Every year, the TransAmériques Festival (FTA) brings together international creators and audiences, but it doesn’t neglect the local and national scene. This is a commitment clearly reflected in its programming in which I sensed an interest in sharing the work of relevant creators on the Montreal scene such as Millepertuis, a solo piece created especially for the skills range and charisma of its performer, Walid Hammani, better known as Waldo.

I asked myself several questions from this piece, some of which were answered during the performance, others through reading afterwards the interview that the FTA have in their webpage with choreographer Sovann Rochon-Prom Tep. The play begins by creating a character who has a limited preternatural movements with an attentive clownish gaze. Little by little his movements expand until at one point the character fades away and becomes a display of virtuosity. From the interview, I’ve learned that it was never their intention to build a character, but rather to explore the dancer’s potential. I wonder if there’s something left behind in their exploration by overlooking the character that is indeed created.

I also wondered, while seeing it, if it wasn’t a show that would work more as an intervention in a public space for the performer’s energy, the kind of engaging with the audience and the mesmerizing electronic music. However, I myself dismissed the idea because the climax of the piece is composed with long silences and an intimate exploration that demand the audience’s attentive and focused gaze, which is almost impossible to achieve in an open space. It turns out my intuition wasn’t so wrong, as Waldo began his career in electrodance competitions, winning several across Canada. Since childhood, he has been involved in street dance and is very active within the Montreal hip-hop community. This, of course, gets through.

The audience was completely committed to Waldo’s emotional and physical journey, and gave a standing ovation.

UNE PRODUCTION DE / PRODUCED BY SOVANN ROCHON-PROM TEP CHORÉGRAPHIE / CHOREOGRAPHED BY SOVANN ROCHON-PROM TEP INTERPRÉTATION / PERFORMED BY WALID « WALDO » HAMMANI MUSIQUE / MUSIC VITHOU THURBER-PROM TEP + SHASH’U (RICHARD ST-AUBIN) LUMIÈRES / LIGHTING DESIGN JONATHAN CLEVELAND COSTUME / COSTUME DESIGN JASMINE LEBEL – JUSTE DU FEU + CAMILLE THIBAULT BÉDARD + GUILLAUME PLOURDE + HEIRLOOM HATS + PÉNÉLOPE DULUDE-DE BROIN CONSEIL ARTISTIQUE / ARTISTIC ADVISORS MARIE CLAIRE FORTÉ + HANDY « HYA » HYACINTHE PRODUCTION DÉLÉGUÉE / EXECUTIVE PRODUCER LORGANISME PHOTO DO PHAN HOI SUR LA PHOTO / FEATURING WALID « WALDO » HAMMANI COPRODUCTION FESTIVAL TRANSAMÉRIQUES + AGORA DE LA DANSE COPRÉSENTÉ PAR / CO-PRESENTED BY AGORA DE LA DANSE