Laurie-Anne Langis © David Wong
Woman of steel, GRACE embodies the fantasy of the mother, big sister, and wife all in one. Through her multiple and manifold presences, she welcomes our fears of a disembodied future and infuses them with the comforting smell of homemade cookies. GRACE possesses the elegance of a peacock, with its flamboyant tail diverting our attention from her fragile feet that struggle to carry her.
In this solo piece commissioned by Laurie-Anne Langis, Marie Béland questions the prevalent feminine archetype in the current robotic field. Sophia, Grace, Aïko, Ameca, Jia Jia: the technology industry has produced a significant number of female humanoid robots, perpetuating the fantasy of a submissive woman, homemaker, mother, sexual object, serving everyone. Do female androids finally grant men the unrestricted use of women? Can these female robots, in turn, take control of our humanity?
The creation process is near the end and the piece will premiere in 2024.
Photos
Laurie-Anne Langis © David Wong
Artistic credits
A creation by Marie Béland
Performer: Laurie-Anne Langis, who also contributed to the creation process
Accompanied by: Sophie Michaud
Costume and accessories: Marie Béland and Laurie-Anne Langis
Creation residency: Quai 5160 – École de Danse Contemporaine de Montréal, 2019 – Studio Lucie Grégoire, 2019
Artistic team
Laurie-Anne Langis / performer collaborator
Graduate from LADMMI, the school of contemporary dance, her experiences have greatly stimulated her, among others, the repertoire of Crystal Pite, Marie Chouinard and Jean-Pierre Perreault. Upon leaving school, she was hired as a dancer-designer for Sasha Ivanochko and as an interpreter for Marie Béland. In addition to her deep desire to dance, she decides to go to India for three months to learn Kalarippayattu and yoga, which will lead her to push her physical limits while awakening her spirituality. This will give him the chance to expand his vision of the world to be fulfilled and invested as a human being in his community.
Related work: Vie et mort de l’élégance, RAYON X : a true decoy story
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Sophie Michaud / dramaturge et répétitrice
Sophie Michaud began her dance career in the early 1980s. After exploring dance through the means of interpretation and choreography, she made her own the profession of «repeater». By juxtaposing graduate studies (UQAM) and praxis, she deepened her reflection on the role she plays alongside choreographers and dancers. For more than 20 years now, she has worked as an artistic advisor, choreography assistant, rehearsal director and mentor. His main engagements include long collaborations with the companies Cas Public, Manon fait de la danse, Sinha Danse, Corpuscule Danse and Bouge de là. In addition, he collaborated with Lucie Grégoire Danse, Fabrication Danse, maribé – sors de ce corps, Caroline-Laurin Beaucage and Catherine Gaudet, to name a few. At UQAM, she has assisted several teachers and has accompanied many students in their creative process to the baccalaureate, the master’s in dance and the doctorate in artistic practice. Since 2008, the Regroupement Québécois de la Danse has entrusted him and David Pressault with the training program for emerging choreographers. This involvement is one of the actions she favours to renew her practice and contribute to the evolution of the discipline.
Related work: Révélations, BLEU – VERT – ROUGE, RAYON X : a true decoy story
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