École de danse contemporaine de Montréal to Present Upcoming Works by Five Choreographers

In May, the École de danse contemporaine de Montréal will present two series of performances bringing together five world-class choreographers. Three Montreal-based artists-Marie Chouinard, Manuel Roque and Ethan Colangelo-will appear alongside Canadian choreographer Christopher House and European choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. Featuring major works from the repertoire and original creations, this season reflects the vitality of the Montreal dance scene and its connections to national and international contemporary networks.

For their final series of performances with the School, the graduating cohort will perform two landmark works from the global contemporary repertoire, presented as part of Les danses de mai, Opus 2026, from May 20 to 23.

The revival of Henri Michaux: Mouvements by Marie Chouinard ensures the transmission of a major choreographic legacy. The Quebec choreographer transforms the ink drawings of poet and painter Henri Michaux into a true choreographic score. Projected in the background, the drawings interact with the dancers' bodies, offering audiences a dual reading-both visual and embodied-of a 20th-century masterpiece.

In the iconic Noetic, Belgian choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui explores our instinctive need to structure the world while revealing our deep desire to transcend these structures. Movements that appear mechanical and automated expose how we construct, modify, and deconstruct reality both individually and collectively. The performance of this large-scale work, created by GöteborgsOperans Danskompani, reflects the high level of excellence achieved by the dancers on the eve of their graduation.

First- and second-year students will take the stage in Les danses croisées, from May 13 to 16 at Tangente.

The young dancers will tackle Vena cava by Christopher House, a prominent figure in Canadian dance and former artistic director of the Toronto Dance Theatre. His fluid, musical and deeply human style highlights the strength of the collective and the intelligence of the moving body. The program also includes two original creations: Summertime by Manuel Roque, known for his radical approach and exploration of endurance and presence, and a new work by Ethan Colangelo, a young Canadian choreographer invited to create for Nederlands Dans Theater 2 and Ballet BC, whose incisive physicality and rhythmic writing question contemporary dynamics.

A must-see event to discover emerging talent These performances mark a decisive step in the students' journey, as they are called upon to engage with works of international scope while championing resolutely contemporary creations. Through this meeting of heritage and innovation, the École de danse contemporaine de Montréal reaffirms its mission: to train exceptional dancers capable of embodying, with rigor and sensitivity, choreographic works that are as diverse as they are demanding.