Inspired by a painting of Jean-Paul Lemieux’s, and set in a wintry landscape reminiscent of Lemieux’s childhood in Quebec City, the work explores the interior lives of three young women on the cusp of adulthood, alternating between the utter wonderment and discovery of youth and the uncertainty and loneliness of adolescence.
About the work:
Set and styled in a specific time and place, Quebec in the late 1950’s, Lemieux made the conscious decision to remove her personal story of growing up in the 70’s and anchor the work in a more collective Quebec memory. The scenic starting point for the work is a painting of the same name created by Jean Paul Lemieux in 1965.
“’Julie et l’Univers is a painting that has become an icon of Lemieux’s pictorial maturity. The universe is the land, vast and cold in its winter whiteness. Julie is an emblem of youth, a time when everything is possible. A vertical presence, facing front, she holds us with the openness and candour of her gaze. The warm colour of her coat seems to project her forward; behind her, the low light of a clouded sun defines the landscape. Time and space are masterfully evoked here, and the exchange is richly rewarding.” – Art Canada Institute
Choreography: Laurence Lemieux
Pianist: Jeanie Chung
Performers : Morgyn Aronyk- Schell, Sierra Chin Sawdy, Claire Whitaker
Music: Franz Schubert Piano Sonata in B-Flat Major, D.960
Lighting: Noah Feaver
Set Design: Simon Rossiter
Costume Design: Krista Dowson
Tyler Gledhill – Touring + Development
development@citadelcie.com
416-882-2163
304 Parliament Street
Toronto, Ontario M5A 3A4
Led by Artistic Director Laurence Lemieux, Compagnie de la Citadelle is a Canadian professional dance organization that creates, produces and presents works on local, national, and international scales from its home base in a former Salvation Army Citadel in Toronto.
Having created over twenty-five original works, Lemieux continues to refine her choreographic vision with works ranging from intimate solos like A Perfect Day, to large scale ensemble works like Vimy 1917. From 2008-2020, James Kudelka, one of Canada’s finest choreographers, served as the company’s resident choreographer, allowing him to revisit some of his greatest works while making way for challenging new contemporary creations.
Through remount initiatives, the company is also dedicated to the preservation of important Canadian dance work, making available iconic repertoire to a new generation of dancers, including the work of the late Jean-Pierre Perreault.
Since its foundation in 2000, Compagnie de la Citadelle has toured extensively, travelling to Russia, Scotland’s Edinburgh Festival, and Vimy, France, as well as major U.S. tours to L.A., Louisiana, Portland, the acclaimed Jacob’s Pillow Festival in Massachusetts, and The Battery Dance Festival in NYC.