Stacks of sheet metal in the streets of Spain and a 24-piece brass orchestra are just two of many sources of inspiration for choreographer Marie-Josee Chartier. A contemporary visual artist, set designer, and dancer, Chartier has been commissioned by Toronto’s contemporary troupe Dancemakers, of which she is a former member, to create a full-length piece. The result is 51 Pieces of Silver. This will be the troupe’s first commissioned piece since artistic director Serge Bennathan took the helm a decade ago. Before the April 23 opening of 51 Pieces of Silver at the Premiere Dance Theatre, we decided to delve deep into what makes hartier tick.Varsity: How does the creative process differ between a commissioned piece and work created with no immediate destination in mind?Marie-Josee Chartier: For commissioned pieces, I approach each one differently. What I’m looking for is exploring and enhancing the qualities the [dancers] have already, as well as challenging them, taking them off into a direction that’s quite different than what they’re used to…. When you are commissioned to choreograph a work, you might also go off into a direction you would not have thought of yourself. V: What have been the most profound influences on your work?MJC: Contemporary visual arts has probably been my greatest influence. Going to a lot of exhibitions around the world and reading a lot of books have given me a lot of imagery for my work. A lot of 51 Pieces of Silver stems from that. V: Did you make any of your sculptures with this piece in mind?MJC: In 51 Pieces of Silver, I designed the set with Don McGoldrick. I was interested in the environment changing constantly on stage. It constructs itself, it gets deconstructed and reconstructed, because the dancers have a real hands-on relationship with the set. I have galvanized steel sheets, and pedestals and bells that roll, which, depending on their formation, create a new landscape. They also have sound elements built in because of the metal. With the set, [the dancers] build different environments that allow different dramatic moments to take place.V: I understand the music involved is of personal significance to you, having been composed by Henry Kucharzyk for your late husband Michael Baker. Have you used Kucharzyk’s piece as a basis for the work, or are the two being molded to fit one another?MJC: We’re doing both.When I was thinking about 51 Pieces of Silver, I didn’t have a composer in mind at the beginning. Then I heard Henry’s piece “Corral.” It’s very strong, and it has a lot of brass and violin, and has a lot of weight to it. I asked Henry what he thought about working from that piece…. Henry brought in a lot of elements of metal that we’ll be using on stage, mixed with the foundations of the orchestral piece. V: How did you brainstorm for this piece? What does your choreographic process with the dancers involve?MJC: I worked alone first in the studio with different movement ideas. There’s a lot of back-and-forth in this process—it’s like a huge puzzle. In the studio, I consider the dancers co-creators with me. In the first two weeks of the process, we’ve used a lot of improvisation. From there, I start looking at the material and building all the different moments that will take place in the work. Unlike pieces I’ve done in the past, which were often one thing from beginning to end, this piece is very layered. V: Silver conjures images of hard, sterile and cold things. What kind of tone will your work have?MJC: I don’t know what it will have until it is finished! (Laughs). I think it’s just like in life…. Sometimes changes are extremely drastic, going from cold to warm, tender to harsh, chaos to order. It’s the same with the metal. The energy of the dance will sometimes amplify the harshness, with the sound or with the strong lines. And sometimes the dance will be warm, which will suddenly make these shapes melt. The metal can look very fluid if you add the element of lighting.
