Citation :Montreal is mad for dance
Updated Wed. May. 28 2008 10:47 AM ET
Lindsay Zier-Vogel, CTV.ca
With a line-up that wraps three quarters of the way around the Théâtre St-Denis, Montreal dancers are ready to let the rest of Canada know that yes indeed, they can dance!
Competitors started lining up long before the sun came up and spent hours huddled on yoga mats and wrapped in blankets. Many even brought camping chairs, prepared to wait for the long haul.
But no one seemed to mind -- spontaneous dance circles broke out all over the line up, with girls helping each other with their make up and b-boy battles breaking through the early hours.
"I love it!" permanent judge and Montreal resident, Jean Marc Genereux says of the extraordinary turn out. "It's amazing. I knew we were going to get a great response because of the roots we have in dance in Montreal."
From Edouard Lock of Lalala Human Steps to Les Grand Ballet Canadiens, Genereux beams with pride at the bedrock of Quebec dance artists. "There is amazing talent in Quebec and [So You Think You Can Dance Canada] is a wonderful window to show it off."
First in line: your private dancer
Everett Smith, 24, from Glen Morris, Ont. is first in line and dressed in a fitting shirt that reads: 'I can be your private dancer'. "We came early," Smith says of his fellow Ontarians, Sarah Vance, 20, and Holly Wiles, 21. "We wanted to be near the beginning, but didn't think we'd make it first."
It was a rush to the starting gate and Smith laughs that they had to get their elbows out as they rushed across the street and claimed the highly prized first spot in line.
He's hoping his talent will keep him in the competition: "I've been training for 20 years now, in everything including a year of pointe, but it's going to be my style [that sways the judges]."
Montreal gives it up for hip hop
After the jazz infused dancing of the prairies, Frankie Iacovelli, 20, from Laval, says hip hop reigns supreme in Montreal. "Me and my friends, we don't take classes, we just practice at the clubs. Every night you can go out dancing, all you need is a good DJ."
He plans on throwing in a little bit of the unexpected for the judges, flipping his dark black hat off his head and over his hand. "My signature move," he laughs, hoping to score a good ol' fashioned Montreal hat-trick.
DQD, 22, from Montreal, agrees that Montreal is all about hip hop but adds that he's a house dancer and plans on incorporating some house moves, jacking and popping with his upper body to his choreography.
A more contemporary feel
Virginie Riopol, 19, of Montreal says the dance scene in her town is diverse, with a strong contemporary element. Home to many of Canada's internationally renowned contemporary choreographers, Montreal is filled with extraordinary contemporary talent including O Vertigo's Ginette Laurin, Paul-André Fortier and Marie Chouinard.
With training programs at L'Université du Quebec à Montreal (UQAM) and Les Ateliers de danse moderne de Montreal (LADMMI), and frequent performances at Studio 303, Place des Arts, l'Agora and Tangente, the city's contemporary dance scene is flourishing.
Native Montreal-er Jackie Scott, 18, says, "The dance scene in Montreal is blooming right now. And the contemporary scene is huge." Scott will be performing a contemporary solo for the judges and believes her extensive training will make her the versatile dancer the judges are looking for.
"My choreography is very energetic," she says. "There's a lot of jumps, a lot of spins, a lot of attitude and personality." Her curly hair bounces. "I've got charisma," she smiles.
East and west meet in Montreal
There is more than one familiar face in the morning line up. Dancers who didn't quite make it in Halifax and Calgary lined up again, this time with wide open eyes and sharper moves.
The brother and sister team of Andrea and Marc Joinette debuted on the SYTYCDC audition tour in Halifax and drove in from Ottawa with renewed vigour.
"I've switched up my game," Andrea says. "I'm going to do hip hop instead of contemporary. I've been working harder than before last time, rehearsing my freestyling and coming up with something different." She certainly looks different this time round, with her hair dyed a deep purple.
Marc still has no hair, but has taken the feedback he got from the judges in Halifax and is back to use more of the stage, change his levels and most importantly he says, "keep it high energy right from the start."
He's worked diligently on his footwork and his b-boy style in any spare minute he gets.
"I won't be breaking out any big power moves," he says with a nod of his hat. "There's a lot of excellent b-boys here in Montreal, and I'll leave those to them. But I've got a bunch of secret weapons."
One of these secret weapons is krumping -- an aggressive style of dance that originated down in LA. "It feels natural to me," Marc says. "And I also know there's not a lot of krumpers in Canada. Seeing a little white boy krumping is rare, so it might give me a bit of an edge."
Kasha Pinell, 19, from Toronto, stands near the front of the line in first position, her eyelashes glittering with tiny sequins. "I focussed a lot on my dancing [in Halifax] but this time I can focus on performance. I feel more prepared this time because I know what's coming."
Without her cowgirl hat this time around, Tamara Rabbitt, 19, found her way to Montreal, saying she wasn't happy with her performance in Calgary.
"I didn't give it my all and know that I can do better. I made it to the choreography round and I figured if I got that far, I'd give it another shot." Where last time, she performed a jazzy solo, she's whipped up a more contemporary and lyrical dance for Montreal.
Break out!
"Historically, Quebeckers are very humble people," Genereux says, citing famous hockey players and performers. But he cautions Montreal competitors to break out of these humble shells: "Be as loud as you are in your kitchen with your best friend and put it all out on stage."
Photos dans l'article
source:
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/s ... /20080527/
SYTYCDA_montreal_auditions_20080527/20080527?s_name=
dance2008&no_ads=
--Message edité par felix le 2008-06-07 18:09:15--