard, Rose Trahan, Sahra Maira, Aurora De Mori, Anaïs Roy, Tuesday Rain Leduc
Emma Garau Cima, Célestin Boutin, Raphaël Bouchard (March 14 at 8 p.m., March 16 at 8 p.m.)
Anya Nesvitaylo, Thomas Leprohon, Felixovich Morante (March 15 at 8 p.m., March 16 at 2 p.m.)
(All performances)
First mouvement
Kiara Flavin, Catherine Toupin, Yui Sugawara, Sahra Maira, Tuesday Rain Leduc, Aurora De Mori, Rose Trahan, Carrigan Macdonald, Sarah Branch, Anna Ishii
Raphaël Bouchard, Graeme Fuhrman, André Santos, James Lyttle, Marcel Gutiérrez Morales, Bernard Dubois II, Felixovich Morante, Thomas Leprohon, Théodore Poubeau
Solo 1
Yui Sugawara
Solo 2
Bernard Dubois II (March 14 at 8 p.m., March 16 at 8 p.m.)
André Santos (March 15 at 8 p.m., March 16 at 2 p.m.)
Second mouvement
Duo
Yui Sugawara, Raphaël Bouchard (March 14 at 8 p.m., March 16 at 8 p.m.)
Yui Sugawara, Graeme Fuhrman (March 15 at 8 p.m., March 16 at 2 p.m.)
Catherine Toupin, Kiara Flavin, Sahra Maira, Tuesday Rain Leduc, Aurora De Mori, Rose Trahan, Carrigan Macdonald, Sarah Branch, Anna Ishii
Graeme Fuhrman, André Santos, James Lyttle, Marcel Gutiérrez Morales, Bernard Dubois II, Felixovich Morante, Thomas Leprohon, Théodore Poubeau
Third mouvement
Kiara Flavin, Catherine Toupin, Yui Sugawara, Sahra Maira, Tuesday Rain Leduc, Aurora De Mori, Rose Trahan, Carrigan Macdonald, Sarah Branch, Anna Ishii
Raphaël Bouchard, Graeme Fuhrman, André Santos, James Lyttle, Marcel Gutiérrez Morales, Bernard Dubois II, Felixovich Morante, Thomas Leprohon, Théodore Poubeau
Solo 1
Théodore Poubeau
Solo 2
Catherine Toupin
Solo 3
Théodore Poubeau
Solo 4
Graeme Fuhrman
Solo 5
Tuesday Rain Leduc
Duo 1
Carrigan Macdonald, Rose Trahan
Duo 2
Théodore Poubeau, Bernard Dubois II
Trio
Anna Ishii, Thomas Leprohon, James Lyttle
Solo 5
Sahra Maira
Solo 6
Aurora De Mori
(All performances)
First pas de quatre
Anya Nesvitaylo, Tatiana Lerebours, James Lyttle, Marcel Gutiérrez Morales
Pas de six
James Lyttle, Thomas Leprohon, Étienne Delorme, Bernard Dubois II, Sofia González, Kiara Flavin
Pas de quatre (knees)
Carrigan MacDonald. Mai Kono, Angel Vizcaino, Antoine Bertran
Solo
Vanesa G.R. Montoya
Pas de trois
Emma Garau Cima, Graeme Fuhrman, Célestin Boutin
Women duo
Sahra Maira. Kiara Felder
Men duo final
Bernard Dubois II, Théodore Poubeau
Final, groups sections
Anya Nesvitaylo, Tatiana Lerebours, Sofia González, Sahra Maira, Kiara Flavin, Mai Kono, Carrigan MacDonald, Emma Garau Cima, Vanesa G.r. Montoya, Kiara Felder
James Lyttle, Antoine Bertran, Étienne Delorme, Bernard Dubois II, Angel Vizcaino, Marcel Gutiérrez Morales, Graeme Fuhrman, Célestin Boutin, Thomas Leprohon, Théodore Poubeau
ABOUT THE SHOW
Podium: 19 minutes
In Honour Of: 16 minutes
NEBE: 28 minutes
Intermission: 20 minutes
Cantata: 39 minutes
Total duration: 2h02
LES GRANDS BALLETS
