ODE by Catherine Gaudet | FTA

A pop-pagan procession of 10 performers hand in hand, like a string of beads. Their bliss is divine. One would want to melt into their idyll, taste the same sun. As the desire arises to never see them stop, choreographer Catherine Gaudet’s cunning eye brings forth something unsettling in this naive landscape where everything is subjected to the imperative of happiness.

“ODE” emerges somewhere from the slightly damp underground of “Jolies choses,” a work that has conquered the dance world. Where what was meant to remain hidden in the pristine shadow of the spectacle resurfaces. At what cost do we maintain the image of collective harmony? Accompanied by her accomplices, Gaudet shakes the machine of appearances. Through accumulation, quietly, playful hands tighten, the chorus shouts, the tipping point is stimulated, hoped for. A case of collective trance at its most gripping.

Photo credit: Julie Artacho