RUBBERBANDance’s Ever So Slightly runs October 11-12, 2018 at the Fleck Dance Theatre, preceding the premiere in Montreal. Here, we speak with the production’s dramaturge, Mathieu Leroux, on his creative process and working with choreographer Victor Quijada.
DANCEWORKS: Can you talk about your role as dramaturge in Ever So Slightly? How do you approach a new work?
MATHIEU: I am very structured and I have specific ways to create or generate ideas, but I think that the job of a dramaturge is to adapt to the creator’s way of working, to figure out his or her process, and try to help push that process further. Victor’s brain is like a giant tornado, so step one is to listen, make sense of the creative storm that is going on, and find your way into that storm to find a common language.
Based on talks with Victor, I outlined an initial pitch. What was the piece about? What were the main themes? Was a strong esthetic being conveyed?
As Victor started to work in the studio, I observed how things developed and brought images, texts, and textures to stimulate everyone’s thoughts and give some emotional context/meaning to certain parts of the piece in progress. Slowly, we worked on getting the structure of the piece more clear and identified what was strong, weak, and what was needed. There were also conversations with Victor about sequencing, spacing, content of certain segments, meaning, and general look to the work.
DANCEWORKS: Did you encounter any creative challenges while working on the production? If so, what? And how did you overcome the challenges?
MATHIEU: The main challenge we faced is related to working with a super-specific language. This is what we do with the RUBBERBAND Method – it is our movement dictionary and what is used to initiate conversation among our dancers. How do we open up new possibilities and ways to approach a piece when working with a distinct vocabulary? This has been one of the main focuses of the creative process, and we have been using new paths, opening doors, and trying different approaches to Victor’s theatrical work.
DANCEWORKS: Thank you, Mathieu.
DanceWorks presents RUBBERBANDance Group’s Ever So Slightly on October 11-12, 2018 at 8pm and the Fleck Dance Theatre. Tickets available at the Box Office at 416-973-4000 or here.
Looking for more? Read an interview with choreographer Victor Quijada.
