Louise Lecavalier is a powerhouse in Canadian contemporary dance. She danced with the renowned dance company La La La Human Steps for two decades and was the company’s primary dancer and inspiration. In 2012, Lecavalier premiered her very own choreographed production So Blue and the performance is part of the High Performance Rodeo Theatre Festival.
So Blue opens with Lecavalier performing solo work, quick strong movements across the floor. It’s set to pulsing, rhythmic music by Mercan Dede and it’s all very quick and free. It’s repetition and frenzy in precise little movements that are performed at a mind-bending speed. In the second part of her solo, Lecavalier performs while in a headstand. It’s so impressive to watch. Her movement is so steady and precise, you cannot help but be obsessed with the power in her physicality.
Though Lecavalier’s solo demonstrates her raw physicality, it lacks a bit of pull in terms of the choreography. It lags a bit and the audience can get lost. But when Frédéric Tavernini joins her on stage in the second half of So Blue, the performance is more engaging. Tavernini and Lecavalier play off each other and share energy. Their movement melts and blends together, it’s sometimes hard to keep track of their separate staccato movements. There is one section in which Lecavalier hangs straight off of Tavernini, like a straight cape, and he moves along the stage. It’s powerful.
The duo engage in impressive lifts and spins at an insane speed, all in boxes of different coloured light designed by Alain Lortie. It’s sharp and quick, and the duet work is beautiful in its power and speed.
So Blue has its moments that lag and all blend together but the duet work is compelling. Lecavalier’s sheer physicality and strength is worth coming out for.
Louise Lecavalier and Fou Glorieux’s So Blue is part of the 31st annual High Performance Rodeo. There are two more performances. More information is available here.