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Les ombres

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Educational objectives

Excerpts from various works reveal to students the workings of Perreault’s imagination and the ways in which his choreographic language explores the mobile elements of space. Students are led to consider other factors in the composition of a work and to develop an aesthetic sensitivity with respect to these elements.

In identifying Perreault’s unique ways of constructing space, inscribing dancers’ movements and composing a choreography, students can draw inspiration and expand their knowledge for their own artistic creations.

The worksheets below can be used together or separately, depending on teaching requirements.

Pathways to appreciation

Aspects related to artistic creation

Elements of choreographic language
- Space – orientation, direction, zones
- Relationships between partners – positioning, formations
- Scenic elements
Composition processes
Structural elements – relationship to space, formations

Aspects related to performance

Elements associated with artistic expression

Symbolic dimension

Smallness, immensity, anonymity, fragility, solitude, intimacy

Select a worksheet
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STILL IMAGES

Dance is transitory. It is difficult to grasp—no sooner is a movement executed than it disappears from our field of vision. It is recorded in our memory or as a sensation in the body.

Instruct your students to examine the images below prior to watching the dance excerpt, suggesting that take in as many elements as possible in the composition of a choreographic work—in particular, the way the space is structured.

The selected images are taken from several works by Jean-Pierre Perreault.

What could happen in this space?
How is depth created?
What does the back of the stage represent?

Stella
Jean-Pierre Perreault, artist

“All places are architectural, even landscapes. The relationship of people to space, of dancers to each other, is also architectural. The dancer is always seen in relationship to a spatial volume and to other dancers. Moreover, in my works, the relationships to space are often more important than the action.” Jean-Pierre Perreault

Adieux (1993)
Michael Slobodian, photographer

How do you imagine the dancers moving and relating to one another in this space? Where would you position the dancers? In what direction? What relationships would you establish among them?

Les Années de pèlerinagee
Jean-Pierre-Perreault, artist

What are the components of this scenic space? (e.g., set, positioning of dancers and their interactions, lighting, shadows, closed spaces, open spaces ) Describe the space to the best of your ability.

Les Éphémères (1997)
Michael Slobodian, photographer

“My tableaux are places waiting to be inhabited.” Jean-Pierre Perreault

Les Années de pèlerinage
Jean-Pierre Perreault, artist

“Dance is always situated in a place. We are always somewhere—in time, in a soundscape, in light. What I make are environments: the driving force is the human being. I am always looking for the human component. This is why I do not distinguish between my work as a choreographer, set designer or painter. I am an artist who uses all kinds of possibilities.” Jean-Pierre Perreault

Piazza (1988)
Photographer unknown

Imagine the possible trajectories, gestures and actions of the dancers in this setting. Draw and describe them. The dancers’ movements are inseparable from the scenic environment (lights, sets). How do they complement each other to communicate an emotion or idea?

Dernière Paille (2009)
Robert Etcheverry, photographer

“He populates vast spaces with vulnerable beings, living together in a life of toil punctuated by the sound of their footsteps, infused with tenderness, that aspire, each time, to escape the smallness of their destiny—a quest that is perpetually repeated and delayed.” Michèle Febvre

Piazza
Jean-Pierre Perreault, artist

What kind of dance piece would you imagine in this setting? Briefly describe the atmosphere, the costumes, the number of dancers and how they relate to one another.

Orénoque (1990)
Robert Etcheverry, photographer
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Observe

Excerpt from Les ombres (2001)

To begin, invite the students to fully absorb what they see, hear and feel. Images, words, thoughts, or free associations could emerge. They can write down all of their impressions and ideas on a sheet of paper after making their observations, or verbally share them with another student.

Then ask them to temporarily put aside their notes. They can return to them later to review their first impressions after having engaged in a deeper analysis.
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Observe again
Excerpt from Les ombres (2001)

Questions to direct our focus

Guided questions will allow the students to observe more closely and develop an even deeper understanding of Jean-Pierre Perreault’s choreography.

In this excerpt, the set is subtly moved by the dancers, transforming and modulating the space. The set itself becomes a character in the action, deciding to hide or reveal the man with the suitcase.
- How can this space be described? What is it composed of?
- How can the lighting be described in this excerpt?
- How do the dancers interact with the scenic elements?
- What transpires between the principal dancer and the other dancers?
- In what other places might the students expect to see these dancers/characters?
- What elements create the atmosphere?
- How would they describe this atmosphere?
  
  Have the students draw the scenic element that most caught their attention.
  
  In the studio…
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THE NOMAD
Les ombres (2001)
Guy Borremans, photographer

Questions to direct our focus

Another scenic element attracts our attention: the suitcase.
- How does the principal dancer use it?
- What actions does he perform with and around the suitcase?
- What connections does the dancer establish with the object?
- What meanings could the suitcase hold for him?
- What intentions are revealed by his actions?
- What meanings can be attributed to the presence of this object and the dancer’s relationship to it? Ask students to justify their answers.
- Are there other objects? What are their symbolic meanings?
  
  Have the students imagine the contents of this suitcase. If they could open it, what would they find inside?
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RELATIONSHIPS/TIME
Piazza
Jean-Pierre Perreault, artist

Questions to direct our focus

Questions about the excerpt from Les ombres
- What is the relationship among the dancers? Is it distant? Indifferent? Something else?
- What is happening between the principal dancer and the other dancers?
- What is the nature of the space they are using? Is it shared, defined, constrained?
- What are the dancers’ trajectories? What types of movements do they make to trace these trajectories?
- How would the students describe the emotional state of the man with the suitcase? Is he lonely or content? Does he feel rejected?
- How would they describe the emotional state of the other dancers?
- Depending upon the students’ responses, ask them to specify which interpretive or gestural elements give them this impression.
  Students can also consider the length of the excerpt (1 min. 36 sec.).
- How long did the excerpt seem? Was it short, endless, indeterminate? Why?
- What creates the sound environment?
- How does this element contribute to the atmosphere of the piece?
  
  Ask the students to imagine another set design with the existing elements. Have them draw the set, place the dancers and indicate their trajectories.
  
  In the studio…
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IF I WERE... AND LIFE STORIES
Joe
Jean-Pierre Perreault, artist

If I were…

Ask the students to watch the excerpt again, this time imagining they are part of the ensemble.
- Would their preference be to embody the dancer in the middle, one of the dancers pushing the panels, the panels themselves, one of the beams or shadows created by the lighting, the empty spaces, or the suitcase?
- Which element would they embody?
- Why?
Life stories

Ask the students to imagine this character’s past, present and future.
- Who is he? Where does he come from? Where is he now? Where is he going?
- What is his story? What feelings is he experiencing?
- How does the choreographer interpret these stories?
- Do the students know any stories of people who have had to travel out of necessity?
- Where did they hear or read these stories (e.g., newspapers, family histories, fictional works)?
Definitions:

Nomad: A member of a people who have no fixed residence but move from place to place usually seasonally and within a well-defined territory; an individual who roams about.

Wandering: A going about from place to place characterized by aimless, slow, or pointless movement.

Source: Merriam-Webster online dictionary
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WRITE A REVIEW

Here are some tips to help students write a critical appreciation (review) in five steps. The instructions are broadly formulated in order to be interchangeable with the other review exercises in this guide.

1. Title
Before thinking up a catchy title, the students should write the text. This will give them a better idea of what they want to emphasize in the title.

2. Background and context
For the background and context, students can answer the following four questions, in any order: Who? When? What? Where?

Who? Jean-Pierre Perreault, number and names of dancers
When? Year and context in which the work was created
What? What type of work (see the Installations Chorégraphiques section of the virtual exhibition Jean-Pierre Perreault, Choreographer)
Where? Where the work was presented

3. Description
Students describe the dance or go over what they have observed by recalling the main characteristics and key elements: the number of dancers, the sets, movement characteristics, etc. Encourage students to think about the basic elements of dance language (body, time, space, energy, relationships between partners, the scenic environment and structure of the piece) as they complete this exercise.

4. Analysis and interpretation
At this stage, students offer their own interpretation of the work. This part of the critique is very personal and subjective. Impressions may vary considerably from one person to another. Students develop their own opinions based on their particular sensibility.

Students are encouraged to highlight the ways in which the choreographer arranged and sequenced movements, sound, costumes, and to explain how he directed the performers and orchestrated the scenic elements (props, set) in order to obtain certain effects. Students can enrich their interpretation by reflecting on why the artist chose to present a certain theme or element, or organized the space in a particular way.

5. Evaluation
This last part can be considered a recapitulation. It will encourage students to formulate an opinion on the dance, taking into account the information they have gathered and the interpretations they have developed in the previous steps.

Additional resources
Write about dance
Glossary