Printemps Nordique At Place Des Arts Starts Today

At Place des Arts, spring is coming and it will be Nordic!

The culture of Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland and Finland to be featured throughout the month of April Montréal, March 1st, 2018 - This year, at Place des Arts, spring is going to be Nordic!

From April 4 to 29, 2018, Printemps nordique, an important new project, will present performances and activities from the Nordic cultures of Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland and Finland. Besides being an unprecedented artistic and cultural event for Québec, this series of events will highlight the values of cooperation, humanism, and environmental consciousness of these fascinating countries.

Theatre, contemporary opera, dance, circus, music, and marionettes will introduce the public and Montréal professionals to talented artists and strengthen the bonds between the Québécois and Nordic cultures. With some ten shows, twenty-three performances and several free activities - such as round tables, master classes, and public discussions - audiences will be able to immerse themselves in the social and cultural features of these Northern European countries.

"Place des Arts is thrilled to host so many artists and take spectators from every walk of life on a multidisciplinary voyage into the heart of the Nordic cultures. The richness of the Printemps nordique program contributes to the vitality of our multidisciplinary cultural complex, a unique space for the performing arts and a national institution that is very active in developing partnerships," says Clothilde Cardinal, Director of Programming, Place des Arts, and the instigator of the program.

A Boldly Diversified Program Contemporary dance will be showcased from April 5 to at Théâtre Maisonneuve!

Again cooperation with the Danse Danse series, Printemps nordique's inaugural show will feature the zero visibility corp. presenting Again, a unique work that combines the power of emotions with music. The shadow play, virtuoso lifts, and floor movements were choreographed by Ina Christel Johannessen, founder of this internationally acclaimed Norwegian company. The audience will be able to speak with the creators and performers after April 6 show. Guest dancer : Anne Plamondon

Also at Théâtre Maisonneuve, an operatic work will be presented in English on April 14. Produced by Hotel Pro Forma, a veritable laboratory of the visual arts and performance in Denmark, NeoArtic by Kirsten Dehlholm, with texts by Icelandic writer Sjón and interpreted by the internationally renowned Latvian Radio Choir, it's sure to be an event! This evocative, poetic, and avant-garde musical performance was inspired by humankind's disruption of the earth's ecosystems. Twelve remarkable singers switch from classical singing to electronic music - composed by acclaimed British music producer Andy Stott - as they bring the spectator on a breathtaking journey through different visual landscapes. Presented in Danish with French and English supertitles. Theatre lovers will be delighted to witness the first Québec visit of Sweden's Royal Dramatic

Doktor Glas Theatre - the famous Dramaten - with their play Doktor Glas on April 27 and 28 at Théâtre Maisonneuve. The play is an excerpt from the novel by Hjalmar Söderberg, which was first published in Sweden in 1905 and caused a major uproar because of its use of two then-scandalous themes: sex and death. Today, this masterful solo performance stars actor Krister Henriksson, best known for his role in the detective series Wallander, which has been translated into several languages and published around the world. Doktor Glas was a hit in the Nordic countries and elsewhere, including London's West End. The daily The Guardian published a rave review, describing Doktor Glas as a hybrid of suspense and metaphysical essay with poetic moments and a few points of black humour.The play was adapted and directed by Peder Bjurman, who regularly collaborates with Robert Lepage. The play will be presented in Swedish, with supertitles in French and English.

On April 28, Maison symphonique will host Norwegian Anglophone folk-pop singer Ane Brun. The artist was a hit on her first visit to Montréal before going on to open for a Peter Gabriel tour. She was also the recipient of a gold record in Norway, and was awarded best female artist at Spellemannprisen winning the prize for Song of the Year in 2005. This concert is being presented with the participation of the Immersive Festival of Scandinavian Kultur and Art - FIKA(S).

The Knowledge Save the date for either April 6 or 7 at Cinquième Salle for The Knowledge, a work starring theextraordinary multidisciplinary Swedish artist Gunilla Heilborn. Alone on the stage, our host will humorously explore the mysteries of the brain in a conference discussing such diverse themes as memory, maritime navigation, and taxi driving in London! Gunilla Heilborn will speak with the public following the April 7 performance. The show is in English only.

On April 9, Norwegian duo Arvvas will perform a unique musical show featuring Sami singer Sara Marielle Gaupand contrabassist Steinar Raknesat Salle Claude-Léveillée. This show is presented in collaboration with FIKA(S).

From April 12 to 15 at Cinquième Salle, you'll be able to witness the Finnish circus act Dois with Dois twins Luis and Pedro Sartori do Vale, organized in partnership with TOHU, in which the two artists evoke complicity, intimacy, fraternity, and rivalry. With much humour, poetry, risks, and fragility, one discovers that the differences that set them apart are ultimately what unite them. The audience will be able to speak with the Sartori Do Vale brothers on April 13.

From April 17 to 21, celebrated Finnish dancer and choreographer Tero Saarinen will charm audiences with his dance performance Breath, in collaboration with renowned accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen, as part of the Danse Danse program. The show offers an inviting dialogue between dance and music with stunning visual effects designed by Mikki Kunttu. The Cinquième Salle audience will be able to speak with Tero Saarinen after the shows on April 18, 19 and 20. On April 27, author Ragnar Jonasson invites the public to a discussion at Salle Claude-Léveillée. This master of Islandic crime fiction won the Dead Good Reader Awards 2016 for Nightblind. Don't miss this opportunity to discover this exceptional author. The event will be presented in English with French translation as requested.

To close the event, the theatrical marionette show Papper, part of the popular family series Place Papper des Arts Junior and produced by Sweden's oldest marionette theatre, the Marionetteatern, will enthral children ages 4 and older on April 28 and 29 at Cinquième Salle. The show is a joyful and surprising mix of shadow theatre, marionettes, actors, dance, visual art and music.

Free Activities for Nordic Culture Fans Many free activities will be offered throughout Printemps nordique in the various spaces of Place des Arts.

From April 5 to 29, the exhibit hall of Espace culturel Georges-Émile-Lapalme will welcome the exhibit Frost - The life and culture of the Sámi. The Sámi are an Arctic First Nation whose territory extends to northern Finland, Norway and Sweden. In the exhibit, photographer Fred Ivar Utsi Klemesten portrays the life and culture of these nomadic reindeer herders and offers a glimpse of their way of life.

Digital arts will not be outdone, with Leges Motus (the laws of movement), an exclusive piece created by the multimedia artists Dark Matters (Denmark) and presented on the screen mosaic of Espace culturel Georges-Émile-Lapalm. Inspired by the work of Edward Muybridge, a pioneer on animal movement, the work of art acts as a "reverse X-ray." Each visual variation portrays a different dimension, another reality. The installation's 35 screens act as distorting prisms that direct visitors' attention towards different worlds. From April 5 to 29.

A strong symbol of the Sami culture, the "lavvo" (tipi) has been used for more than 2,000 years and "lavvo" echoes First Nation cultures in Quebec and Canada. A traditional "lavvo" will be erected in the heart of the Espace culturel Georges-Émile-Lapalme from April 4 to 29. Visitors will be able to listen to traditional and modern Sami music. A true experience of the Sami peoples' world!

Round tables Conferences about books, distribution and cultural research between Quebec and the various Nordic cultures are planned for April 4, 5 and 6, in collaboration with the Chaire de recherche sur l'imaginaire du Nord, de l'hiver et de l'Arctique de l'Université du Québec à Montréal. Space is limited - first come, first served. Round Table Quebec - Scandinavia about the future of books April 4 - 2 pm to 5 pm - Salle Claude-Léveillée In French and English with French translation as requested What does the future hold for books? Editors, translators and researchers from Quebec and Norway will discuss the question and the issues and strategies that enable a new approach to literature and books. This Round Table is organized with the collaboration of Daniel Chartier, Director of the Chaire de recherche sur l'imaginaire du Nord, de l'hiver et de l'Arctique de l'Université du Québec à Montréal and of Margery Vibe Skagen, Associate Profession, Department of Foreign Languages at the University of Bergen.

International Round Table of Creation, Diffusion and Research on the North and the Arctic April 5 - 9 am to 5 pm- Salle Claude-Léveillée April 6 - 9 am to 5 pm- Room PK-1140 at the Pavilion Président-Kennedy at the UQAM (Université de Québec à Montréal) In French and English with French translation as requested Artists, writers, distributors, people responsible for cultural manifestations, professors, researchers and post-graduate students will come to discuss and share their expertise by presenting one of their projects related to the North and the Arctic. This Round Table is organized by the Chaire de recherche sur l'imaginaire du Nord, de l'hiver et de l'Arctique de l'Université du Québec à Montréal and co-chaired by Daniel Chartier (Unitersité du Québec à Montréal) and Margery Vige Skagen (Bergen University). Master Class on writing detective series April 10 - 7pm to 9pm - Cinquième Salle In French and English with simultaneous translation

Luc Dionne Space is limited - first come, first served. Presented by the Risque en séries team (UQAM) Three well-known screenwriters - Luc Dionne (District 31 and Blue Moon creator), Martin Michaud (novelist and writer of the hit series Victor Lessard) as well as the Swede

Test and expand your Broadway knowledge with our new game - The Broadway Match-Up! How well do you know your Broadway casting trivia?	Play the Daily Game, explore current shows, and delve into past decades like the 2000s, 80s, and the Golden Age. Challenge your friends and see where you rank!
How well do you know your Tony Awards history? Take our never-ending quiz of nominations and winner history and challenge your friends.	Can you beat your friends? Play today’s daily Broadway word game, featuring a new theatrically inspired word or phrase every day!