Twenty years already that the choreographer Victor Quijada combines street dance and classical ballet within Rubberband. To mark this anniversary, the American-born Quebecer is offering the company he founded one of his most ambitious projects, Reckless Underdog.
Twelve performers will share the stage in this brand new creation which unfolds in three parts. Each part of this triptych draws on one of the sources that inspired Rubberband’s unique gestural vocabulary. Classical ballet, breakdance and contemporary dance will echo to music by Kid Koala, Chilly Gonzalez or Vlooper from Alaclair Ensemble.
Here, each part will be crossed by a distinct energy, as if the styles that shaped Victor Quijada imposed themselves by letting their essence shine through.
“For 20 years, I have been building a bridge between my experiences and my knowledge of different worlds of dance, explains the choreographer. For Reckless Underdog, I wanted to move from the center and revisit the various influences at the heart of my practice. »
Five years after the success of the show Really Gently, Victor Quijada wanted to observe the road traveled since his beginnings as a hip-hop dancer in Los Angeles nightclubs. Because his journey is not trivial. Born in the City of Angels to Mexican parents, he was immersed in hip-hop culture from an early age. His first dance lessons, he experienced them at 16, in high school. A world opened up before him.
In the 1990s, he made his classes. First with Rudy Perez, one of the fathers of the post-modern dance movement, then in New York, when he worked with the Tharp company, which mixes ballet and contemporary dance. In 2000, he landed in Montreal to complete his classical education at the Grands Ballets Canadiens.
“I needed to prove to myself that I could be a classical dancer, but also, I wanted to present my own choreography, which was possible with Les Grands Ballets. Looking back, I’m proud to realize that the courage and curiosity of hip-hop allowed me to survive in the classical world. »
For a long time, Victor Quijada felt torn between these two worlds, that of hip-hop dance and that of classical ballet. As if one style had to drive out the other. It was not until the founding of Rubberband, in 2002, that he understood that far from being a handicap, this tightness could become a strength. Result: he decided to create a language of his own.
From the beginning of Rubberband, the choreographer wondered how to keep the essence of hip-hop as lived in the clubs of L.A. How to keep the relationship with the public in a more formal context? “I didn’t just want to present hip-hop on a theater stage. Something had to change, it was obvious to me. I wanted to develop a different style, a new vocabulary. »
He continues, “Like a child taking on the genetics of both parents, Rubberband is a new proposition that has roots in different shapes and influences. It’s a unique blend. It is the energy of the break that is added to the ballet, and vice versa. »
Victor Quijada still has the impression of sometimes being between two worlds – especially as an American living in Quebec. But he is healing. “I have a daughter who speaks three languages at home: French, English and Spanish. I represent what is possible to achieve in Montreal. I wouldn’t have had the same opportunities in New York or L.A. Culture is very valuable here. »
The 46-year-old artist continues to underestimate himself at times, despite the successes and awards he has won over the years. “The underdog of the title is me. I’ve always felt a bit like that. Also, there was a time when I worked like I had nothing to lose. I was reckless. And with the show, I wink at that time. »
The Théâtre La Bordée, in Quebec, presents until April 8 the full version of this very moving documentary show, written by the author and actor François Grisé. A funny, lucid and touching play directed by Alexandre Fecteau. Theater that offers an essential reflection on the place of seniors in our society. The first version premiered in 2019, at La Licorne; it was revived with new chapters at Duceppe two years later. After the performances at La Bordée, All Inclusive will begin a small tour in three other cities in Quebec in April. For tickets, go to the site of the company Porte Parole.
After their fruitful collaboration for the adaptations of Les Sorcières de Salem and An Enemy of the People, author Sarah Berthiaume reunites with director Édith Patenaude, this time at Quat’Sous, for the creation of the play Wollstonecraft. A work of magical realism that features a trio of artists: an author, a poet and a disillusioned actress. “And where creation will become greater than its creator…” With Ariane Castellanos, Jean-Christophe Leblanc and Ève Pressault.
The Théâtre Aux Écuries and Nervous Hunter are presenting a grand premiere of Bonnes Bonnes, a creation by Tamara Nguyen and Sophie Gee. With this loose adaptation of Jean Genet’s classic Les Bonnes, Sophie Gee “offers a work that deals with the complexity of Chinese identity, rage, the desire for revenge and the need to heal the wounds linked to one’s identity”, summarizes the press release. The co-author, director and performer discovered Genet’s text in 2002, during her studies. She was particularly caught up in the importance of the dominance game between the maids in the room; these two servants who revolt against their social rank represented by Madame, their boss.
Based on meetings and discussions with teenagers, two youth theater companies – Le Carrousel, in Montreal, and BRONKS, in Belgium – created the work Beating Choir/Chœur Battant. A 60-minute show that combines dance and theater, leaving room for the bodies and feverish movements of six young performers. The choreography and staging are done by Zoë Demoustier, and Marie-Ève Huot is in charge of dramaturgy.
“You couldn’t imagine a better way to reconnect with living art than Dorothy Dix’s The Ten Commandments. In a dazzling text by Stéphanie Jasmin, Julie Le Breton possibly delivers the greatest performance of her career, ”wrote colleague Stéphanie Morin, the day after the production premiere, in February 2022. O happiness, the actress resumes her solo directed by Denis Marleau, in April, still at Espace Go. The text of the play is also published by Éditions Somme tout.
