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monumental with live music by Godspeed You! Black Emperor

Still from monumental

Relish the euphoric intensity of this dance piece, set to a live performance by post-rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor, with choreography by Dana Gingras & Noam Gagnon.

Lurking in the shadows, Godspeed You! Black Emperor unleash a monolithic sound, tying together snatches of noise, field recordings and muscular riffs, with excerpts from F#A#∞ and other records. The dance work is similarly extreme, as dancers on pedestals enact movements that go from repetitive and everyday to frantic and confrontational.

monumental was first performed in 2005 by dance company The Holy Body Tattoo to recordings of Godspeed’s music, since the band were on hiatus. When the band reformed in 2010, former Holy Body Tattoo Co Founder Dana Gingras directed the remounted version of the piece as a live music and dance experience with Gingras's company Animals of Distinction. It’s a totally absorbing multimedia work, with lighting design by Marc Parent, video by director William Morrison and text from conceptual artist Jenny Holzer.

Produced by the Barbican

The company, Animals of Distinction, gratefully acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec.

Stage Times

This performance will start promptly at the advertised time and will last roughly 90 minutes with no interval

‘A thunderous dance dystopia‘
The Guardian

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Watch: monumental at the 2016 Edinburgh International Festival

 

Vancouver contemporary dance company The Holy Body Tattoo joins forces with legendary Montreal art-rock collective Godspeed You! Black Emperor for monumental at the 2016 Edinburgh International Festival.

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