Lessons Three to Fifteen
(Option B): Dance-making

Lesson Three: Choreographer Jean-Pierre Perreault

When exploring with students the idea of personal artistic vision and self-knowledge it is important to consider concepts such as conformity and individuality. These concepts could be examined at a personal level as well as a societal level.

With this in mind, teachers who choose this dance-making activity option could begin by viewing the dance video Joe, choreographed by Jean-Pierre Perreault, which was filmed in Montreal in 1989. Discuss this piece using a process such as "Responding to Arts Expressions". One of the many ideas students will discover in Joe is that of individuality amid conformity.

• continue to use dance terminology
when discussing, analysing and interpreting their dance experiences

During the background information stage of "Responding to Arts Expressions", provide students with information from the book Jean-Pierre Perreault: Choreographer, edited by Aline Gélinas. Paul-André Fortier, who is also a respected Canadian choreographer, says the following about his colleague: "Jean-Pierre is passionate about the construction of his pieces. Given more to formalism and post-modernism than any of us, he never speaks of the content of the piece, for the `message' is never the driving force of the work. Instead, Perreault asserts his uniqueness in the way he designs the space, making it the centre and the creative force behind his work. Beyond the architecture of his stage sets we perceive the landscapes which have influenced him: India, Africa, Indonesia ... the world of the visual arts ... Jean Pierre often speaks of his projects as landscapes or paintings" (p. 29-30).

• continue to develop an understanding
of how dancers and choreographers acquire, transform and convey ideas

• continue to demonstrate understanding of the ways in which the elements of dance and principles of composition are used and organized to affect expression and meaning

Sylvaine Martineau, a dancer who participated in the creation of Joe, says the following: "From the beginning, there is always the location. The space preoccupies the dancer, sharpens his sensitivity. His perceptions are heightened in contact with accelerated perspectives, broken planes, infinite horizons. The body adapts to the geography of the space, and vertigo gives precedence to emotion. Climbing, sliding, tumbling down, falling, become more than simple actions and in the course of the process take on a poetic meaning. For Jean-Pierre, space and light support the emotional medium of the work" (p. 41).

Refer to a resource such as The Intimate Act of Choreography and the chapter entitled "Space" for questions to help students focus on Perrault's use of space. Ask students to consider how Perrault's use of space affects the overall expression and meaning of the dance.

Composer Michel Gonneville states, "... Perreault tries to give each element (the movement, the sets, the sound, the lighting of the figures and the stage) its own moment of focus, when it can be isolated and have its individual effect on the spectator. At one moment it might be the sets, with the movement on stage being reduced to a minimum so as not to distract our attention. At another, a visual `silence' might draw attention to the sound or musical aspect of the performance" (p. 53).

• continue to use dance terminology
when discussing, analysing and interpreting the dance experiences

Replay excerpts of Joe and ask students to identify specific examples that demonstrate the viewpoints raised in the three previous quotes. Encourage the use of dance terminology in the students' comments.

Refer to a resource such as The Intimate Act of Choreography and the chapter "Silence, Sound, and Music" for more information on the historical context for dances performed in silence or with simple percussion or vocalization.