Teacher's Guide

produced by TEACHER'S GUIDE WWW.BOUGEDELA.ORG THE COMPANY Bouge de là is one of the rare professional Founded in 2000 under the artistic Bouge de là has a repertoire of five works : dance companies in Quebec focused direction of Hélène Langevin, Bouge La Tribu Hurluberlu ( 2000 ), Comme les 5 exclusively on creating dance performances de là presents contemporary dance doigts de la main / Like the 5 fingers on Your for young audiences. performances that draw upon a variety Hand ( 2003 ), CHUT !! ( 2005 ), Vieux of disciplines: video, theatre, shadow play, Thomas et la petite fée / Old Thomas and etc. The company’s varied and playful the Litlle Fairy ( 2008 ), and L’atelier / The creations appeal to children’s curiosity, Studio ( 2010 ). and usher them into a world of emotions that stimulate the imagination. Eager to convey to their young audiences the pleasure of movement, the company also offers dance workshops in schools. Before going to see the Following the performance, you INTRODUCTION show, we suggest that the might want to conduct a dance students be introduced to the appreciation activity based on company Bouge de là ( p. 2 ). what the children retained You can then outline the from the presentation. We Attending a dance performance It will facilitate research and content and the intent of the also suggest a class discussion requires some preparatory work will provide you with tools to dance piece ( pp. 4 and 5 ), and about their perceptions of the with the students. That helps help students better understand do one or more of the suggested themes or certain parts of the make the activity an enriching the themes of the piece. activities ( pp. 6 and 7 ). choreography. You might want and stimulating experience, to have them make paintings which is why we have prepared or drawings of what they liked this teaching guide. about the piece. CO-PRODUCERS : 2 BEDTIME! - BOUGE DE LÀ AND SO TO BED! INTERVIEW WITH HÉLENE LANGEVIN, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, CHOREOGRAPHER AND TEACHER Photo : Rolline Laporte WHY lengthy dance. If the piece THE BED? provides answers to the child’s “ That’s where it all begins questions, that facilitates and where it all ends. The bed his interpretation of the accompanies us throughout performance. Dance then our lives. We are born and we becomes a form of expression die in bed, we suffer and we for children. ” heal in bed, in bed we love and we cry, we sleep and we dream. Hélène Langevin has always At first I thought of exploring worked with young children. fantasy –gnomes, fairies, trolls “ What I love is teaching and all those monsters hiding creative dance to children in under the beds of children kindergarten, ages 4 to 6.” when it’s time for them to She sees teaching and go to sleep. Then I pursued choreography as a single the idea of the life cycle of approach but with two a bed, from the cradle to a different forms of expression. captain’s bed, from baby cribs “ Young children explore to king size beds that are then movement, develop physical A VERY EAGER THE DANCERS put in the basement during skills, try different approaches, AUDIENCE “ When performing for adolescence and that end up improvise and learn how to “ Children adore dance shows, children you must be attentive in the cottage. I saw the bed as move without getting hurt.” they jump right in ! Indeed, a and animated, and avoid a the child’s territory, the private Hélène and the company dance performance is condescending attitude at all space where a child grows dancers lead 150 to 200 kinaesthetic. They imitatecosts. You have to be honest and experiments. Eventually dance workshops in schools the dancers, recreating the and project a strong stage the bed became a veritable every year. They also organize movements. Dance is an presence, and also be versatile. character, changing with each discussions based on the accessible form of self-expression, The dancer must be capable tableau, its movements dance pieces presented. more so than theatre. They can of presenting shadow theatre, choreographed. The bed was These discussions includelaugh and clap their hands, of performing acrobatics and given a voice. ” initiation activities linked to without worrying about dialogue. handling props. The presence the performance. “ Teaching We want to create an exchange of the other isvery important. DANCING FOR allows me to stay connected with young audiences so that they The dancer must convey the YOUNG AUDIENCES to my audience. I now know can experience their emotions, so pleasure he or she has in “Creating a dance piece for what works and what doesn’t that they can express themselves. dancing, because emotion young audiences is a challenge. work. And children are open Every child tells himself a story colours the movement. The It means providing the young to anything ! They love to when watching dance. Dance dancer cannot be neutral in spectator with a main theme, boogie, inventing all sorts of develops their imaginations.” front of young spectators, or with ways of interpreting the jumps and movements. They will lose them. ” piece that will nourish the inspire me. ” desire to understand. Once the child understands what we are talking about, he or she is capable of watching a BEDTIME! - BOUGE DE LÀ 3 Cradle of love, place of dreams and solitude, terrain for discovery and play, the bed is a private and special place for a child. With the bed as the very centre of this piece, choreographer Hélène Langevin explores four slices of life drawn from childhood where babies, children and adolescents transform their beds into a territory of multiple possibilities. Here the bed is much more than a piece of furniture; it is a symbolic and transitional object that allows for passage from one phase to another. From the first movements of awakening to the outbursts of adolescence, dance expresses contrasting worlds, a place where poetry encounters the energy and reality of dreams. BABY’S CRIB - A PLACE FOR DISCOVERY The bed is a cocoon where a young and sight. For the dancers this means child continues to grow and develop ; unlearning movement, shattering co- it is a private, snug and cosy place. In ordination, being at ease in the body realistic fashion the dance traces the in order to return to the gestures of a stages in the development of psycho- baby, rediscovering that primal force. motility in the first year of life, por- traying the baby’s movements as it acquires the first signs of autonomy – pushing with its hands, turning on its back or belly, crawling, walk- ing on all fours – up to being able to walk upright. The child is present in its body and its immediate environ- ment, discovering it through touch AYOUNG CHILD’S BED - A PLACE OF EMOTION Between the ages of 4 and 8, the child Here the bed is shown as a place of learns to express himself and to manage his punishment, of solitude, of a refuge emotions, to channel his exuberant energy. necessary for calming down and overcom- It is a period when the child abandons the ing anger. In this tableau a very angry little desire for omnipotence, and is confronted girl is sent to her room, where she lets her with the desires of others. anger explode to the point where she dam- ages a favourite toy. After the storm she discovers how to calm down and regain her equilibrium. On stage the little girl is sur- rounded by three dancers who, echoing her emotions, amplify her angry movements. 4 BEDTIME! - BOUGE DE LÀ A CHILD’S BED - A PLACE FOR THE IMAGINATION Alone in his bedroom a bored It is through the eyes of this little boy 8-year-old boy dreams of that things appear and disappear. In superheroes, characters in a movie a surrealist, ever-changing world that he is making up. The bed becomes pays veiled tribute to comic books, his camp, a territory to be defended, a the dancers incarnate incredible battle ground. situations imagined by the boy – being kidnapped, escaping, fighting evildoers, facing danger, turning into a Transformer. AN ADOLESCENT’S BED - A PLACE OF TRANSFORMATION Between the ages of 12 and 16 the The dance here is more energetic, child enters into a period of noise more rock ‘n roll. The structure of and disorder, of change, of contra- the bed unfolds and is dismantled, dictions, of rebellion against the becoming a percussion instrument established order. The bed is moved and a ladder leading to the adult from the bedroom to the basement. world. The bed is jumped on, shifted here and there, becoming a site for pil- low fights and for partying, until it’s time to leave childhood and the family home behind. : Manon Gauthier Manon : Illustrations 4 YEARS AND UP Duration 55 MINUTES DIRECTION AND CHOREOGRAPHIC CREATION HÉLÈNE LANGEVIN DANCERS -ARTISTIC COLLABORATOR GUILLAUME CHOUINARD, EMILY HONEGGER, MYRIAM TREMBLAY, JULIE TYMCHUK AND NATHAN YAFFE CHOREOGRAPHY ASSISTANCE JEAN-FRANÇOIS LÉGARÉ MUSIC BERNARD FALAISE AND ÉRIC FORGET SET DESIGN VÉRONIQUE BERTRAND LIGHTING CAROLINE ROSS COSTUMES SHARON SCOTT MAKE UP SUZANNE TRÉPANIER BEDTIME! - BOUGE DE LÀ 5 A FEW DANCE AWARENESS AND PREPARATION ACTIVITIES Photo : Rolline Laporte BASED ON THE THEME OF THE DANCE PERFORMANCE BEDTIME! There are all sorts of beds. Beds vary Beds change as we age – bassinet, cradle, The bed can be a place for creation. according to climate and lifestyle. We crib, cot, captain’s bed, twin beds, bunk While he was ill in bed, Marcel Proust can sleep on a tatami or in a hammock, beds, spare bed, folding bed, queen size wrote À la recherche du temps perdu.

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