Malandain Ballet kicks off the Quartiers Danses festival in Montreal

The acclaimed Malandain Ballet de Biarritz opened the Montreal Quartiers Danses Festival last night with ´La Pastorale´. The event took place at Théâtre Maisonneuve, the city´s main cultural venue, in front of 1,300 people. Based on Beethoven´s Sixth Symphony, this work conveys the composer´s love of nature by expressing the innocence and peace of ancient Greece through dance. The show also marked the beginning of the final stretch of the Saison Quebec - Pays Basque cultural exchange project promoted by the Etxepare Basque Institute.

Nine choreographic works by Basque companies will be featured until 18 September. In addition to two other works by Malandain Ballet, creations by three other Basque companies will be performed in different venues in Montreal. This year, the festival will focus on contemporary Basque creation through the Basque Focus section, the result of a partnership between the Quebec Ministry of Culture and Communication, CALQ (Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec) and the Etxepare Basque Institute.

On 9 and 10 September, Malandain Ballet will perform ´Nocturnes´ and ´Mozart a Deux´ in different venues around the city. Lasala, a company directed by Judith Argomaniz, will be another headliner this year, with ´Fight´, ´Alive´ and ´IU´ on 11, 12 and 13 September. Osa + Mujika, the duo formed by Jaiotz Osa and Xabier Mujika, will take over on the 13th, 14th and 15th with their play ´Expectations will not kill you´ performed in the streets of the city. Finally, the group Proyecto Larrua will present ´Muda´ and ´Idi Begi´ on 15 and 16 September.

The dance-related offerings, however, will not end with these shows. On 11 September, the film ´Dantza´ by Telmo Esnal will be screened at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, and from 9 to 23 September, ´Soka´, an exhibition organised by Euskaldunak Québec in collaboration with the Etxepare Basque Institute and the Euskal Kultur Erakundea, will be on display at the Centre des Musiciens du Monde. The exhibition will open this afternoon with a performance by the dance troupe Bilaka.