Les précédents (2008)

Rodrigo Alvarenga

Rodrigo Alvarenga-Bonilla was introduced to dance from the age of five through his participation in a Salvadoran folk dance troupe. Then, he initiated himself into hip-hop, popping and breaking in youth homes. He began classes at Studio Party Time in Quebec City in 2010 and joined PNT dance company in 2012. In 2013, he formed the group MARVL, with which he has recently toured with the show JAM across Quebec. After graduating from the École de danse contemporaine de Montréal, Rodrigo continues to develop his personal style by mixing hip-hop, contemporary and acrobatics. He collaborates with various choreographers and contemporary dance companies such as, Sylvain Émard, Marie Béland and Tentacle Tribe. He also works on some projects with Cirque du Soleil.

Related work: Les Précédents

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Photo: Julie Artacho

Zoey Gauld

Initiated into modern dance in London (Ontario), N. Zoey Gauld pursuited professional training at LADMMI in Tiohtià:ke/ Montréal (Québec). Zoey is a white Anglo-Canadian woman who lives, works and studies in the unceded territory of Kanien’kehá:ka. In parallel with the pursuit of her master’s degree in dance at the Université du Québec à Montréal, Zoey is currently collaborating with Audrée Juteau, Ellen Furey and Catherine Lavoie-Marcus/L’Annexe-A, Sasha Kleinplatz, Créations Estelle Clareton and Marie Béland/maribé – sors de ce corps, and co-produced with Emmanuelle Bourassa Beaudoin a series of videos documenting Angélique Willkie’s teaching practice. Over the past fifteen years, Zoey has worked with artists Marie Béland, Allie Blakley, Johanna Bundon, Estelle Clareton, Manon De Pauw, Paula De Vasconcelos, Deborah Dunn, Thierry Huard, Laurel Koop, Dean Makarenko, Pierre-Marc Ouellet, Bee Pallomina, Dominique Porte, Jacques Poulin-Denis, Harold Rhéaume, Michèle Rioux, Paul-Antoine Taillefer, Andrew Tay, Ashlea Watkin, Nate Yaffe. Zoey studied choreography with kg Guttman at Concordia University. She creates solos and dances in private, in public and on the Internet.

Related works: Les Précédents, Dieu ne t’a pas créé juste pour danser, RAYON X : a true decoy story, Ils seront là à 8 heures

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Photo : Hilary Gauld

Simon-Xavier Lefebvre

Simon-Xavier Lefebvre has always been prone to sports hyperactivity and developed an interest in movement and space from his first contact with martial arts. In his early twenties, when he was completing his undergraduate degree in biology, his thoughts were still rooted in the rehearsal studio. He decided to turn definitively towards dance following a meeting with Daniel Léveillé. After a year of study at the École de danse contemporaine de Montréal, he was invited into the creative process of Un peu de tendresse, bordel de merde by Dave St-Pierre. To date, there have been numerous collaborations: Marie Béland, Andrew Turner, Anne Thériault, Virginie Brunelle, Sasha Kleinplatz, Estelle Clareton, Pierre Lecours, Hélène Blackburn, Estelle Clareton, Martin Messier, Milan Gervais, Frédérick Gravel and Parts & Labour. Simon-Xavier has also appeared on stage for some theatre projects, notably with Éric Jean, Mani Soleymanlou and Jérémie Niel. In 2020, Simon-Xavier participated in the revival of La vie attend (Parts and Labour), and was part of the touring team for Some Hope for the Bastards (DLD/Frédérick Gravel).

Related works: Les Précédents, Dieu ne t’a pas créé juste pour danser, Figures de silence, BLEU – VERT – ROUGE, RAYON X : a true decoy story, Espace vert, Twis-manivelle

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Photo : Christel Bourque

Alexia Martel

Alexia Martel completed her training at L’École de danse contemporaine de Montréal (EDCMTL) in May 2012. Through the school, Alexia has been able to immerse herself in the choreographic worlds of creators from here and abroad, including Marie Béland, Marie Chouinard, Daniel Léveillé and Lise Vachon, who will particularly influence her vision of dance. In parallel to her training, Alexia is interested in theatre and the way in which theatre and dance enter into symbiosis. As an interpreter, Alexia currently works with Isabelle Boulanger (La grande fente) and Patricia Gagnon.

Related work: Les Précédents, BESIDE, Figures de silence, Vie et mort de l’élégance

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Abe Simon Mijnheer

After his soccer training and guitar studies in the Netherlands, Abe Simon Mijnheer moved to Montréal in 2012. He discovers a passion for contemporary dance and enrolls into the dance department of Concordia University. In 2016 he continued in this field of study and commenced the formation at the École de Danse Contemporaine de Montréal. During this time at EDCM he has performed the works of Marie Chouinard, Alan Lake, Viginie
Brunelle, Catherine Tardif, Ginette Laurin and Manuel Roque, to name a few. He started his professional career as a performer within the pieces of Sebastien Provencher, Teoma Naccarato, Bettina Hoffmann, Aurélie Pédron, Lina Cruz, Frédérick Gravel and Le Carré des Lombes. Abe enjoys the integration of other practices, such as soccer, yoga, running, singing and music, to his dance training.

Related work: Les Précédents

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Katya Montaignac / dramaturge

From 1995 to 2002, Katya Montaignac danced in Paris for the company La Gorgone directed by Vincent Lahache. Since 1998, she has contributed as a dance critic to several publications, including the journal JEU. In 2001, in Paris, she conceived the project Raymond, a solo for n interpreters that has brought together around fifty individuals, dancers or not. This project has been presented in France and Quebec more than thirty times. Member of La 2e Porte à Gauche since 2006, she regularly signs the artistic direction of her productions (Blind date, 9 ½ apart., the pARTy, 4quART, Danse à 10, Rendez-vous à l’hôtel and Pluton). Since 2007, Katya has created «Unidentified Dancing Objects» (Danses invisibles in 2007, Corps anonymes in 2009). As dance doctor, she treats the ailments of choreographers as a dramaturge, notably with Marie Béland, Frédérick Gravel, Milan Gervais and Isabel Mohn. She teaches in the dance department of UQAM and is also involved as a curator, notably for the OFFTA during 7 years.

Related work: Les Précédents, Dieu ne t’a pas créé juste pour danser, BEHIND : une danse dont vous êtes le héros, RAYON X : a true decoy story, Ils seront là à 8 heures

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Photo : Julie Artacho

Marilyne St-Sauveur

A graduated of the Cégep de Saint-Laurent and Université du Québec à Montréal, Marilyne St-Sauveur danced in the works of Marie-Julie Asselin, Marie Béland, Lynda Gaudreau, Frédérick Gravel, Emmanuel Jouthe, OSEZ! /Karine Ledoyen, Dean Makarenko, Andrew Tay and Katie Ward. These projects have taken her everywhere on the Quebec and Canadian stages, but also in the United States, France, England and Belgium. Marilyne has taught dance at UQAM, Collège Montmorency and has taught at the Dance Department of Cégep de Saint-Laurent since 2004. She also works as rehearsal coach in dance and theatre. Thanks to her Ageless Grace certification, she shares her dance with seniors with the company Danse Carpe Diem.

Related works: Les Précédents, Dieu ne t’a pas créé juste pour danser, BLEU – VERT – ROUGE, RAYON X : a true decoy story, Espace vert, Twis-manivelle, maribé – live in Montréal

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Photo : Martin Flamand

Anne Thériault

A singular creator and performer, Anne Thériault has been weaving collaborations with artists from multiple backgrounds for more than ten years: with composer Martin Messier, she co-created Derrière le rideau, il fait peut-être nuit (FTA 2011) and Con grazia (FTA 2016) ; the performance Doux  (Actoral 2016) with visual artist Julie Favreau, and with the company BOP, Quatuor pour la fin du temps (OFFTA 2017) alongside Karina Champoux, Frédéric Tavernini and Dave St-Pierre. In particular, she approached the theatre on the occasion of Ainsi parlait… by Frédérick Gravel & Étienne Lepage, and La Fureur de ce que je pense by Marie Brassard. She is a founding member of Lorganisme, a structure for choreographers. She is also an associate artist at Usine C, where she recently presented her latest opus: Récital (FTA 2018). Currently, Anne Thériault is working on new research projects, collaborating with several artists as an artistic advisor and is invited to curate the COMPAGNONNAGE 21 event by Danièle Desnoyers/Le Carré des Lombes, which takes place in winter 2021. The artist is invited for a period of 3 years, as a researcher at L’L, an experimental research structure in the living arts, located in Brussels.

Related works: Les Précédents, Dieu ne t’a pas créé juste pour danser, Déplacements sonores, BLEU – VERT – ROUGE, RAYON X : a true decoy story, Ils seront là à 8 heures, Twis-manivelle

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Photo : Lucie Rocher

Andrew Turner

Leaving studies in history and philosophy behind him, Andrew Turner was inexplicably accepted to Concordia University’s Dance Program in 2001. He has since performed extensively both in Montreal and abroad, with such companies as Par B.L.eux, O Vertigo, Human Playground, PPS Danse, Trial and Eros, Pigeons International, maribé – sors de ce corps, Bouge De Là, Cie La Tourmente, and others.  As a choreographer, with seven works under his belt, he has received several awards (including Prix OQAJ, Prix OQWBJ among others), as well as creation residencies in Switzerland, Sweden, and at the Banff Art Center.  He has presented his works in three languages in Europe, Mexico, the United States, and over 20 Canadian cities.  He received a Master’s Degree in Dance, with distinction, at Université du Québec à Montréal in 2020.

Related work: Les Précédents, RAYON X : a true decoy story

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Photo : Justin Desforges