NU
Choregraphy : Harold Rhéaume
Premiere : novembre 2008
Audience: General
Length: 60 minutes
Lay bare… without undressing
Let’s get the obvious question out of the way: in NU, the dancers do not appear naked. Instead, what is laid bare here is the essential vulnerability that makes us human.
With the high degree of sensitivity that has become his trademark, Rhéaume offers us a deeply personal piece in which human relations take the centre stage. And human relations are a lot like dance as Rhéaume sees it: complex, a little bit dangerous, and endlessly subtle.
Bodies come together as sensuous sculptures with a tenderness that will warm your heart and make you forget, momentarily, the prevailing cynicism of our times.
Premiering as part of La Rotonde’s 2008 season, the show played to sold-out houses and left audiences thoroughly convinced and deeply touched.
“I had tears in my eyes!”
— Julie Lajoie
“Your show moved me, body and soul. When I walked out the door, I had no choice but to believe that we are capable of beautiful things, good things.”
— Marie-Claude Larrivée
“An extraordinary production, daring and evocative. I was touched from start to finish.”
— Jean-Pierre Cloutier
“Thanks for giving me the chance to taste so much, so much beautiful movement, so much elegance.”
— Audrey Castonguay
“Thank you so much for this lovely gift that is NU. The dancers were luminous – Bravo!”
— Clément Beaumont
“Accessible in the best sense of the word (…) Transparency of the kind we rarely find in contemporary dance today (…) not a wasted moment (…) Harold Rhéaume’s NU is a stunning performance.”
— LE DEVOIR
“Rhéaume garners rave reviews wherever he goes (…) His work is shot through with a human touch, poignant as a knife to the heart. The pieces gets inside of you, leaves you feeling naked, and stay with you long after the curtain drops on the magnificent finale.”
— VOIR
“Moments of great beauty and emotion (…) The dancers’ physicality and Rhéaume’s sensitive choreography create powerful images you will not soon forget.”
— LE SOLEIL
Residencies
April 2008 — Théâtre de la Ville (Longueuil)
September 2007 — Salle Albert-Dumouchel (Valleyfield)
August 2007 — Salle Pauline-Julien (Ste-Geneviève)
Credits
Dancers
Marilou Castonguay
Alan Lake
Alexandre Parenteau
Arielle Warnke St-Pierre
Music
Mathieu Doyon
Katia Makdissi-Warren
Lighting design
Lucie Bazzo
Stage design
Lucie Bazzo
Harold Rhéaume
Costume design
Janie Gagnon
Other collaborators
Christian Garon
Catherine Guay
Vincent Poliquin-Simms
Video capture
Denis Dubuc
Video editing
Synonyme média
Photos
Lucie Bazzo
David Cannon
Performances and tours
20 November 2010 — OFF CINARS • Maison de la culture Ahunstic-Cartierville (Montréal)
26 November 2010 — Théâtre Mirella et Lino Saputo (Montréal)
30 November 2010 — Maison de la culture Frontenac (Montréal)
2 Décember 2010 — Maison culturelle et communautaire de Montréal-Nord (Montréal)
17 February 2009 — RIDEAU • Caserne Dalhousie (Quebec)
30, 31 October and 1 November 2008 — Salle Multi • La Rotonde (Quebec)