Video
Closer, Kosmos and Harry
Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal By Jessica Alley
To watch Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal (BJM) perform is to better understand the tireless athleticism and skill that high-voltage contemporary ballet demands. Founded in 1972 and originally known for a style that blended jazz dance with traditional ballet technique, the company has grown and evolved with the times, largely due to Louis Robitaille who became artistic director in 1998. The company now works with internationally renowned choreographers in an explorative, research-based approach to create contemporary pieces that are a result of these collaborations. With a repertoire now rooted in contemporary ballet, the company still maintains its high energy, dynamic, “jazzed-up” aesthetic, hoping to remain accessible to both new and veteran audiences.
BJM performs in Toronto May 23 for the first time in over a decade. The mixed bill features three works by three esteemed choreographers: Closer by France’s Benjamin Millepied, Kosmos by Greece-born Andonis Foniadakis and Harry by Israel-based Barak Marshall. See event list here and learn more at sonycentre.ca.
TAGS
You May Also Like...
Caribana is Our Stage
Themes of becoming, shaping from and returning to are central to Caribbean performance arts. As one of these art forms, Carnival is a nuanced performance art practice rooted in the cultural memory of the lives of Caribbean peoples throughout Canada and the diaspora. But whose story is told (or not told) and in what context? The telling or omission of stories can be traced to a lack of understanding of the complexity of the Caribbean and its Carnival – a performance tradition that is more than the mass commodification, sexuality and “loud music” we often associate it with.
Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal: Zip Zap Zoom
Tonight through January 22nd Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal (BJM Danse) presents three hot works at Place des Arts in Montréal: Rossini Cards, …
