Samuel Tétreault
©Sergio Veranes
Workshop - DIALOGUE WITH GRAVITY - Handstand and Dance
This workshop is for dancers interested in learning the art of handstands and exploring a hybrid choreographic language, combining dance and balance in a dialogue with gravity.
Each half-day workshop is divided into three parts:
- A guided warm-up (to prepare the body for handstands).
- A technical handstand workshop (foundations and basic principles, educational and technical learning of two-handed balance, and, depending on the participants' level, progression to one-handed balance techniques and various possible variations).
- A movement and exploration workshop in Dance-Balance (concepts of gravity and levitation, grounding, ascent and fall, acro-equine-dance vocabulary, partnering, improvisation tools, and choreographic scores)
Lead by Samuel Tétreault, assisted by Marie-Ève Dicaire
Samuel Tétreault
assisted by Marie-Ève Dicaire
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© Fransisco Cruz & Alexis Vigneault
Workshop
DIALOGUE WITH GRAVITY
June 1 to 5, 2026
9:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.
(17.5 hours)
École de Danse Contemporaine de Montréal
Studio: to be confirmed
Pricing and
Registration
DAC member - $ 193
Standard - $ 315
*This workshop may be partially reimbursed through the RQD Dancer Training Support Program . Please verify directly with the RQD.
Samuel Tétreault
Co-founder and Artistic Director of Les 7 doigts de la main (The 7 Fingers), Samuel Tétreault is a graduate of the National Circus School of Montreal. In 1996, he launched a remarkable career as a hand balancer by winning a silver medal at the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain, before joining Cirque du Soleil’s Alegria, where he performed more than 1,500 times.
In 2002, driven by the desire to create an author-driven circus, he became one of the seven co-founders of the collective Les 7 doigts de la main. Initially trained in the art of stillness, Samuel quickly developed a passion for dance—the art of movement—and for the past 30 years has explored the possibilities of dialogue between dance and circus arts, collaborating in particular with Marie Chouinard, Victor Quijada, and Marcos Morau. As an Artistic Director and Stage Director, Samuel is recognized for his creative versatility. His interest in interdisciplinary creation has led him to direct a wide range of works that blend circus arts with dance, theatre, visual arts, historical research, and digital creativity. His award-winning creations have been presented on prestigious stages around the world, including Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Les Nuits de Fourvière, the Melbourne Festival, La Villette in Paris, and the Hong Kong Arts Festival.
Marie-Ève Dicaire
Marie-Ève Dicaire began her artistic training in dance. After three years of practice, she felt something was missing—without yet realizing it was circus. She auditioned for the National Circus School of Montreal and was accepted as a hand balancer, quickly discovering in this discipline a rare blend of precision and fluidity. Since graduating in 2006, she has presented her act around the world with numerous circus companies, including Cirque Monti, Cirque Starlight, Cirque Plume, Cirque Éloize, Cirque du Soleil, and Les 7 doigts de la main (The 7 Fingers), as well as in many variety shows in Germany. More recently, she had the privilege of teaching hand balancing for three years at the prestigious National Circus School of Montreal. Today, Marie-Ève continues to evolve as a dancer—now, however, she does so while balancing on her hands.