the Golden mean (LIVE)
about
“ - de profundis - soft virtuosity - state of grace - multiple intelligences conversing - the golden mean - time regained.
The beings performing on stage will appear to have come from a strange yet friendly future; in an absolutely scintillating acuteness of sensory perception, in which the underlying processes are laid bare, they allow us to listen to our senses in a serene and unprecedented way.
The Being is a field of exploration, a crucible of possibilities; here it is on the verge of a thought-provoking and amourous mutation."
Marie Chouinard
information
Ballet in one act
Length | 70 min
Created at Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad, Vancouver, March 12, 2010*
A production of the COMPAGNIE MARIE CHOUINARD, in co-production with the National Arts Centre (Ottawa), Place des Arts (Montreal), Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad (Vancouver), with the support of ImPulsTanz (Vienna).
credits
Conception and choreography | Marie Chouinard
Original Music | Louis Dufort
Set Design | Guillaume Lord and Marie Chouinard
Video conception | Marie Chouinard
Lighting | Alexis Bowles
Costumes | Liz Vandal
Props and masks | Marie Chouinard
Make-up | Jaques-Lee Pelletier
Props construction | Marilène Bastien
Sound effects | Edward Freedman
Production Director | Yvon Baril
*Dancers for the world premiere | Mark Eden-Towle, Eve Garnier, Benjamin Kamino, Leon Kuperschmid, Lucy M. May, Lucie Mongrain, Mariusz Ostrowski, Carol Prieur, Gérard Reyes, Dorotea Saykaly, James Viveiros
press excerpts
« Every time, we are impressed by the Montreal dancer's inventiveness and the style that is unmistakably hers… the dancers [...] it must be said, are exceptional. You don't notice the big hand of the clock go around 78 times. » - Nicolas Villodre, Danzine pour la danse, January 23, 2012
« The public [...] warmly applauded the new creation [...] Coming out of the theatre, the spectators' comments were unanimous. "I loved it! It was amazing!" [...]" It was great! "[...] "I've never seen anything like it!" one audience member exclaimed, adding that the show made her entire subscription worthwhile. » - Véronique Beaudet, Canoë.ca, January 23, 2012
« A sure sign, in France, when the applause all starts to follow the same rhythm, that a show has a bright future. After three enthusiastic encores, the high priestess of Quebec dance jubilantly saluted the "Holy Trinity" - a réverence for each dancer, an arms-wide embrace for the stage and a walk-about through the rows of the visibly packed theatre. » - Maud Cucchi, La Presse, January 26, 2012
« [...] Marie Chouinard doesn't let us down[...] She came up with the amazing idea of using masks[...] the effect is stunning[...] if you like the work of Marie Chouinard, go see this show! » - Radio-Canada, Desautels, reviewer Katerine Verebely, November 25, 2011
« A moment of pure grace in which the intelligence of the body speaks: the Carol Prieur solo, truly unforgettable. » - Le Devoir, Catherine Lalonde, November 25, 2011
« Wonderful humour [...] fascinating to watch [...] » - Radio-Canada, C'est bien meilleur le matin, Francine Grimaldi, November 26, 2011
« A stunning solo danced by Carol Prieur [...] beautiful, vulnerable, combative, vibrant. » - La Presse, Stéphanie Brody, November 25, 2011
« Contemporary dance at his best, THE GOLDEN MEAN (LIVE) was funny, outrageous, rude, theatrical, and gorgeous to look at it. The kind of performance that made [me] put down [my] pen within the first few minutes: [I] didn't want to miss a thing. [I] felt like experiencing an event rather than watching a performance. Marie Chouinard breaks boundaries… » - Kevin Griffin, The Vancouver Sun, 2010
« THE GOLDEN MEAN (LIVE) is another in a long line of challenging and visually arresting pieces. Silly and profound, chaotic and expressive… quite wonderful 80-minute oddity. » - Kaija Pepper, The Globe and Mail, Toronto, 2010
« Two unequivocal statements can be made about THE GOLDEN MEAN (LIVE). One [...] is that this world premiere will certainly be among the most "brilliant and human" performances Vancouver will see all year. The other is that [Marie Chouinard's] 11-member corps is unerringly excellent. » - Alexander Varty, The Georgia Straight, Vancouver, 2010