Stations

She defies the laws of gravity as easily as she defies the genetic capabilities of human beings. At 63, she still dances as if it takes no effort at all. Louise Lecavalier – 'a flame on legs', 'queen of speed, endurance and innovation' – was already a legend in the 1980s as the muse of Edouard Lock and his famous company La La La Human Steps. She was a beast on stage: she lifted men like they were feathers, made insane double screws in the air, and had biceps that the average docker can only dream of. At the same time, she managed not only to impress her audience with her strength, speed and energy, but also to touch their hearts and minds with her dance.

Her androgynous appearance and physical strength contribute to a new way of looking at conventional male-female relationships. With her tawny body, she is still very strong, and she still moves faster and more energetically than many young talents. Lecavalier is a familiar face at Julidans with her company Fou glorieux, founded in 2006.
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She has been on the main stage with numerous performances, such as Children & A Few Minutes of Lock and So Blue. Het Parool (2019) wrote about Battleground: ‘The dancer who shone alongside David Bowie in the 1980s still proves herself a powerful and breathtakingly quick dance partner in this duet.’

Her dance language is a combination of raw energy and emotional expressiveness. In her new solo Stations, she goes in search of the pure essence of dance in four physical states: fluidity, control, meditation, and obsession. Surfing on the movements of low and high tide, Lecavalier seeks the ultimate freedom. Between bird and elephant, between the desire to fly and the need to be grounded. Every fibre of her body expresses in Stations what cannot be said in words. For Lecavalier, this quest for liberation is a necessity: ‘I threw myself at every step as if my life was at stake.’

In four stations and as many corporeal states—fluidity, control, meditation, and obsession—, Louise Lecavalier continues her vertiginous exploration of dance.

premiere February 14, 2020, tanzhaus nrw, Düsseldorf
created and performed by Louise Lecavalier
artistic assistant and rehearsal director France Bruyère

music
– Station 1 “Body”, Antoine Berthiaume (original music)
– Stations II “The Lure of the Mine”, Colin Stetson
– Stations III “In Touch”, Suuns and Jerusalem in My Heart
– Stations IV
 “Quiet” and “Station finale”, Antoine Berthiaume (original music);
“To See More Light” (excerpt), Colin Stetson;
“Neressimo”, Teho Teardo and Blixa Bargeld

musical arrangements Antoine Berthiaume
lighting design Alain Lortie
scenography advisor Marc-André Coulombe
costumes Yso, Marilène Bastien
production and stage manager François Marceau
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co-production Fou Glorieux ; tanzhaus nrw, Düsseldorf ; HELLERAU – European Centre for the Arts, Dresden ; Festival TransAmériques, Montreal ; Usine C, Montreal ; Harbourfront Centre, Performing Arts, Toronto ; National Arts Centre, Ottawa ; SFU Woodward’s Cultural Programs, Vancouver ; Diffusion Hector-Charland, L’Assomption and Repentigny

Fou glorieux
administrative director Cyrille Commer
company tour manager and communications director Anne Viau
technical director François Marceau
booking agent Europe Anne-Lise Gobin, Alma Office

Fou Glorieux is supported by the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Montreal Arts Council. Louise Lecavalier gratefully acknowledges her co-producers and supporters. She would also like to thank Patrick Lamothe for his contribution to the musical research