Banner’s picture : Claudia Chan Tak

LOUISE BÉDARD DANSE, DANSE COMPANY

Since 1990 when it was founded, Louise Bédard Danse is constantly working on new ways of creating and thinking about dance. The company’s primary mandate is the creation and production of original works of contemporary dance, mainly those of the choreographer and artistic director Louise Bédard. The company is committed to artistic research, in the context of its own dance productions, through commissioned work, various other artistic collaborations and even teaching activities. Louise Bédard Danse encourages interactions between different generations by opening up to a diversity of collaborators and through the support of younger artists. Over the years, the company has established its reputation by the quality and professionalism of its productions.

Led by a choreographer who constantly questions and renews her art, Louise Bédard Danse is constantly in search of alternate ways to present dance, to reach out to new audiences and maintain a constant dialogue with the public. From its beginnings, the company has toured throughout, Québec and Canada, across Europe, in the United States, and in Mexico while also performing in various festivals throughout the world.

With more than thirty original works, including solos, group pieces or in situ proposals, fifteen commissions for different groups or artists, numerous residency projects and twenty or so mediation workshops Louise Bédard is one of the recognized choreographers of Quebec's choreographic landscape. Recipient of several prizes and finalist at the 31st Grand Prix of the Montreal Arts Council (2016) with Cartes postales de Chimère (1996, rehearsal in 2015) and Série Solos, the company is constantly evolving by transmitting a rich vision of dance as a language in itself.

(…) Develop quality works, centered on the human experience, with the creative input of talented artists and collaborators, with respect, honesty and cooperation in mind.

Led by a choreographer constantly questioning and renewing her art, herself supported by a daring and committed team, the company is always on the lookout for new ways to spread the dance, reach audiences and maintain with them a continuous and dynamic link.

Louise Bédard engages in each of her activities with generosity and experience, without compromising on her requirements, her audacity and the singularity of her interpretative and choreographic work. Louise Bédard Danse is both a non-profit organization and a registered charity. The company is a member of Circuit-Est center choregraphique and thus benefits from rehearsal spaces and offices within it.

In parallel with its dance productions, the company has a strong link with the visual arts and makes known the work of artists who inspired the works of Louise Bédard. The company has been the instigator of the exhibitions Tina Modotti, photographies 1924-1929 and Collages Hannah Höch 1889-1978. These efforts are all demonstrations of a desire to provide the general public with keys to understand and appreciate contemporary dance while using original and accessible methods.

Collage, painting, sculpture, drawing and photography mark the path of Louise Bédard and continue to be elements with which she has a special relationship. The visual arts are part of her creative process and provide another key to the work that is being played on stage. Louise creates collages and photomontages alongside her creative activities in dance.