La Biche Lumineuse, sculpture by Pascal Lareau, choreography and photo by Annie Gagnon

In the first piece, “La Biche Lumineuse,” the luminous doe is standing tall at the end of a red rectangle surrounded by crumpled newspaper. Gagnon and Rancourt enter the stage decisively. Their expression is cold; their movement, mechanical. We sense a solitude between these two figures, a solitude that, as opposed to loneliness, inhabits intervals rather than internal spaces. Each looks at the other as if trying to understand, without ever succeeding. The other appears as an overflow of emotion, incomprehensible. Even in the sexual encounter, the other remains just that: other. Yet in the final moments, despite their blank stares, it seems there might be something more than mere physical proximity. Their bodies are so close that they overlap, forcing their movement to mirror each other. They appear as two beings who, from a common desire, walk together in the same direction.

Rancourt introduces us to the second half, “Le Lapin Samouraï,” by blindly and awkwardly mimicking the short but stout samourai rabbit at the back of the room. When Gagnon joins him onstage, he watches her fall repeatedly, more likely to pull away than to come to her rescue. His lack of action is less malicious than an apparent feeling of complete helplessness in the face of the world’s destructive forces. Her body lying on the ground, he takes her hand as if it’s the best one can hope for: to join oneself with a casualty of life or, more optimistically, with the other’s vulnerability. More simply, it might just be what must be done, the duty of the samourai.

Despite what the title of each section might imply, more emotionality emanates from “La Lapin Samouraï.” The dancers embrace and, on the other hand, shove each other. The contrast between the previous coldness and this sudden emergence of emotionality makes the latter appear cliché. So, for better or for worse, Rancourt loses his connection to Gagnon as his movement becomes robotic, a trauma caused by his inability to truly connect with the other. She is left blind, with red paint for eyes.

Gagnon might be a young choreographer, but her work is mature and courageous. She is not afraid to be serious in her art. She is also unafraid of choreographic silences. She understands that they are just as much a material as sound, that one can sculpt with them, that they are necessary for rhythm. They also provide contrast and build anticipation for the next movement: when? what? where? To reiterate, by blending dance, sculpture, and performance art, Gagnon and Lareau have crafted one of the best shows of the year.

La Marche Invisible is presented every day at Tangente until Saturday, February 6, at 7:30pm. There is also a matinée on Sunday the 7th at 4pm. Tickets are 17$, 14$ for students. For more information, visit www.tangente.qc.ca or call 514.525.1500.

We, a freelance music writer and a multi-media geek, having many irons in the fire, bring to you VIDEO INTERVIEWS with bands and solo acts, namely outfits like Phoenix, The Most Serene Republic and Band of Skulls. We’ll be posting them or [at the very least] links to our full HD videos.

For album reviews + concert reviews + interviews /// simplymasses
For music videos + band photo shoots /// icanseemybreath

Here’s an oldie, but a goodie…

DIAMONDS are FOREVER.

A bifurcated band of pop synth bliss and tweaks of calypso, Nick Diamonds is ISLANDS. And in tow, cleaving to his bedazzled cape is Jamie Thompson who was, went away and now is again. I would mention the two others, but they probably won’t make the next album anyway. At the eleventh hour, literally during the (kick) drum roll, New Yorker Nick courteously plugged in an interview with yours truly. It’ll bring Vapours to your eyes.

Hothouse is about making animation faster and more flexible, embracing animation’s many possibilities while maintaining creative and technical excellence. We’re [NFB] looking for six new talents who are willing and able to jump head-first into this intensive, immersive experience.

Deadline: February 19, 2010
Program Dates: April 05 – June 25, 2010
Theme: “Inside Out”

About the 12-week paid apprenticeship:

The National Film Board of Canada seeks submissions from emerging filmmakers (young and not-so-young), and artists intrigued by animation art, for the 6th edition of Hothouse, a 12-week paid apprenticeship in full-on, all-inclusive, real-world animation filmmaking.

A new dimension this year — and a giant experiment — Hothouse 6 will be produced in stereoscopic 3D!. No need to dust off your red and blue glasses or script elaborate face-poking scenes; this is about using space as an essential story device and expressive tool (intimacy, fantasy, paradox, etc).

Submission Criteria:

Submissions must be received by 5pm (Montreal time) on Friday February 19 and must be sent via email or post. The six successful candidates will be notified on Friday February 26.

For more details regarding submissions, including requirements, selection criteria, eligibility, how to submit, and other tips visit: HotHouse 6 post on the NFB site.

The Indie Game Challenge gives aspiring game developers the chance to showcase their skills, pitch their games to top publishers and win some serious cash. They’re also competing for your vote in the Gamer’s Choice Award. Check out their videos above and vote for your favorite. Then enter for a chance to win a trip to the G4TV studios in Los Angeles, $1000 in spending money, the opportunity to meet Adam Sessler and a tour of the studios.

DALLAS, Texas – (Feb 1, 2010) – The 12 finalists in the inaugural Indie Game ChallengeSM sponsored by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS), GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME), and The Guildhall at Southern Methodist University were announced today. Details about each finalist team and their games can be found at www.indiegamechallenge.com.

The Indie Game Challenge finalists – including six non-professional and six professional teams – are eligible for more than $350,000 in prize monies and scholarships. Winners will be announced Feb. 19 at the D.I.C.E.™ (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain) Summit at the Red Rock Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. D.I.C.E. is an annual conference hosted by the AIAS dedicated to exploring approaches to the creative process and artistic expression as they uniquely apply to the development of interactive entertainment. Hosting the awards ceremony is Adam Sessler, host of G4’s “X-Play” (weeknights at 6:30pm ET/PT), and editor-in-chief of games content for G4tv.com

In addition to monetary awards and industry recognition, all 12 finalists have the unique opportunity to pursue potential commercial avenues for their games while at D.I.C.E. AIAS is arranging private face-to-face meetings between the finalists and video game executives from such top publishers and developers as Sony, Nintendo, Electronic Arts, Capcom, Microsoft, NAMCO/Bandai, THQ, Ubisoft and others. The 12 finalists include the following:

Non-Professional Category (Game/Team)

• Climb to the Top of the Castle – TwO Bros. Games
• Dreamside Maroon – Terraced
• Galactic Arms Race – Galactic Arms Race
• Gear – Team 3
• Waker – Poof Productions
• zeit2 – brightside games

Professional Category (Game/Team)

• Aaaa! A Reckless Disregard for Gravity – Dejobaan Games, LLC
• Altitude – Nimbly Games
• Cogs – Lazy 8 Studios
• Fieldrunners – Subatomic Studios
• Miegakure – Marc ten Bosch
• Vessel – Strange Loop Games

For more information on the competition and learn more about each finalist, visit www.IndieGameChallenge.com

Emmanuelle Calvé's Peau d'or, sors de l'ombre, photo by Elizabeth Delage

However, it does not remain so. The body undergoes quite a few transformations throughout the piece. Both performers’ eyes often remain closed or barely open, as if they were in a trance that allows different spirits to take over their body. But to speak of souls possessed would infuse Peau d’or with a violence it never exhibits. Here, spirits flow through the body and only leave behind their most positively transformative powers.

There is some humour to be found, like when Calvé is wearing a long cone for a beak but launches into a series of repetitive movements with an aerobic aesthetic. The disjunction between the way her body is presented — animalistic — and the way it moves — typically human — draws a smile upon our lips. The choreography is at its best when the dancers repeat movements as their limbs extend more and more into space, as if they could eventually reach the sky. At other times, most specifically in its duets, it flirts a bit too much with a So-You-Think-You-Can-Dance corniness. However, by the same virtue, it’s not without being seductive.

But what impresses me the most in Peau d’or is its seamless transitions. From the beginning, the mechanics of the show (when Albert-Toth pulls on a rope to bring down a screen, for example) become an intrinsic part of its scenography (it is his shadow from behind the screen we see, making the common dramatic). Even better is how Calvé deftly uses depth to shift the audience’s focus as the dancers slowly cross paths. One moment we’re looking at Calvé, only to realize a few seconds later that our attention has drifted towards Albert-Toth without even noticing it. This might be a good opportunity to mention that he proves to be a fantastic dancer with an incomprehensible body.

Michaël Cros’s Le Zoo “Chaleurhumaine” takes a different approach, but is equally fascinating. The audience is guided by a metallic voice through a human zoo where two performers, also male and female, interact with quasi-human-sized dummies covered from head to toe in black lycra. Some of them are suspended by ropes to the ceiling, triggering most disturbing images of lynching. While at first Chaleurhumaine works more on an intellectual level, it evolves into a haunting experience that still manages to raise important questions. Is pornography the modern zoo (and maybe more specifically non-conformist sexuality)? What is considered monstrous even today? Who is whose savage?

You can catch this double program on Friday and Saturday (January 29 & 30) at 7:30pm, and Sunday (January 31) at 4pm. Tickets are 17$, 14$ for students. For more information, visit www.tangente.qc.ca or call 514.525.1500.

<<<<<< FUNDRAISER PARTY >>>>>>>

MEAT PARADE
BLAKE HARGREAVES (solo set)
OUANANICHE (live audio/visual set)
VJ Choco Beets w/DJ OTHERPEOPLESMUSIC

KARN (dj set)
DJ LOPES
DJ DALBRAY
DJ VIPOND

Doors 8pm. Sat. Jan. 30. PWYC (suggested $8).
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All funds raised will go towards finishing the construction of the Eastern Bloc NEW MEDIA LAB ::::: 500 sf studio with adjoining editing suite for emerging artists working in video, sound, electronic & robotic art and digital arts.

The New Media Lab will host resident artists working in these fields.
For more information on the New Media Lab or the upcoming residency program, please contact info@easternbloc.ca

Chad VanGaalen – I changed my name from Welcome To The West on Vimeo.