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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.
Final score:
26points
RELATED:
#2
Marie-Hélène Bellavance and Georges-Nicolas Tremblay from Corpuscule Danse.
Final score:
24points
#3
B-Boy Luca "Lazylegz" Patuelli.
Final score:
23points
#4
Roya Hosni, Joannie Douville and Maxime D. Pomerleau from Corpuscule Danse.
Final score:
19points
Viviane Katz 5 years ago
I think I've seen Roya Hosni before. A few years ago, I saw an extraordinary one-legged dancer performing in the subway. She was acrobatic, using her crutches as part of her choreography. And yes, she seemed to be choreographing on the fly!
#5
During a dance party hosted by No Excuses No Limits movement, in a specialized school.
Final score:
19points
#6
A custom made percussion instrument by a member of the band Osmia, created in the music room of a homeless shelter.
Final score:
19points
#7
A dance workshop for children by Corpuscule Danse.
Final score:
18points
#9
Georges-Nicolas Tremblay and Marie-Hélène Bellavance from Corpuscule Danse.
Final score:
15points
#10
A percussion band from the APPROSH project, at La Gang à Rambrou.
Final score:
14points
#11
Benoit Lachambre and France Geoffroy from Corpuscule Danse.
Final score:
13points
#12
A performance by Atypik Bunch, a group of colorful artists of all abilities.
Final score:
13points
#13
A dance workshop for children by Corpuscule Danse.
Final score:
13points
#14
A performance by Atypik Bunch, a group of colorful artists of all abilities.
Final score:
12points
#15
A dance workshop for children by Corpuscule Danse.
Final score:
12points
#16
Dancers from an urban dance class by the National Centre for Dance Therapy.
Final score:
12points
#17
Professional dancer Elise Bergeron and a patient with Alzheimer's.
Final score:
11points
#18
From the show C'est là que l'on s'est connus, by Au Nom de la Danse.
Final score:
11points
#19
Dancers from an urban dance class by the National Centre for Dance Therapy.
Final score:
10points
#20
A percussion band from the APPROSH project, at La Gang à Rambrou.
Final score:
9points
#21
Actress Maxime D. Pomerleau in Guerilla de l'Ordinaire, by Théâtre de l'Affamée.
Final score:
9points
#22
Inclusive choir performance at the Place des Arts
Final score:
9points
#23
Benoit Lachambre and France Geoffroy from Corpuscule Danse.
Final score:
8points
#24
From a show played by actors struggling with mental health issues or loss of communication abilities, by the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde.
Final score:
8points
#26
An inclusive dance performance at the Place des Arts.
Final score:
8points
#28
From the show C'est là que l'on s'est connus, by Au Nom de la Danse.
Final score:
7points
#29
From the show C'est là que l'on s'est connus, by Au Nom de la Danse.
Final score:
7points
#30
The pianist from the band Osmia, created in the music room of a homeless shelter.
Final score:
7points
#31
Gabrielle Marion-Rivard and Olivier Rousseau, in the show Cendres, by Productions des Pieds et des Mains.
Final score:
7points
#32
Youth from Autisme Sans Limite dancing with the National Center for Dance Therapy.
Final score:
7points
#33
Youth from Autisme Sans Limite performing with the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde.
Final score:
7points
#34
Inclusive choir performance at the Place des Arts.
Final score:
7points
#36
Mélanie Labelle, Bill Coleman and Maxime D. Pomerleau from Corpuscule Danse.
Final score:
6points
#37
Youth from Autisme Sans Limite performing with the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde.
Final score:
6points
#38
Inclusive choir performance at the Place des Arts.
Final score:
6points
#39
The duo between a typical dancer and a dancer living with intellectual deficiency.
Final score:
5points
#40
A scene from the show Dis Merci, by Joe Jack and John.
Final score:
5points
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Jo Choto 5 years ago
The issue isn't about disabled people being able to participate in the arts. It's the fact that they are largely invisible, because the powers that be have decided nobody wants to see them. Thanks to other artists like this photographer, we get to see the wonderful diversity that is the arts and its participants. We need to bring more visibility to all the different people that are part of our culture.
Chris DiFonso 5 years ago (edited)
Amazing and inspirational! Somehow, it reminds me of the movie "Murderball" which is a documentary about paraplegics who play rugby in specially modified wheelchairs and competes in the paralympics.
Jo Choto 5 years ago
The issue isn't about disabled people being able to participate in the arts. It's the fact that they are largely invisible, because the powers that be have decided nobody wants to see them. Thanks to other artists like this photographer, we get to see the wonderful diversity that is the arts and its participants. We need to bring more visibility to all the different people that are part of our culture.
Chris DiFonso 5 years ago (edited)
Amazing and inspirational! Somehow, it reminds me of the movie "Murderball" which is a documentary about paraplegics who play rugby in specially modified wheelchairs and competes in the paralympics.
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