DanceHouse welcomed Montreal’s Compagnie Marie Chouinard to the Vancouver Playhouse March 15 & 16, to present Hieronymus Bosch : The Garden of Earthly Delights.
Commissioned by the Jheronimus Bosch 500 Foundation to celebration the artist’s 2016 quincentennial, the work is based on Bosch’s triptych : The Garden of Earthly Delights. Presented in three acts, representing the three panels of the artwork; The Garden Of Delights, Hell and Paradise. The characters in the painting come to life as the dancers, start in the poses portrayed in the artwork, before setting off on a creative journey in dance.
In the Speaking of Dance, pre-show talk, guest Annie Gagnon (rehearsal director) stated that the dancers are given some creative license to make their own connecting movements between the choreographed set pieces opening up the possibility that each performance is slightly different. Knowing this makes the Garden of Earthly Delights feel extra spontaneous with the organic connections between the structured poses and synchronized group work. With the erratic, and near-violent work of Act II:Hell bookended by the ethereal and tranquil Act I: The Garden of Delights & Act III: Paradise, all three acts work nicely together and as stand alone pieces. Compagnie Marei Chouinard’s Hieronymus Bosch : The Garden of Earthly Delights, like the artwork it’s based on, is indeed a work of art.
DanceHouse next brings US company, MOMIX with Viva MOMIX to the Vancouver Playhouse, 600 Hamilton Street, on April 12 & 13, 2019.