Review: Les corps avalés (Harbourfront Centre / Compagnie Virginie Brunelle)

Compagnie Virginie Brunelle's Les corps avalés, the latest addition to this year's Torque Season presented by the Harbourfront Centre, is a beautiful contemporary dance performance that explores the intricacies of human connection (and disconnection) through a range of emotions, sensualities, vulnerabilities and relationships.

No second is wasted in the sixty-five-minute show. Choreographer Virginie Brunelle, along with seven dancers, take the audience on a journey through different vignettes, each with unique movement motifs, connections, and occasional props. The performance feels fast-paced, yet every second is carefully choreographed, leaving just enough room to breathe and fully appreciate the physical and emotional expressions on display.

Throughout the performance, the dancers use their bodies to express both softness and physicality, embracing and escaping from each other's embraces. This creates an intriguing contrast between the soft and the physical, showcasing the dancers' versatility and technicality.

The opening movement section is reminiscent of various Rite of Spring choreographies that I’ve seen. All dancers perform quick two-footed stomps and continuously throw their arms up in the air on a diagonal in a mesmerizing pulse. At times, the dancers slap their chests, yell, or throw themselves into the arms or chests of fellow dancers. At others, they caress themselves in a self-soothing gesture.

One standout scene features an intimate female duet. With one dancer standing in front of the other, we see all four of their hands zealously caressing one's body. This transforms into a hug embrace, yet with straight arms out past each other, while they breathe and heave at an increasing pace, in time with each other.

The intimacy of this scene and many throughout the show is further enhanced by the lighting design by Alexandre Pilon-Guay, which manages to convey different intimate atmospheres through the use of specific area lighting for different sections. The female duet is perfectly complemented by dim lighting, just bright enough to see this intimate moment.

On stage with the dancers is the beautiful Molinari Quartet, whose cinematic and electrifying music adds an extra layer of depth to the performance. Their live presence on stage is a welcome addition, perfectly complementing the dancers' movements.

Although the company is not from too far away (Montreal, Quebec), this piece marks their Ontario debut. However, I doubt it will be long before they are invited back, given the lasting impression they leave. Les corps avalés is playing for only one more night in Toronto. Be sure to get tickets!

Les corps avalés, presented by Compagnie Virginie Brunelle and the Harbourfront Centre, is playing until February 25, 2023 at the Fleck Dance Theatre (207 Queens Quay West - 3rd Floor). Tickets are between $29 and $69. Tickets are available online here.

For more information:
Harbourfrontcentre.com
Facebook and Instagram: @HarbourfrontCentre, Twitter: @HarbourfrontTO

Virginiebrunelle.com
Instagram: @compagnievirginiebrunelle, Facebook: @VirginieBrunelle

Photo by Vanessa Fortin.

Written by Deanne Kearney
DeanneKearney.com @deannekearney