Photo credit: Sian Richards
The public will soon be able to see two long-awaited new creations by the National Ballet of Canada’s principal dancer and associate choreographer, Guillaume Côté. Conceived and rehearsed in the context of containment and distancing, the works attest to the power of creation as it overcomes adversity in order to share hope and beauty.
On March 19, Télé-Québec will broadcast Naraka, a powerful duet that Guillaume Côté performs with Maude Sabourin, soloist with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. “We danced Naraka at the Olympic Park, with an intensity that was a way of leaving a human imprint in this immense space, of affirming the artists’ freedom in a world that serves as a showcase and enclosure,” explains Guillaume Côté. His work is part of the triptych Danse en trois temps in which choreographers also Louise Lecavalier and Victor Quijada participate.
Broadcast: Friday, March 19 at 10 p.m. and Sunday, March 21 at 9:30 p.m., as well as simultaneous and catch-up broadcasts free of charge on www.telequebec.tv and on the Télé-Québec application.
On March 20, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet will present PHI, a work commissioned from Guillaume Côté for a major virtual show to raise funds for this company whose versatility, excellence and style have built its reputation for over 80 years. The creation of PHI posed an enormous challenge in times of pandemic as the choreographer had to direct, by videoconference, 24 dancers with whom he had never worked before. “The dancers impressed me with their enthusiasm, commitment and adaptability,” said Guillaume Côté. “With PHI, I am continuing my exploration of repetition of patterns to achieve harmony, a delicate process whose success depends on the cohesion of the dancers.”
Tickets on the RWB website: www.rwbballetball.org/rwb-virtual-event
Born in Lac-Saint-Jean, Guillaume Côté has displayed his technical virtuosity, musical sensitivity and dramatic intensity on the world’s greatest stages. A renowned choreographer, he stands out for his original concepts mixing classical and contemporary dance, theater and digital arts (The Little Prince, Frame by Frame). Also artistic director of the Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur, he has generated a remarkable renewal into the event, which recently won the Prix Opus for Specialized Presenter of the Year for its 2020 edition, which was entirely redesigned in partnership with the Orchestre Métropolitain to support creation in music and dance through 10 films that can be viewed at www.festivaldesarts.ca
