The Stolen Show [xspectacle] full-length version by Crystal Pite was created during her triennial residence in Montréal for [bjm_danse] in coproduction with the Banff Centre for the Arts and the Centre National des Arts for the Festival Danse Canada in Ottawa. On original partitions composed by Owen Belton, the “The Stolen Show” trilogy is a real sketchbook on movement as well as being a parody of arts and entertainment. The perfectly controlled improvisations given by the fourteen talented artist-performers of the Quebec company blend in with the choreographical derision.
The first part of this trilogy Short Works: 24 has been highly acclaimed by critics and the public since its premiere in 2001. Helped by her loyal collaborator, the composer Owen Belton, Pite choreographed two dozen fragments, each lasting a minute. Although each fragment is a whole in itself, Short Works: 24 really takes off when the series is presented integrally. These fragments, which are non-narrative structures, guided exclusively by the music and the movement, reflect all the inherent humour and emotion of human nature.
Building on this success, Crystal Pite completes this first part of the trilogy with a second and third parts xspectacle and The Stolen Show, which is the name of the work as a whole. Fascinated by the enigma that sets the arts against entertainment and which brands this dance company, highly appreciated by the public, Pite decided to investigate the two facets of this polarity by signing a highly sincere and spirited theatrical work, It is up to the spectators to decide what they see… questioning, a standpoint, a tribute or a parody.

Source : Programme de salle Maison de la Danse

Canadian choreographer and performer, Crystal Pite is a former company member of Ballet British Columbia and William Forsythe’s Ballett Frankfurt. Pite’s professional choreographic debut was in 1990, at Ballet British Columbia. Since then, she has created over 40 works for companies such as Nederlands Dans Theater. In 2002, she formed Kidd Pivot in Vancouver. Integrating movement, original music, text, and rich visual design, Kidd Pivot’s performance work is assembled with recklessness and rigour, balancing sharp exactitude with irreverence and risk. The company’s distinct choreographic language – a breadth of movement fusing classical elements and the complexity and freedom of structured improvisation – is marked by a strong theatrical sensibility and a keen sense of wit and invention. Kidd Pivot tours nationally and internationally, performing such highly-demanded and critically acclaimed works as « Dark Matters » and « Lost Action ». Kidd Pivot’s residency at the Künstlerhaus Mousonturm in Frankfurt (2010-2012) provided Pite the opportunity to create and tour The You Show and The Tempest Replica. Most recently, the company has premiered « Betroffenheit », a co-creation with playwright and actor Jonathon Young of Electric Company Theatre. "The Seasons’ Canon", her first creation for the Paris Opera ballet last season, is on the bill again at the Palais Garnier for the 2017-18 season.

Sources : The company Kidd Pivot 's website ; The Paris Opera 's website

More Information : kiddpivot.org

Author, filmmaker and video artist Charles Picq entered working life in the 70s through theatre and photography. A- fter resuming his studies (Maîtrise de Linguistique - Lyon ii, Maîtrise des sciences et Techniques de la Communication - grenoble iii), he then focused on video, first in the field of fine arts at the espace Lyonnais d'art Contemporain (eLaC) and with the group « Frigo », and then in dance.
  On creation of the Maison de la Danse in Lyon in 1980, he was asked to undertake a video documentation project that he has continued ever since. During the ‘80s, a decade marked in France by the explosion of contemporary dance and the development of video, he met numerous artists such as andy Degroat, Dominique Bagouet, Carolyn Carlson, régine Chopinot, susanne Linke, Joëlle Bouvier and regis Obadia, Michel Kelemenis. He worked in the creative field with installations and on-stage video, as well as in television with recorded shows, entertainment and documentaries.

His work with Dominique Bagouet (80-90) was a unique encounter. He documents his creativity, assisting with Le Crawl de Lucien and co-directing with his films Tant Mieux, Tant Mieux and 10 anges. in the 90s he became director of video development for the Maison de la Danse and worked, with the support of guy Darmet and his team, in the growing space of theatre video through several initiatives:
      - He founded a video library of dance films with free public access. This was a first for France. Continuing the video documentation of theatre performances, he organised their management and storage.
      - He promoted the creation of a video-bar and projection room, both dedicated to welcoming school pupils.
      - He started «présentations de saisons» in pictures.
      - He oversaw the DVD publication of Le tour du monde en 80 danses, a pocket video library produced by the Maison de la Danse for the educational sector.

More recently, he launched the series “scènes d'écran” for television and online. He undertook the video library's digital conversion and created the website numeridanse.tv, an international video library for dance online.

His main documentaries are: enchaînement, Planète Bagouet, Montpellier le saut de l'ange, Carolyn Carlson, a woman of many faces, grand ecart, Mama africa, C'est pas facile, Lyon, le pas de deux d'une ville, Le Défilé, Un rêve de cirque.

He has also produced theatre films: Song, Vu d'ici (Carolyn Carlson), Tant Mieux, Tant Mieux, 10 anges, Necesito and So schnell, (Dominique Bagouet), Im bade wannen, Flut and Wandelung (Susanne Linke), Le Cabaret Latin (Karine Saporta), La danse du temps (Régine Chopinot), Nuit Blanche (Abou Lagraa), Le Témoin (Claude Brumachon), Corps est graphique (Käfig), Seule et WMD (Françoise et Dominique Dupuy), La Veillée des abysses (James Thiérrée), Agwa (Mourad Merzouki), Fuenteovejuna (Antonio Gades), Blue Lady revistied (Carolyn Carlson).

Source : Maison de la Danse

Emerging from a collaboration between Geneviève Salbaing,  Eva Von Genscy and Eddy Toussaint in 1972, BJM – Les Ballets Jazz de  Montréal – is a repertory company that creates, produces and presents  contemporary dance performances based on the technique, rigour and  aesthetics of classical ballet. Its work consistently appears on local,  national and international stages.

The company offers its artists high-level professional  ballet training and gives internationally renowned choreographers the  freedom to develop their artistic process in keeping with BJM’s  identity. In doing so, the company is able to create an exclusive  repertoire that is accessible to all. As a leading ambassador of Quebec  dance across the globe, BJM is synonymous with flawless execution. Its  distinctive style is at once artistic, sexy, explosive, original and  accessible.

Since being named artistic director in 1998, Louis  Robitaille has reoriented the company toward audiences open to new  choreographic forms. He has linked BJM with rising names in the world of  contemporary dance, such as Crystal Pite, Aszure Barton and others. The  company also regularly collaborates with internationally renowned  choreographers, including Mauro Bigonzetti, Andonis Foniadakis, Itzik  Galili, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Barak Marshall, Benjamin Millepied,  Rodrigo Pederneiras, Ihsan Rustem and Cayetano Soto. In recent years,  the company’s artistic direction has favoured multidisciplinary  creations that blend ballet with other artistic disciplines such as  theatre, video and music.

Every piece created for BJM remains faithful to an  aesthetic exerting a positive influence. With accessibility and quality  as its key values, the company has managed to incorporate enjoyment into  creations that are strong, expressive and demanding. The distinctive  personality and high calibre of its performers ensure the company’s  sustained success and reputation. Through its many productions,  performances and educational activities, BJM is able to encourage  discovery, stimulate imagination and democratize dance, all while  sharing with local and international audiences its deep passion for this  discipline. Having presented more than 2,000 performances for over 2  million fans in 67 countries, BJM is a true ambassador of Canadian dance  and artistic vitality across the globe.

In 2016, BJM and its artistic director were awarded the  Rideau Hommage prize in recognition of the company’s reputation and  continued presence on the Québec stage.

In 2017, BJM proudly celebrated 45 years of history, ballet, touring and meeting audiences.

Source: Ballet Jazz Montréal

More information: http://www.bjmdanse.ca