Louise Lecavalier’s Instinct

“To me, the number ‘I is Memory’ is the next logical step for La La La Human Steps, the modern dancer explained. In the 1980s, Edward Lock and I looked for a floating theme with calmness by using the rapid movement of the body. And with Benoit (Lachambre, choreographer of “I is Memory”), I wanted to achieve the same goals, but with gestures and a slower dance at the extreme. It’s as physically demanding, believe me!”

This number lasts 45 minutes - 45 minutes where Louise Lecavalier, alone on stage, utilises her body in every sense - but slowly and in a serpentine kind of way. “I have always favoured extremes. I think that I consistently went the farthest in terms of speed in La La La; these days I’m going to explore the other extreme of the range of human movement with this new number. It’s important for me not to do the same steps and I think I’ve managed to do that. I would never seek a comfort level in the profession.”

“Time flies so fast. When I take a step back, I see several Louise. My career has been layered in different artistic endeavours. I think I’ve made good strides in my profession and that I made the right career decisions because today, I feel everything makes sense in whatever I do.”

Louise Lecavalier has practically kept her head above water in her career. While it was thought she had reached the peak of her career in La La La Human Steps, she got off the boat with the desire to re-discover the pleasure of dancing “on a small scale.”

“In the beginning, it was marvellous. We felt we were everything and that everyone would work together for the success of the company. But it became too big. I had the feeling that I was part of this one gigantic machinery. I decided to leave.”

That was a decision that enabled her to meet and work with choreographers of international reputation.

“I have not made a lot of compromise in the past. At first I was looking for “the ultimate”. I still look for it today and will continue to look for it in my future projects. I have always followed by instincts.” Admittedly, this dancer of international renown has the instinct that is rarely wrong.

(Photo: Marie-Élizabeth Roy)