Choreographer Iker Arrue will visit Montreal this autumn for an artist residency

Several entities in Gipuzkoa and Quebec are working together to create contemporary dance. The artists selected as part of this collaboration are Iker Arrue and John Gerena.

Several entities in Gipuzkoa and Quebec are working together to create contemporary dance. The artists selected as part of this collaboration are Iker Arrue and John Gerena.

The purpose of the cooperation agreement between Quebec and Gipuzkoa is to further creation and broaden the creative horizons of choreographers. The piece designed by Iker Arrue in Quebec and John Gerena in Gipuzkoa is the result of the collaborative efforts between the following entities: the Quebec based Ecole de Danse Contemporaine (EDCM), and Conseil des Arts et des Letres (CALQ), Tabakalera (International Center for Contemporary Culture), Dantzagune (dance service run by the provincial government of Gipuzkoa), the dance company Dantzaz, and the Etxepare Basque Institute.

In February 2018, the entities put out a call to local choreographers. Among the projects submitted, and with approval from the partner associations in Quebec, the choreographer Iker Arrue will develop the show TOC together with students from EDCM of Montreal, who are completing their training to become professional modern dancers. The show will be performed in December 2018 at the Cru d’Autonme festival held in Montreal. Arrue will be in Montreal for two months creating and preparing for what will be approximately a half-hour show.

Since the project is reciprocal in nature, following the call for candidates in Quebec, the choreographer John Gerena will be in Gipuzkoa from January to March 2018 working on El extraño at Tabakalera and at Dantzagune together with 12 dancers from Dantzaz. This piece was presented at Bastero Kulturgunea in Andoain and will be part of a larger show to be presented by the dance company Dantzaz this autumn.

The main goals of the artist residency are to promote professional development and introduce the work of artists to a larger audience; provide artists with new tools for development; promote the exchange between artistic creators in Gipuzkoa and other cultures; act as a springboard to a more global profile for artists from Gipuzkoa; and develop networks for artistic production.