Ballets Jazz Montréal
Past, present and future collide to mark the half-century of Ballets Jazz Montréal. Choreographers Ausia Jones, Crystal Pite and Aszure Barton are the creators of this sparkling program, entitled ESSENCE.
Ausia Jones : We Can’t Forget About What’s His Name
Crystal Pite : Ten Duets on a Theme of Rescue
Aszure Barton: Les Chambres des Jacques
Ballets Jazz Montréal has a long and rich history of excellence, innovation and above all, passion. Crossing eras and boundaries, these tireless globetrotters project themselves into the future, convinced that dance can speak to audiences of all backgrounds. To mark the company’s 50th anniversary, its new artistic director, Alexandra Damiani, has put together an all-female triple bill that expresses the quintessence of her vision. Two iconic works, Aszure Barton’s Les Chambres des Jacques and Crystal Pite’s Ten Duets on a Theme of Rescue, share the program with a new piece, We Can’t Forget About What’s His Name, by Ausia Jones, a young Ballets Jazz Montréal performer whose movement language is rooted in groove and counterpoint. Hats off!
Artists
Originally from Dallas, Texas, Ausia Jones received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance with a focus on choreography at the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. While at USC Kaufman, Ausia received training at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Orsolina Forsythe/Pite, and Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival.
In a choreographic career spanning three decades, Crystal Pite has created more than 50 works for dance companies in Canada and around the world. She is the founding artistic director of the Vancouver-based company Kidd Pivot, world-renowned for radical hybrids of dance and theater.
Aszure Barton was born and raised in Alberta, Canada. She is the founder and director of Aszure Barton & Artists, a collective of visual, sound, and performing artists, and her work continues to tour to Europe, Asia, and Africa as well as Argentina, Brazil, Canada, and the United States.
Company
Founded in 1972 by Geneviève Salbaing, Eva Von Genscy, and Eddy Toussaint, Ballets Jazz Montréal is a contemporary dance repertory company which, under the artistic direction of Alexandra Damiani, creates, produces, and presents on local, national, and international stages. The company collaborates with internationally renowned choreographers who develop their own research to generate a repertoire that reflects BJM's identity and is accessible to all audiences.
Credits
We Can't Forget About What's His Name
Choreography Ausia Jones.
Music Jasper Gahunia, Stephen Krecklo & William Lamoureux aka Earth Boring.
Lighting Design Claude Plante.
Costume Design Anne-Marie Veevaete.
World Premiere 6 août 2022, Saint-Sauveur, Canada.
Ten Duets On A Theme Of Rescue
Choreography Crystal Pite.
Stager Cindy Salgado.
Music Solaris par Cliff Martinez.
Lighting Design Jim French.
Costume Design Linda Chow.
World, Premiere 10 janvier 2008, New York, USA.
Les Chambres Des Jacques
Choreography Aszure Barton.
Assistant to the choreographer Andrew Murdock.
Music Gilles Vigneault, Antonio Vivaldi, Les Yeux Noirs, The Cracow Klezmer Band & Alberto Iglesias.
Lighting Daniel Ranger.
Costume Design Rémi Van Bochove.
World Premiere Octobre 27, 2006, Albany, United States.
Dancers : Alyssa Allen, Gustavo Barros, Yosmell Calderon Mejias, John Canfield, Diana Cedeno, Astrid Dangeard, Hannah Kate Galbraith, Shanna Irwin, Ausia Jones, Austin Lichty, Jordan Lang, Marcel Mejia, Andrew Mikhaiel, Eden Solomon.
Ballets Jazz Montréal thanks the Marjorie and Gerald Bronfman Foundation for supporting this creation.
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