Festival Quartiers Danses : dance like no place else

At Festival Quartiers Danses—a true discovery space for contemporary dance—, you won’t see the same names you would on the posters for other major festivals. Founding director Rafik Hubert Sabbagh has taken on a mission of looking beyond the usual networks... a mission he has been pursuing over the past 22 years. Let’s join him for a look at the 2024 edition, which will take place in the Cinquième Salle at Place des Arts from September 5 to 14.

Rafik Hubert Sabbagh

Quartiers Danses? It can all be summed up in three words: discoverability, outreach, and influence. Founder Rafik Hubert Sabbagh, a leading contemporary dance specialist, travels to festivals around the world and delights in what he gets to see, but his goal at Quartiers Danses is to “do the complete opposite of these big events,” he says. “Because, you’ve got to admit, from Montreal to Edinburgh to Amsterdam, these festivals are all alike.”

Therefore, this September, the Cinquième Salle at Place des Arts will feature performances by emerging artists and lesser-known names, including artists from various cultural communities or choreographic traditions that are less well represented—after all, Montreal is teeming with diverse artists who don’t always get the exposure they deserve. In addition, there will be an outstanding cultural mediation program, held in collaboration with various Montreal organizations, as well as an international component designed to give Montrealers an opportunity to explore the world, while showcasing Montreal artists to international presenters.

A nurturing approach

If you’re a frequent attendee of Quartiers Danses, you know that the festival likes to offer artists its long-term support, first introducing them to audiences in short-form performances, then bringing them back the following year in an expanded form, and again the year after that as headliners with more substantial resources. “I like supporting artists in this way,” explains the founder. “I think spectators appreciate this loyalty and like to follow the artists’ gradual evolution. It’s a real privilege.”

The Tentacle Tribe company, for example, is today a well-known Montreal gem. At Quartiers Danses this year, the company will be on hand for opening night on September 6, alongside Margie Gillis and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, among others. But no one had heard much about Tentacle Tribe the first time its performers graced the boards at Quartiers Danses with their twist on hip-hop and contemporary dance codes. The Festival has included them on the program year after year. Just one example among others.

Along with this “nurturing” approach to artists, the Festival also focuses on providing specific support for spectators to help them understand the works. The organization employs two full-time cultural mediators, which is rather rare. “The mediation workshops are aimed at a wide audience,” emphasizes Rafik Hubert Sabbagh, “but many are also designed to target society’s more marginalized populations, such as immigrants and/or those in the process of learning French, or Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in precarious situations.”

1. Fill up on discoveries: Still on the line, Rafik Hubert Sabbagh goes over the content of each evening of the Festival for us, leaving no stone unturned, aptly summarizing each aesthetic, each gestural territory, each tradition. It’s impossible to recap everything here, but let us mention a few select pieces:
2. Janie & Marcio, September 7: According to Rafik Hubert Sabbagh, “several urban dance artists who have made a name for themselves on the television show Révolution have emerged very inspired and well-equipped to develop exciting contemporary practices outside of the realm of television.” This is the case for Janie & Marcio, who enlisted the services of director Frédéric Bélanger to create Syntonie, a performance about searching for balance in one’s life and transcending one’s limits.
3. Morgane Le Tiec, September 8: This is one of those artists that Quartiers Danses fell for so deeply that it followed her progress for several years. In the piece Moïra, three witches wield their long braids and create a unique world inspired by the legend of the Moirai. A show for all audiences.
4. New York and Montreal Evening, September 13: Believe it or not, even though these two cities are so geographically and culturally close, they don’t often cross paths on stage. This is being rectified thanks to Quartiers Danses, which is bringing together Emma-Lynn Mackay Ronacher, and the duos of Rebecca Margolick and Jason Martin, and Maya Orchin and Stefanie Nelson. These are real discoveries. “You’ll be seeing these names everywhere in the coming years. I promise!”
5. Ólöf Ingólfsdóttir, a very special guest from Iceland, September 11: On a triple bill with Zachary Bastille and Cai Glover for the Multi-Generational Evening, veteran artist Ólöf Ingólfsdóttir will perform her new solo creation, Something About Clouds. “Baroque opera music and delicate body language merge in this work that taps into a broad spectrum of human emotions.”

Added to this (non-exhaustive) list are some not-to-be-missed film screenings in collaboration with the National Film Board, as well as a free outdoor program (not yet announced) taking place in the area around Place des Arts. If you’re among those attending, you’ll be able to boast of having discovered future stars of the dance world before anyone else. A good habit to get into this September!