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Dancers in the driver’s seat

For much of the average ballet dancer’s career, he or she is an interpreter of somebody else’s creations, a vehicle through which a choreographer can express a vision or tell a story. Not so for the dancers of les Grands Ballets canadiens de Montreal. Each year, Les Grands Ballets gives ten dancers the opportunity to step out of their usual roles and stage the Dancers’ Choreography Workshop. The participants are not only choreographing new works to be premiered during this weekend-long celebration of new talent, but also form the shows’ production crew and handle administrative tasks like press relations.

The participants have complete creative license over the dances they produce for the workshop. The resulting sense of freedom is evident in the works produced—fun but still serious, they consistently push the boundaries of the art form. Like the dancers who created them, each piece is sure to have a unique perspective, and the juxtaposition of many choreographic voices over the course of an evening will make the workshop an interesting show to watch.

The Dancers’ Choreographic Workshop runs September 10-12 at the Cinquième Salle of Place des Arts. For more information, visit grandsballets.qc.ca.