Vimy 1917

CHOREOGRAPHED BY: LAURENCE LEMIEUX
RUN TIME: 60 MINUTES

VIMY 1917 pays tribute to The Battle of Vimy Ridge, during the First World War in France. The full-length work honours the bravery and sacrifice of the many soldiers who lost their lives on the battle fields, while giving new life to the stories of eight soldiers whose lives were taken far too soon.

About the work:

The artistic team and its eight dancers travelled to France to perform the work for the 100th anniversary of The Battle of Vimy Ridge in 2017 at the Vimy War Memorial. The work premiered in Toronto later that year. 

The cast was nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance.

Choreographer’s Statement:

VIMY 1917 studies the mass versus the individual, the space versus the lack of room, the solitude within a group, fear, strength and pride – all elements that work towards expressing the monumental subject that is war. At first glance one may think a battle is an odd inspiration for a work of contemporary dance, but really this work expresses the emotions present within these soldiers who so valiantly gave their lives to defend ideology and our freedom. It looks into the very personal to create a work that can reverberate and express this overwhelming subject.

—Laurence Lemieux