About PPS Danse
Introduction
PPS Danse was founded in 1989 by choreographer, performer and stage director Pierre-Paul Savoie. To this day, the company has presented around twenty creations in ten or so countries in North America and Europe. No matter which cycle of creation they belong to, each of these works is marked by interdisciplinarity in form and humanity in content.
Take-off (1989-1999)
The artistic collaboration with Jeff Hall, initiated in 1986 with the creation and performance of Duodenum, propelled PPS Danse onto the international stage. Inspired by the world of comic strips, this study of the male psyche was followed by Bagne (1993), which dealt with the imprisonment of body and mind. Then came Pôles (1996), in which the virtual projections of Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon re-invented theatricality. These three pieces seduced audiences with the intensity of their themes, their humor, the sculptural character of their sets and athletic movement vocabulary. A feminine version of Bagne was realized in 1998.
Exploration, transformation (2000-2006)
At the dawn of the new millennium, Pierre-Paul Savoie decided to withdraw from the stage to devote himself more fully to choreography and to explore new interdisciplinary avenues. In Strata, mémoires d’un amoureux (2001), he evoked the passage of time with five generations of dancers immersed in an interactive sound environment. He plumbed new depths in the dialogue between dance and circus arts with Élément cirque (2003) and Danses circassiennes (2005). Offering a springboard for young dancers, he renewed old ties with theatre with Débranchés (2004). Finally, he returned to creation for young audiences through a co-production with Théâtre Bouches Décousues entitled Les Flaques, a piece which has known resounding success since its creation in 2006.
An open window on the world
To open PPS Danse to other creators and initiate projects in which Pierre-Paul Savoie can conjugate his talents by acting as artistic director, choreographer or interpreter. Such is the company’s new orientation after 20 years of activity. The Diasporama cycle (2007-2009), a series of works commissioned from Québécois and Canadian artists living abroad, clearly illustrates this intent. Moreover, Pierre-Paul Savoie reasserts his desire to contribute to the artistic awakening of new generations by adding, every three years, a creation for young audiences to PPS Danse’s repertoire.