Alan Lake Factori(e)
A Word from Danse Danse
Good evening, dear audience,
This week, to our great delight, we dive once again into the unbridled world of Alan Lake! An artist we closely follow—one who, with every performance, knows how to surprise us, shake us up, and transport us elsewhere.
A creator at the crossroads of dance, film, and visual arts, Alan Lake shapes his works like living frescoes, composing cinematic imagery of raw intensity. He surrounds himself with remarkable dancers, capable of embodying his vision with rare depth.
Orpheus | S’abreuver des volcans draws inspiration from the myth of Orpheus to weave a powerful metaphor for life, crafting a creation that subtly intertwines myth and modernity. Get ready for an almost surreal journey into the boundless imagination of an artist brimming with creativity.
Enjoy the show!
Pierre Des Marais — Artistic and Executive Director, Danse Danse.
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Territorial Acknowledgement
Danse Danse acknowledges that we are gathered on the traditional and unceded territory of the Kanien’keha:ka Nation. We honour the continued presence of Indigenous peoples on the Tiohtiá:ke (Montreal) territory, which has long served as a meeting place for exchanges between nations. With respect for the links to the past, present and future, we thank the Indigenous peoples for reminding us of the importance of living in harmony with ourselves, with each other and with nature, and we are grateful for the opportunity to present works of living art at Tiohtiá:ke.
A Word from the Choreographer
With Orpheus | S’abreuver des volcans, I wanted to explore a trajectory where matter, body, and space intertwine in an organic dance, inscribed directly onto flesh and the elements. This project is, above all, an inner quest—a dialogue between instinct and memory, between the tangible and the invisible—where the performers surrender to shifting gravity, to light sculpting the void, to the pulsations of a space in constant transformation. They become the conduits of a sensory journey where loss and hope, descent and elevation, collide.
I sought to summon images that resonate deep within us, to provoke a vertigo that reminds us of the urgency of fully existing, of daring to plunge into the unknown to better extract its light.
Alan Lake – Choreographer, Founder of Alan Lake Factori(e)
About the Work
Orpheus | S’abreuver des volcans is a narrative that reflects the complexities of modern existence while celebrating humanity’s transcendent power to bridge divides and heal wounds. In a world plagued by division, conflict, and isolation, this new creation serves as a powerful reminder of the innate human desire for unity and understanding.
Here, the performers become beacons of hope, inspiring audiences to cultivate a deeper sense of empathy and connection with one another. We are reminded that amidst the chaos and turmoil of the modern world, unity remains the most powerful force for positive change. Moving forward.
Artist(s)
Company
Founded in 2007 and based in Quebec City, Alan Lake Factori[e] is a multidisciplinary contemporary dance company created and supported by choreographer and director Alan Lake. A company defined by a unique language that gives rise to raw, symbolist universes in which humans, totally impregnated by their environment, evolve.
Credits
Choreography Alan Lake, in collaboration with the dancers.
Dancers Josiane Bernier, José Flores, Jean-Benoit Labrecque, Jo Laïny Trozzo Mounet, Danny Morissette, Odile-Amélie Peters, Esther Rousseau-Morin.
Music on stage Antoine Berthiaume.
Rehearsal Director Eve Rousseau-Cyr.
Lighting design Achille Martineau, Chantale Labonté.
Support Ville de Québec, Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, Conseil des arts du Canada.
Co-production Carré 150 - Espace culturel de Victoriaville.
Created partly during residencies at Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Compagnie Marie Chouinard, Circuit-Est centre chorégraphique and Carré 150 - Espace culturel de Victoriaville. We warmly thank them for their support.
Performers
An artistic summit inspired by Hamlet, between choreographer and principal dancer Guillaume Côté and theatre maker and director Robert Lepage. An exceptional evening!
Rooted in Irish traditions, mysterious and full of passion, MÁM casts its spell. A wild celebration where feet pound the floor, bodies ignite, and ritual turns into jubilation.
Relentless pulsations, synchronized energies. At once dynamic and meditative, My Fierce Ignorant Step unfolds as an ecstatic soundscape, bursting with the contagious bliss of being alive.
After touring 96 cities across 17 countries, Dance Me – Music by Leonard Cohen returns to Montreal one last time. A unique opportunity to experience — or rediscover — this powerful work that has moved audiences around the world.
Marie Chouinard brings us a compendium of her solos and duets, followed by her dazzling Henri Michaux : Mouvements. A rare alchemy between ink and gesture.
Raw energy, spatial geometries, and electronic pulses. In the intimate setting of Agora de la danse, the Morin/Leroux duo delivers a physical performance in which five dancers search for the tipping point between exhilaration and transcendence.
Hailed throughout the world, Danza Contemporánea de Cuba galvanizes audiences with the rhythms of contemporary Cuban dance. In a dazzling two-part choreographic display, the contagious energy of some 20 performers ignites the stage. A grand celebration!