COVIDANCE
17 images Created 21 Apr 2021
As a photojournalist, I have since the 90’s covered war zones and humanitarian issues. But with the pandemic, I am now restrained to my hometown, Montreal. I heard about how the artists here are suffering from the situation and began to talk to contemporary dancers and choreographers, trying to understand how they are coping with the situation. They really feel left aside, as theatres are closed and they are not allowed to perform in public. So, as the second wave of COVID-19 hit hard, in October 2020 I began a project with Montreal’s main dance companies, to talk about them, and show their work in the form of a photo report. Not only their works, but also their feelings, fears and hopes. I asked some of the choreographers and artistic directors to write a small text to accompany photos, to explain how they currently feel inside: As it turns out, they either had to cancel their shows, lay off dancers or like Margie Gillis, "Cas Public" and "Création Estelle Clareton", completely redo their work, adapting it to the situation, rehearsing with masks or keeping a safe distance between dancers. In other words, they saw their creations been almost completely reshaped by the COVID-19 pandemic.