JOIE DE VIVRE
Jo Strømgren
A prolific choreographer, playwright, and director, Strømgren is renowned for his boundless creative universe and his ability to blend humor, poetry and depth. His collaboration with the company's talented performers gave birth to Joie de vivre, a work that, at its heart, is a celebration of life. The 60-minute piece pays homage to those who lived fully, before the age of constant documentation, celebrating the beauty of simplicity, memory, and the traces we leave behind.
Joie de vivre invites audiences into the final moments of an anonymous person's life. In this raw and profound space, memories rush by, revealing intimate glimpses into a forgotten world. It is in this space that Strømgren offers us a vibrant tribute to anonymous human beings, to those lives that we do not know, but which are brimming with emotion, mystery, and profound moments.
An unexpected scenic element also distinguishes this work: a huge sheet of paper. Much more than a simple backdrop, this object becomes a veritable dance partner, transforming the space and adding poetic depth to the movement.
Anchored in Montreal's creative landscape, Joie de vivre brings together an entirely local team, imbued with a touch of Nordic humor and a rare emotional intensity. With this new creation, Ballets Jazz Montréal offers audiences around the world an unforgettable experience - an invitation to reflect on our authenticity and joy of existence.
"Do you wish there was more to life when you close your eyes at night? Well, maybe there is. When truth is dying, imagination is the new living. We cling to pictures as proof of our existence, both towards ourselves and others. And it is convincing and rather satisfying for a while. But such relics of frozen moments soon fade to oblivion like autumn leaves. A paradox, since we fear everything that ends. By nature, we prefer spring, when things start, where every seed is a potential tree. Dreams, desires, hopes - the juiciest parts of life are everything that could happen but never did. And sometimes, those things that indeed happened but which we managed to keep secret. This is the juice that/gets us out of the bed in the morning. "Joie de vivre" is a tribute to invisible lives, and possibly with some suggestions on how to live them."
- Jo Strømgren
Choreographer and Stage Manager Jo Strømgren
Music TBA
Costumes Philippe Dubuc
Light Design Chantal Labonté
Accessories Alain Jenkins
Technical Coordinator Louis Morisset
Technical Team Maxime Lambert, Claude Plante, Daniel Ranger
Video Louis-Martin Charest
Photography Raphaël Ouellet
Artists Gustavo Barros, Millie Brinck-Dubuc, Yosmell Calderon Mejias, Abby Castora, Marcel Cavaliere, Astrid Dangeard, Kyle Davis, Shanna Irwin Calderon, Miu Kato, DaMond Lemonte Garner, Zack Preece, Madelaine Salhany, Silje Vereide
Apprentice Troy Atamanuk
Duration (without intermission) 60 minutes
Joie de vivre is a co-production of the Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur, premiering at FASS 2025.
