Sylvain Émard
Photo: Danseur : Mathieu Hérard ©Sébastien Provencher
Workshop - Les corps en alerte
Overview of the choreographer's work of gestural exploration through exercises aimed at promoting the full physical and mental engagement of the performer.
Sylvain Émard
© Camille Gladu Drouin
Workshop
Monday, June 2
9:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.
(3.5 hours)
Part of the ICONS week
Wilder Building
Studio: to be confirmed
Sylvain Émard
A prolific artist of international renown, Sylvain Émard created his company, Sylvain Émard Danse, in 1990. From a marked theatricality at the beginning, his work quickly moved towards a more formal dance. From Ozone, Ozone (1987), his first solo, to Les Champs Magnétiques (2025), Sylvain Émard explores the territory of human nature through the power of the body. Today, his repertoire includes some thirty original pieces whose resonance extends well beyond Quebec.
Known for the refinement and precision of his gestures, Sylvain Émard surprised many by creating Le Grand Continental at the Festival TransAmériques in 2009. Since then, this contemporary line dance has moved more than 3,000 local amateur dancers across Canada, the United States, Mexico, South Korea, New Zealand, Chile, Germany and Austria, attracting some 125,000 spectators. In September 2017, Le Super Méga Continental brought together 375 Montrealers on the Place des Festivals to celebrate the city’s 375th anniversary.
A rigorous and inventive creator, Sylvain Émard navigates different artistic spheres. This is how Robert Lepage invited him to set Lorin Maazel’s opera 1984 into motion, which was presented at the Royal Opera House in London and La Scala in Milan.
Recipient of several distinctions, including the prestigious Jean A. Chalmers Award for his entire body of work, he also recently received a 2024 Recognition Award, awarded by the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership, in tribute to his contribution to the cultural vitality of Montreal. Sylvain Émard is also co-founder of Circuit-Est centre chorégraphique.