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Interview with Louise Lecavalier

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Author Lucie Burešová
Czech audiences had the privilege of seeing La La La Human steps in October 2002 (Amelia), but were rather shocked by what they saw: a new abstract use of point-work virtuosity emphasizing movement, vigor, speed, and endless continuity which was strange to the traditional ballet audience as well as to contemporary dancers here.

How is your own choreographic production different from the one you experienced as a dancer with La La La Human Steps? In the short video trailer of the upcoming show, we could see no point technique, no strict lines. What is there in common and what is new? Édouard Lock’s choreography has changed a lot since he moved to ballet and point technique. The pieces by Édouard that I am performing now are from the past. It comes out as a 14-minute duet, but in fact, it’s a collage of three duets I danced with La La La which were created by Édouard Lock for the shows 2 and Salt, in 1995 and 1998 respectively. I don’t want to compare them to his recent creations, nor do I want to compare them to the way I danced for him before. I can’t possibly dance these pieces exactly the same way as before… and it wouldn’t interest me to do so. What makes the difference is not age in the sense of the diminishing of physical possibilities, but in the sense of the passing of time. Over the 12 years that I experienced, thought, and danced other things, I gained and lost, and shifted to find new challenges. To want to dance those pieces again, it had to be a challenge from my standpoint. A Few Minutes of Lock evokes the inspiration of Édouard Lock; how big is the influence? I mean, what is Lock’s, what is Charnock’s, what is yours, and what comes from above? Can you specify the connection between the present choreography and Lock’s heritage?
A Few Minutes of Lock is still Lock. With France Bruyère, the rehearsal mistress who has worked with me for 18 years now (10 of those with La La La), we revived these duets, edited them, and linked them together on stage to the music of Iggy Pop. I dance these duets with Keir Knight (a former La La La dancer), and Patrick Lamothe joins in for a short trio.
The heritage might stem from a way of conceiving movement and stage presentation that I explored while working for Édouard, but it could be more than what I bring with me when I work with others, or from improvising, or from my way of living. I am not trying to extricate what was mine from his work. I know what was his, and I don’t care to know more.
I am rediscovering how to dance Édouard Lock’s works, even if the differences are minimal in how I perform the movements. I am sure that if I could make an exact comparison between a performance of 1998 and one right now in 2011, the impression would be very different.  In Children, it seems we will see several duets between a man and a woman. Why is it called Children? What do you find childish about the man-woman relation? What is this piece about?
In this show, I present old and new (the new comes first, then the “old”). The first piece in the evening program, Children, is by choreographer Nigel Charnock, and I dance it with Patrick Lamothe. This piece is about being two -- a relationship, a couple -- day to day, love, hate, pushing or hugging, arguing or having fun. It is also about how we remain children forever: please love me, desire me, talk to me, don’t talk to me, take me home. It’s very physical. It demands kilowatts of energy, and it shows. It lasts about 50 minutes.
Regarding Nigel Charnock, he created all the original steps. He can do a lot very quickly; he is creative, and so dynamic. He gave us miles of choreography in a short time, but ever since we started to perform this piece, we have worked on it to make it personal, to make it ours. Nigel is an amazing performer. It was another challenge to learn a dance from someone who already dances it with such a personal style. It had to become different. But it was a fantastic challenge, because he fascinated me as a mover. It pushed me to find out more about myself again. When you choreograph, you also perform the choreography. Is it because it is hard to translate your intention to other people’s bodies, or is it simply the desire to dance yourself to bring your message to the public?
I don’t consider myself a choreographer because I still just make movement for myself, and I don’t need a title for that. But I am pushing myself to do it more often, as it is a good way to discover things. It makes a big change from all the time I spent learning dances from others and making them mine. Improvising helps me find what I’m craving with the movement, how I want to speak. How you feel as a dancer and a choreographer in one body?
It feels very easy and fun some days, but other days, it feels so hard. I can be very judgmental when I create the steps myself, but less so when I dance for others. In comparison, learning steps or movements from a choreographer feels lighter, less stressful. In the end, it comes to the same thing: if I make the dance, it is personal, but I still have to bring it to others. When someone has created a work for me, I have to make it mine. It’s just a different process. And both are interesting. Have you finally found the desired balance, or, in contrast, a kind of distortion?
I haven’t yet found a real balance in the new processes -- always imbalance, creation is destabilizing, it is ok to be on the edge. I like and need to dance and challenge myself in the studio and as a performer; perhaps it is an addiction, perhaps it is just natural (my nature). I cannot create works for others unless I stop dancing myself (that’s how I see it now). What are your future plans? Do you still collaborate with La La La Human Steps? What about your own company? Do you work on a new choreography? Do you have other plans?
I work at the La La La studio every day. I don’t think I will work with the company anymore, but I like being near them. My own company is small. It’s just a name, a framework to continue carrying out projects. My plans: I’ll be working on a new creation this year while I continue touring with this show, Children/Lock. The plan that is coming up soonest is Prague, and I’m looking forward to it!

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