École de Danse Contemporaine de Montréal: Xian Martínez

The dancer and choreographer Xian Martínez will carry out a two-month creative residency in Montreal, Quebec, at the École de Danse Contemporaine de Montréal (EDCM). There he will work with 23 dancers who are completing their advanced studies in dance.

Martínez will give final shape to the project ´Yellow Lemon´, which will be presented in Montreal. “Yellow Lemon takes place on beaches – on beaches in the first world and in the third world... Through the colour yellow I’ll be connecting the differences between them; beach balls and towels will collide with the yellow of life jackets and boats," Martínez explained.

Born in Galicia, Martínez has been living in the Basque Country for several years, where he arrived by the hand of Dantzaz. He is currently working on several projects as a creator, such as ´Pioneras´, a piece that pays tribute to pioneering women in the fight for equality, and ´Non zira´, which speaks of being human.

This initiative is the result of joint effort by several institutions in Quebec and the Basque Country. The call for applications for the residency was put out by the Etxepare Basque Institute, the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec (CALQ) and Gipuzkoako Dantzagunea. Dantzaz, Tabakalera and the École de Danse Contemporaine de Montréal (EDCM) also collaborated in the project.

The residency is part of the Saison Québec-Pays Basque 2020-2021 exchange project. In a reciprocal creation residency, Quebec choreographer Bettina Szabo will come to the Basque Country where she will be at Tabakalera from 17 to 30 January and then the Gipuzkoako Dantzagunea dance centre until 25 February. At the end of the residency, Szabo’s work will be performed in March at the Niessen Hall in Errenteria and at Tabakalera.