Montreal-based dancer and choreographer Anne Plamondon has become recognized for her deeply emotional and technically rich approach to movement. At the 10th annual Fall for Dance North (FFDN) festival, she is presenting Feel no more, her latest world-premiere ensemble work at The Creative School Chrysalis on September 26 and 27. The work – which delves into the complexities of human emotion, resilience, and the search for connection through movement – will no doubt cement that reputation further.
Plamondon’s more than 20-year career has been a diverse and curiosity-driven exploration of the body’s capacity to express what words often cannot. She trained at the National Ballet School of Canada and École Supérieure de Ballet du Québec, and has performed with renowned companies such as Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Nederlands Dans Theater 2, Gulbenkian Ballet, and Crystal Pite’s Kidd Pivot. From 2002 to 2015, she was a central figure in the RUBBERBAND dance company, even co-directing for a decade.
In 2012, she made her choreographic debut, and then founded Anne Plamondon Productions in 2018 to focus on her own projects. Her works have been showcased at major venues like the National Arts Centre, Jacob’s Pillow, and the Guggenheim Museum; and she has created pieces for companies, including Alberta Ballet and Ballets Jazz Montréal. And Plamondon is both an educator and curator – and in these capacities, is known for her fluid, graceful style that blends contemporary, ballet and hip-hop influences.
Plamondon describes her journey into dance as a process of pursuing and expressing her deep curiosity: “I began as a performer, deeply engaged in the technical and emotional exploration of movement. Over time, I realized that my desire to tell stories, to explore the human experience through the body, was guiding me toward choreography.” This transition from performer to choreographer allowed her to use movement as a medium “to dig deeper into concepts that fascinate me, like vulnerability, resilience, and transformation”, she shares. “I’ve always been inspired by how the body can express what words cannot”.
This is a true “Homecoming”
Feel no more is part of Homecoming: 2024 Signature Programme, a three-part program curated by FFDN Artistic Director Ilter Ibrahimof, featuring:
- Daile Carrazano’s The Last Song (La Última Canción), performed by Havana’s Malpaso Dance Company, joined by three recent graduates of Toronto Metropolitan University and accompanied by pianist Katherine Dowling
- Emma Portner’s islands, performed by The National Ballet of Canada, under the direction of Hope Muir
- Plamondon’s Feel no more, performed by Ballet Edmonton, under the direction of the company’s new Artistic Director Kirsten Wicklund, with live music by pianist/composer Zach Frampton.
The program celebrates choreographers nurtured by FFDN, making this collaboration particularly meaningful for Plamondon, who sees it as both a further progression and a welcome return in her creative journey. “I’ve followed Ballet Edmonton’s work for a long time, appreciating their boldness and openness to experimentation,” she explains.“The program’s theme of “homecoming” also resonated with me deeply, as it ties to my own personal and professional journey. This collaboration felt like a homecoming of sorts—a return to creative roots nurtured by Fall for Dance North, and an exciting step forward with Ballet Edmonton.”
This collaboration felt very much like a continuation of a creative dialogue she’s been having over the years, particularly at FFDN, where she previously premiered works like Counter Cantor (2018) and Fiddle Embrace (2019); and danced the Crystal Pite duet, A Picture of You Falling, with Peter Chu at FFDN 2016; and has now become the inaugural FFDN Artist-in-Residence.
Exploring emotions in Feel No More
In Feel No More, Plamondon dives deep into the human emotional experience, exploring what happens when feelings become overpowering, even numbing. “The key themes in Feel No More are tension, release, and the fleeting nature of certainty,” she explains. “I wanted to explore how our bodies respond to moments of emotional overload—when we feel so much that we begin to feel nothing at all.”
This exploration manifested through a creative negotiation between music and movement. Plamondon experimented with new movement vocabularies, while staying rooted in the program’s themes of connection and returning to one’s origins: “Collaborating with Ballet Edmonton allowed me to explore how we can move through our inner worlds, both collectively and individually, which felt particularly poignant in the context of Homecoming,” she reflects.
Specifically, “the repetition of movements like reaching, grabbing, and letting go symbolize both the struggle and the relief that comes from navigating overwhelming emotions”. And the music, provided by composers Rafa Aslan and Zach Frampton “played a crucial role in shaping the movement, guiding the dancers and myself through the process.”
Returning to Fall for Dance North: A full-circle moment
For Plamondon, the premiere of Feel No More at Fall for Dance North’s 10th anniversary feels like a significant milestone in her artistic journey. “It’s both humbling and exhilarating to be part of this celebration,” she says. “Fall for Dance North has been such a formative part of my career, and to contribute to its 10th anniversary feels like a full-circle moment. There’s something special about returning to this space with new work after five years, especially knowing how much I’ve grown as a choreographer in that time.”
And as one of three female choreographers featured in Homecoming (alongside Emma Portner and Daile Carrazano), Plamondon is acutely aware of the significance of this program in amplifying the creative voices of women in choreography. “I feel fortunate to be part of a program,” she notes. The inclusion of diverse female perspectives adds a rich layer to the program, creating space for distinct yet interconnected stories to unfold on stage.
As Plamondon looks forward to the premiere of Feel no more, she stresses the collaborative spirit that made the piece possible. “I would just like to express how grateful I am to the dancers and collaborators who brought this work to life,” she says. “Their dedication, openness, and vulnerability in exploring the themes of Feel no more were essential to its creation. This piece is as much theirs as it is mine, and I hope it resonates with audiences in a way that invites them to reflect on their own emotional landscapes.”
In addition to Homecoming: 2024 Signature Programme, this year’s FFDN festival offers an expansion of full-length presentations, including a rare Toronto appearance by Britain’s Company Wayne McGregor with the Canadian premiere of choreographer Wayne McGregor’s Autobiography; world premieres from Canada’s Alyssa Martin, Travis Knights and Lisa LaTouche; an Ontario premiere by Gullaume Côté with Côté Danse; and the debut of Ontario’s Propeller Dance, in partnership with The Disability Collective, among other features. FFDN runs September 26 – October 6, 2024. Visit ffdnorth.com to browse performances and workshops.
© Arpita Ghosal, Sesaya Arts Magazine, 2024
