Les jolies choses

Five bodies move to the rhythm of a metronome. Their mechanical gestures are endlessly reprised, the machine runs wild and demands their absolute compliance. Catherine Gaudet seeks a space within the body where desires can be reborn and delivers a tour de force in which energy never subsides.  

A leading figure in the new wave of Canadian dance, Catherine Gaudet “tracks down the jolts of the unconscious and the micro-movements in the body that betray the emotions and sensations that we try to conceal.” From Berlin to Montreal, the choreographer leaves her mark through a series of remarkable pieces. The titles of her creations themselves speak volumes about her artistic intentions: Grosse fatigue, Sourire forcé and L’affadissement du merveilleux. In her latest choreography, Les jolies choses, Catherine Gaudet brings together a quintet of virtuoso performers. Before our eyes, bodies move to “the rhythm of the metronome.” Their mechanical gestures are endlessly reprised, the machine runs wild and demands their absolute compliance. For Catherine Gaudet, “There is a fruitful rage fueling the piece, a moment of adolescent-like rebellion —the expression of a desire to reclaim creative autonomy and freedom.” The final soundtrack highlights once again the urgency to be on stage. Les Jolies choses is a standout. 

Text: © Philippe Noisette

Photo: © Matthieu Doyon