In Conversation with Manu Roque

What inspired the concept behind your work le vent se lève? 

It was a long process that started during the pandemic, as soon as we could get back into studios. I was trying to overcome some injuries, I was applying to get a “real job” in order to pay my rent, and it became obvious that I wasn’t ready to let go of dance. So, I went back to the studio and started moving instinctively, without any pressure of a production.  
The context was still chaotic, in my personal life and in the world, so the idea of trying to navigate chaos arose and guided the development of the physicality. How being in an off-balanced situation you still try to find a sense of directionality. Not just reacting to being off-balance, but also trying to go somewhere. 
It was the way I invented going back to dance…I guess in some way, each of my processes have this kind of purpose.  

How does this work reflect your artistic journey or evolution as a choreographer? 

I was already working with the concepts: morphing, repetition and duration; so, it was natural for me to see how far I could go with these ideas, without getting bored and/or boring the audience.  
I have this intuition that less is more, so the process was a lot about letting go of choreographic material, keeping only the essential and digging into it to create sensations, layers, and eventually into sense.  

Describe your creative process in developing this work. 

There is book by Rebecca Solnit ‘A field guide to getting lost’ that inspired the process. I was lost most of the time, but being lost was the way through this creation. I invited collaborators into the process very early on and, as always, it became a collaborative process.  
Nils Levazeux, a very talented young dancer, was performing the work in the studio when I couldn’t move in order to allow me to continue to work on the choreography. 
Lucie Vigneault and Sophie Michaud guided the dramaturgy and rehearsal process. They informed a lot about the durational aspect of the work, the sensation it created, and sometimes the lack of layers, or when there was too much information. 
Marilène Bastien was with us for the costume and the space – the visual aspect of the piece.  
And finally, Karine Gauthier created the lighting design. 
So even though it is a solo work, it felt as though it was a full collaborative process.  
This made a lot of sense regarding the idea of navigating chaos…maybe we navigate better in a context of community.  

What challenges did you encounter during the creation, and how did you overcome them? 

I cannot be silent about the financial condition we are working under. Sadly, it was a challenge, and it still is. I was trying to find another way to go through the production period, but as soon as you enter a theatre, you need money to pay for a technical residency, and more importantly you need to pay the collaborators you are working with fairly. It was tight…but we made it.
I am grateful for the support of La Chapelle | Scènes Contemporaines, CALQ and CAM, and I am grateful to Citadel + Compagnie and Laurence for the welcoming vibe, and to be able to share the work in Toronto.  

What emotions or thoughts do you hope to evoke in the audience through your performance? 

As an audience, I don’t really like it when I know I’m supposed to react a certain way to what is being presented… Especially with a body in movement, there are so many layers of receptivity that I prefer to create an open space where anyone can project their own journey. That being said, I am responsible for bringing forward enough layers so everyone can get some keys into the work. It could be on an emotive level, an intellectual level, or on a somatic level…I just don’t want to control how people receive the work. I find it much more interesting when the reactions are authentic and different from one another.  

How do you approach making your work accessible and engaging to diverse audiences? 

I think the more we try to be a “crowd pleaser” the less we are responding to audiences’ real expectations, which I think is to be intrigued and absorbed by something sincere, genuine, and singular.  

How do you envision the evolution of this piece beyond its presentation at Citadel Dance Exchange? 

I feel very lucky to be able to tour this work after its premiere. Before Toronto, I was in Germany and I’ll be going back to Paris in June. Continuing to work on this piece once it’s created is a part of the creative process that I love. To me, a dance piece is never done – it has to remain alive, and in order to do so, I have to dive into the process every time I dance it, which is very engaging to me.  

What are your broader goals as an artist in the contemporary dance landscape? 

To keep creating. The context pushes a loooooooot of us to just let go and start doing something else. I feel that artists are going through a “natural selection” process that is deeply unfair and deeply cruel….I think we can do better.  
I hate to hear that there are too many artists. I feel it’s like saying there are too many humans. I guess we have to become very imaginative to survive and I think one of the possibilities lays in community, working together, more than working against each other… 

If I can keep creating and keep sharing the work, I will be very happy. Sharing is an important step of the creative process.  It is when we get reactions to the work (good or bad), echoes, feedback…otherwise it is just sterile. I can go into the studio and explore, but at one point I need to create contact with an audience and collaborators. That’s when it becomes really challenging, scary and fun.