CAS PUBLIC - HISTORY OF THE COMPANY

When she founded her company in 1989, Hélène Blackburn was already a rising star amidst a new generation of contemporary dance artists. While CAS PUBLIC exists due to the sustained efforts of its founder, the company aims above all to be a rallying point for artists of different horizons, gravitating around a shared choreographic research process. In avoiding the choice of an eponymous name for her company, Hélène Blackburn sought to distance herself from the myth of the omniscient choreographer. She views creation as a collective act and as such, the company name itself is a reflection of her social interests and convictions regarding the artist’s role in society.

At the outset of each new creative journey, the choreographer and her collaborators strive to revitalize their vocabulary and their approach, bringing their themes to greater depths and always treating them with vigour and a touch of humour. After twenty or so years of research, the company’s work can be seen as a compendium of observations on the age-old enigma of the human condition. Its fiery choreographic scores, combining intense physicality and an innate sense of theatre, stand markedly apart from established codes and cast a sharp yet sensitive light on our human foibles.

Over the years, CAS PUBLIC has succeeded in positioning itself amongst Canadian companies which enjoy an international reputation. Nonetheless, the company remains well anchored within Quebec’s cultural landscape, where it continues to promote contemporary dance and contribute to its development. While still creating for wide audiences, CAS PUBLIC took on a new challenge in 2001 with its first creation for young audiences, Nous n'irons plus au bois, a piece that has been presented over 300 times.
Barbe Bleue, Journal Intime, and Le cabaret dansé des vilains petits canards, the youth creations that followed it, have been presented in reputable festivals and theatres throughout the world, from Chicoutimi to Madrid via the Opera Bastille in Paris and Opera de Bordeaux. The company’s 15th choreography, Variations S, is a work for adolescent audiences. Created in co-production with Tanzhaus Düsseldorf NRW (Germany) as well as Théâtre du Bic and Agora de la Danse (Quebec), the world premiere was presented in November 2010.

CAS PUBLIC is presently working on the creation of Gold, a performance for children ages 4 and over. The company is also currently developing a co-creation and co-production project with China, begun in May 2011. This ambitious project, spanning a period of 3 to 4 years, will involve the choreographer and dancer of CAS PUBLIC in collaboration with a Chinese choreographer and dance troupe.

For over 18 years, each of the creations that have marked the evolution of CAS PUBLIC attests to the pursuit of excellence through the renewal of gestural codes. Recognized for the passionate and daring physicality of its dance, CAS PUBLIC has secured its reputation with works of exceptional quality and a sustained presence on national and international stages.

- SUITES CRUELLES (2008) / Choreography for nine dancers, two pianists and one drum
- JOURNAL INTIME (2006) / Choreography for seven dancers and a pianist
- BLUEBEARD (2004) / Quintet for audiences aged 9 and over
- COURAGE MON AMOUR (2002) / Choreography for six dancers and two violinists
- PETITE ÉTUDE SUR LE COURAGE (2002) / Duet
- IF YOU GO DOWN TO THE WOODS TODAY (2001) / Quartet for audiences aged 6 to 12
- INCARNATION (1998) / Choreography for six dancers
- SUITES FURIEUSES (1995) / Choreography for eight dancers
- BESTIAIRE (1994) / Quartet
- LES RÉGIONS DU NORD (1993) / Trio
- DANS LA SALLE DES PAS PERDUS (1991) / Duet
- LES PORTEURS D'EAU (1990) / Quartet
- CATHÉDRALE (1988) / Quintet