Chorale

Synopsis
In the intriguing ambience of a nightclub, 20 dancers move to the rhythm of vibrant music, transfixed in a spellbinding ritual. Hands brush against each other, eyes meet, bodies swirl, embrace, merge together and separate in a collective momentum alternating between introspection and exaltation. The performers simultaneously transmit the raw, vital pleasure of dance to both the audience and each other.

CHORALE bears witness to an evolving microcosm, swept up in a mass movement that is impossible to ignore. The trance-like state of the dancers shines through in this film-event, capturing their every movement at every turn.

Fascinated by discos and dance halls, Sylvain Émard created RHAPSODIE in 2022, a hypnotic tribute to dance as a visceral, instinctive, and liberating force that unfolds like a mantra. With CHORALE, he has immortalized the dance piece on film.

 
Director Biography – Sandrick Mathurin

Producer, director, in addition to being a photographer and cinematographer, Sandrick Mathurin has created more than a hundred videos for the cultural milieu. A graduate in communications –interactive media at Université du Québec à Montréal, he has signed for numerous trailers, videos of shows, documentaries and fictions. Known as a versatile creator sensitive to the needs of the artists, he strives to find the best narratives in order to craft stories that resonate with audiences.

From March to December 2013, his video project POLARISATIONS adorns the architectural surface of the Grande Bibliothèque (BAnQ). His latest short film DÉCROCHE, co-directed with Ludovic L’Heureux Devinat, has been screened at several international festivals. It was awarded for best North American short film award and for best male performance at the 2019 UK Short Film Festival.

 
Director Statement

Chorale is a vortex, a space-time where only dance matters. The idea was to create a transcendent cinematic adaptation through an unrelenting rhythm and an immersive experience. At times, the camera weaves through the bodies, as if the spectator were part of them; at others, it rises to observe the group, revealing the characteristics of this new living organism made up of 20 “atoms.” The camera is in constant motion, gravitating around this collective, striving to understand and grasp it. We seek to demystify the connections that bind these particles, to enter their intimacy, to sketch their individuality and dissonances. Yet, through the pulses of music and light, it is always the strength of the collective that prevails. Is this trance endless?
– Sandrick Mathurin

country

Canada

runtime

29:03

CREDITS

Director

Sandrick Mathurin

Original Idea and Choreography

Sylvain Émard

Dancers

Lou Amsellem
Sophie Breton
Charles Cardin-Bourbeau
Matéo Chauchat
Félix Cossette
Marilyne Cyr
Marie-Michelle Darveau
José Flores
Mathieu Hérard
Christopher LaPlante
Alexandre Morin
Erin O'Loughlin
Matthew Quigley
Raphaëlle Renucci
François Richard
Cara Roy
Mark Sampson
Marie-Philippe Santerre
Lila-Mae Talbot
Camille Trudel-Vigeant

Director of Photography

Kes Tagney

Lighting Design

Sandrick Mathurin
Yann Lo Bono

Editing

Sandrick Mathurin

Original Score

Poirier
Martin Tétreault

Costumes

Marilène Bastien

Rehearsal Coach

Kyra Jean Green

Sound Design

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