BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS
BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS BEATS
BEATS | Logo

BEATS refers to both a collective and a performance melding contemporary dance, visual projections and sound creation.

At the crossroads of contemporary dance, new media and design, BEATS Collective invites us to question our relationship with work and technology.

On the stage before us, three performers are mechanically set in motion. Their movements are meticulous, their rhythm, calculated. Suddenly, a baton lights up and we hear the echoes of a stethoscope’s vibrations. These two elements influence and are influenced by the movements of the performers’ bodies, the visual projections and the sonic landscape, forming a loop in which elements respond to one another in a synchronized fashion.

This bidirectional and interactive approach breaks down the barriers between the disciplines being explored, all while mirroring the endless and oppressive cycle of productivity that work can create, from an intimate perspective.

Over the course of this contrast-rich, 50-minute transmedia performance, we watch as the performers strive to find a balance between themselves and their environment in an effort to catch their breath. Above all, they invite us to do the same.

BEATS Collective’s first heartbeats were detectable in the fall of 2018. Already imbued with a desire to transcend various boundaries between their disciplines, the artists who make up the collective seek to defy the limits between living and digital art, between humans and machines, all while provoking sensitive discussions.

Its three cocreators – Hamie Robitaille, Yuki Berthiaume and Stefania Skoryna – have created a transdisciplinary performance in which sound, visual and choreographic designs are connected through new media, with humans front and centre in their reflections. Their desire to craft a holistic work designed by women means that each element of its staging and the artists’ diverse disciplines constitute foundational pillars of the project. Inspired by an emotional curve and the notion of contrasts, BEATS Collective took shape as part of an iterative process, creating sound in its own image, from which movement and digital art followed. During the winter of 2021, two new members, Ganesh Baron Aloir and Molly Siboulet-Ryan joined the collective. From there, the pace could only pick up.

The collective met at the offices of OBORO, Eastern Bloc, the Théâtre aux Écuries and at the Maison de la Culture Marie-Uguay. With a recording produced by concert promotor Codes d’Accès under their belt, BEATS also produced three immersive performances for the Society for Arts and Technology (SAT) as part of the Mutek Festival in Montréal. Public response to the performance was immediate, both in the media (Le Devoir, Pan M 360) and throughout the city—all three performances at the SAT sold out. In addition, the collective was given the opportunity to perform on two occasions at the Composite forum on digital creativity.

As a collective uniting the next generation of artists, BEATS Collective has received support from the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec, the Brigade Arts Affaires de Montréal (BAAM), and the Conseil des Arts de Montréal, receiving the Mécènes investis pour les arts grant (December 2021) from the Conseil des arts de Montréal, an Applied Arts award in the Design/Content-Experimental/Innovative category, and a nomination for the Numix prize under the category Innovation and Adaptation for its interactive baton project.

Hamie Robitaille

Artistic Director and Performer

Yuki Berthiaume

Sound designer and Performer

Stefania Skoryna

Choreographer and Stage Director

Molly Siboulet-Ryan

Dance Performer

Ganesh Baron Aloir

Director of Technology

August 24 and 30, 2021

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8 p.m. / 9:30 p.m.

MUTEK Festival

SOCIETY FOR ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY / MONTRÉAL

October 8th, 2022

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9 p.m.

Festival Phénomena

Cabaret Piccolo Rialto

May 25, 26 and 27, 2023

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7 p.m.

BEATS 180

Phi Center / Montreal

BEATS | Logo
BEATS | Logo
BEATS | Logo

Hamie Robitaille est directrice artistique et designer graphique à Montréal depuis plus de dix ans. Jouant constamment avec les limites entre l’art et le design, sa pratique l’a menée à travailler au sein d’agences de renom telles que Cossette, Moment Factory et K72, mais aussi à pousser ses propres projets artistiques allant des arts visuels au numérique. Son approche traduit la dichotomie inhérente entre le digital et l’imprimé, la nuit et le jour, le mouvement et l’immobile.

YUKI BERTHIAUME sings and plays the keyboard with I.D.A.L.G. and JESUSLESFILLES, in addition to being an active DJ in Montréal’s music scene for over five years. In 2018, she started a minor in digital music at the Université de Montréal to further her studies in sound creation and electro-acoustic music composition. More recently, Yuki has been focusing on a new musical project called Yocto, whose debut album release is slated for the spring of 2023.

STEFANIA SKORYNA has worked as a choreographer and performer since graduating from the École de danse contemporaine de Montréal (EDCM) in 2015. Among others, she has performed with Mélanie Demers, the Pétrus/Jérémie Niel company and Martin Messier. With over ten years of experience teaching dance under her belt, she has led numerous activities in the Montréal dance community. Stefania has participated in several collaborative projects, including her piece Ellipses, shown at Dance Matters (Toronto) and at Danses Buissonnières (Montréal), as well as the project Tsunami, shown at Place-des-Arts’ Cinquième Salle as part of the Mutek Festival (Montréal).

 

https://www.stefaniaskoryna.com/

MOLLY SIBOULET-RYAN is a dancer and creator. Her journey began through projects by choreographer Marion Musac, which led her to perform on stages across France. A graduate of the École de danse contemporaine de Montréal (2020), she encountered the LA TRESSE collective and choreographers Frédérick Gravel, Sophie Corriveau, Dany Desjardins, Lucas Viallefond and Marc Boivin. Molly finds true beauty in creating and in processes that consider every aspect of the art of performance.

GANESH BARON ALOIR is a Montréal-based creative technologist  with a degree in graphic design and visual and media arts from UQAM. His professional experience with interactivity and multimedia production led him to work on a series of AR/VR experiences, interactive installations and large-scale performances. His personal projects explore the mental and physiological reactions induced by light and sound. The concepts of immersion, aleatoric creation, space and interactivity all drive his practice. Most recently, his project CiÖ set itself apart at the Montréal, Québec and Canada Councils for the Arts, and was presented on two occasions at the Montréal Conseil des Arts’ Composite Evenings (Montréal).