Dance is something that is always wonderful to see, whether it involves the mating dance of birds or that of humans. At Montreal’s Place des Arts recently, French choreographer Hervé Koubi’s Sol Invictus (“the unconquered sun”) production expressed fraternity and shared joy.
It was amazing to watch and had me on the edge of my seat. When I emitted a loud “wow!” at the sight of a man spinning very fast on his hands, a woman beside me simply said, “Yes.” We were both caught up in the spell that was created by a gifted Koubi. In fact, we were entranced throughout the show.
I went to the performance expecting to see ballet or jazz dance but got so much more. The acrobatics would have impressed any Cirque du Soleil talent scout lucky enough to be there. Breakdancing moves that most people would never attempt, like spinning on your hand or head, lasted longer and were faster than anything I’ve ever seen before and made my own head spin. There were also various forms of martial arts incorporated into the dance.
Occasionally, one or more of the performers would stop and assume a pose reminiscent of Greek or Roman statues. I swear that at one point I saw Zeus himself about to toss a thunderbolt.
Some performers raced around the stage at a quickening pace before dropping to the floor and continuing to speed up using their arms and legs. If this could be taught to our Canadian Armed Forces, we would have soldiers who could overrun the enemy in no time at all. It’s something to think about given the changes in our former ally’s aggressive posture toward Canada and Greenland.
There was no intermission in this 75-minute show. It speaks to the performers’ strength, discipline and willingness to go beyond normal human limits. Especially when you look at the athletic strength and precision necessary for certain parts of the dance.
The performers come from all parts of the world. But the one who fascinated me most was the one-legged performer. If you think a one-legged person can’t dance, then you should see this guy move. You could see he didn’t get any breaks because of his disability but rather played as if he wasn’t handicapped at all.
The music at times seemed as eclectic as the dance forms. There were classical overtones in the musical score composed by Mikael Karlsson and Maxine Bodson. But at one point I wondered what had been added to what seemed to be an Irish Celtic song with a little extra. Koubi calls Sol Invictus a hymn to life and community through the unifying power of dance. He achieved that and more. Some of us were lucky enough to see it.