Over time, nature wilfully and circumstantially adapts to its environment, but when the cyclical clash between evolution and cataclysm occurs, nature’s fight to reclaim its place often leaves scars that endure for many seasons. “Ashes” recounts the tale of a Heron and the 62 Lakes under his watchful eye, of the creation of these watery masses that now encompass the region of Saint-Hippolyte – a tragic tale of self-sacrifice that has become an eternal legend.
Director’s Vision for ‘Ashes’
By creating this project, I wanted to bring together two completely different ways of telling a story. Oral tradition is the oldest way of telling a story. It is how we learn fairy tales and legends from generation to generation, and has been done as long as humans have been able to communicate. I wrote this text so that it could live and be imagined; only by listening to someone telling it to us.
Non-verbal communication tells a story. By looking at a person’s body, the way they move, their posture, and their reactions, we understand their story. The interpretation remains abstract and specific to each person who watches.
There is a certain challenge in wanting to illustrate a story that took place even before humans existed. To visually depict a main character without actually seeing them physically. To visually establish the souls of the elements, without associating them with a gender, race, or type of person.
By crossing the abstract side of dance with the oral sharing of the story, I hope that the audience will be transported into the legend. I want to elevate the legend beyond the first degree of oral storytelling, while also bringing the interpretation of the movements closer to reality.
