Over the course of a year, I’ve met and photographed the work of companies and non-profits dedicated to making performing arts inclusive of people of all abilities, in Montreal.
I’ve met professional dancers living with physical disabilities and professional actors living with intellectual deficiencies. I’ve met a band formed by men who are still homeless to this day. I’ve met people using theater to re-learn to communicate after a stroke that left them unable to properly speak. I’ve met dancers using their art to build connections and bring joy to patients with Alzheimer’s. I’ve met a band of percussionists living on the spectrum or with Down syndrome. I’ve met high functioning autistic youth learning ballet and doing theater. And the list goes on.
These artists challenge the boundaries of performing arts, redefining codes and esthetics. And they do so at the margins of the world of arts because we still have a hard time accepting difference as part of the norm. This photographic project was produced in part by the Place des Arts, and was only made possible thanks to the companies, non-profits, and artists it features.
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#1
Mélanie Labelle and Joannie Douville from Corpuscule Danse.
#2
Marie-Hélène Bellavance and Georges-Nicolas Tremblay from Corpuscule Danse.
#3
B-Boy Luca “Lazylegz” Patuelli.
#4
Roya Hosni, Joannie Douville and Maxime D. Pomerleau from Corpuscule Danse.
#5
During a dance party hosted by No Excuses No Limits movement, in a specialized school.
#6
A custom made percussion instrument by a member of the band Osmia, created in the music room of a homeless shelter.
#7
A dance workshop for children by Corpuscule Danse.
#8
Patients with aphasia in the Théâtre Aphasique.
#9
Georges-Nicolas Tremblay and Marie-Hélène Bellavance from Corpuscule Danse.
#10
A percussion band from the APPROSH project, at La Gang à Rambrou.
#11
Benoit Lachambre and France Geoffroy from Corpuscule Danse.
#12
A performance by Atypik Bunch, a group of colorful artists of all abilities.
#13
A dance workshop for children by Corpuscule Danse.
#14
A performance by Atypik Bunch, a group of colorful artists of all abilities.
#15
A dance workshop for children by Corpuscule Danse.
#16
Dancers from an urban dance class by the National Centre for Dance Therapy.
#17
Professional dancer Elise Bergeron and a patient with Alzheimer’s.
#18
From the show C’est là que l’on s’est connus, by Au Nom de la Danse.
#19
Dancers from an urban dance class by the National Centre for Dance Therapy.
#20
A percussion band from the APPROSH project, at La Gang à Rambrou.
#21
Actress Maxime D. Pomerleau in Guerilla de l’Ordinaire, by Théâtre de l’Affamée.
#22
Inclusive choir performance at the Place des Arts
#23
Benoit Lachambre and France Geoffroy from Corpuscule Danse.
#24
From a show played by actors struggling with mental health issues or loss of communication abilities, by the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde.
#25
Rocio Vadillo and Luca “Lazylegz” Patuelli.
#26
An inclusive dance performance at the Place des Arts.
#27
Patients with aphasia in the Théâtre Aphasique.
#28
From the show C’est là que l’on s’est connus, by Au Nom de la Danse.
#29
From the show C’est là que l’on s’est connus, by Au Nom de la Danse.
#30
The pianist from the band Osmia, created in the music room of a homeless shelter.
#31
Gabrielle Marion-Rivard and Olivier Rousseau, in the show Cendres, by Productions des Pieds et des Mains.
#32
Youth from Autisme Sans Limite dancing with the National Center for Dance Therapy.
#33
Youth from Autisme Sans Limite performing with the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde.
#34
Inclusive choir performance at the Place des Arts.
#35
Patients with aphasia in the Théâtre Aphasique.
#36
Mélanie Labelle, Bill Coleman and Maxime D. Pomerleau from Corpuscule Danse.
#37
Youth from Autisme Sans Limite performing with the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde.
#38
Inclusive choir performance at the Place des Arts.
#39
The duo between a typical dancer and a dancer living with intellectual deficiency.
#40
A scene from the show Dis Merci, by Joe Jack and John.
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