The piece celebrated its 10th Anniversary in 2018. The piece had a 9-week re-creation residency in the Maisons de la culture network in Montreal, followed by a quebec tour in the spring of 2018, in the winter of 2019 and the spring of 2020. See the Calendar of the company for more details.
Naïve. Kitsch. Cliché. Incoherent. Hermetic. Narcissistic. Ecstatic.
An ode to what fascinates us in dance.
Dieu ne t’a pas créé juste pour danser (God did not create you to dance) glorifies contemporary dance as it is, in all its plurality, with its strengths, idiosyncrasies and flaws. Through its mocking airs, the piece draws the portrait of that It factor, of these « je-ne-sais-quoi » (indescribable qualities) defining dance and what we enjoy in it.
Beyond its apparent lightness, Dieu ne t’a pas créé juste pour danser openly questions our tastes (even the supposedly indisputable ones), our expectations and our appreciations of dance shows. What touches us, entertains us, makes us think? Don’t our failures and mistakes sometimes reveal themselves as fragile, human, alive and moving?
Choreographer : Marie Béland
Dancers and collaborators to the creative process : Dany Desjardins, Zoey Gauld, Simon-Xavier Lefebvre, Anne Thériault
Musical selection and DJ : MC Gilles
Dramaturg : Katya Montaignac
Rehearsal directors : Marilyne St-Sauveur and Rachel Harris
Light designer : Alexandre Pilon-Guay
Costume designer : Marie Béland, assisted by Sarah Dubé
Technical direction : Mélanie Primeau
Length : 80 minutes (general audience version), 70 minutes (young audience version, 14 years old +)
Premiere : October 16th, 2008 at Tangente, Montréal, Canada
Premiere of the recreation version : March 21st, 2018 at Maison de la Culture Claude-Léveillée
Direction of the diffusion : Art Circulation / maribé – sors de ce corps and Montréal Danse are associated to the companies Danse-Cité, MAYDAY and Par.B.L.eux.
Teaser of the 2018 version
For the re-creation, the show was subject to documentary capsules, piloted by Claudia Chan Tak. To view all capsules (a total of six will be published before the beginning of 2019), click here.
ABOUT THE SHOW :
“If you know people who’ve never been to a dance show, this is the one you need to bring them to and get them all caught up. How often do you see a contemporary dance show where the audience claps during the show?”
– Sylvain Verstricht on indyish.com 18 octobre 2008
“With three memorable creations, Marie Béland has established herself as one of the singular young talents of Québecois dance”
– Aline Apostolska, La Presse, 11 octobre 2008
“Marie Béland is already impressing us with the originality and audacity of her choreographic propositions. […] She possesses a sense of humour that echoes in the hearts of her spectators”
– Marie-France Garon, Musée Vivant, 23 octobre 2008
“Criticizing the hermitic nature of certain works, she avoids addressing herself only to an initiated audience”
– Lili Marin, Le Devoir, 17 octobre 2008
VIDEOS :
Interview of the team, November 2018 :
PHOTOS :
maribé – sors de ce corps would like to thank the Conseil des Arts de Montréal, Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, José Navas/Compagnie FLAK, the Cirque du Soleil, the Place des Arts and Jeunes Volontaires d’Emploi-Québec for their support.