The creator of a groundbreaking stage show coming to Winnipeg’s Burton Cummings Theatre on Friday says the performance is “like a live abstract painting” that combines a wide range of disciplines.
Diavolo: Architecture in Motion is the brainchild of Los Angeles (via Paris) artist Jacques Haim, who told 680 CJOB the show combines his two loves: movement and architecture.
“In Diavolo, I’m interested in the relation and the interaction between the human body and the architectural environment — how it is affecting us not only socially, but physically and emotionally,” Haim said.
“Imagine I was a French chef and I was making a Diavolo salad.
“Here is the recipe: I would put a little bit of everyday movement, a little bit of ballet, a little bit of modern dance, a little bit of gymnastics, a little bit of acrobatics, a little bit of martial arts … and then I would add structures.”
The Diavolo dance troupe, which first came to fame in the United States as finalists on America’s Got Talent, has its roots in Haim’s early years performing in France and using the urban environment of Paris as his stage.
“I had a street theatre group in Paris … it was a way for me to rebel against whatever I was rebelling against at the time,” he said.
“I was performing on top of cars and climbing on top of buildings, and maybe it started like this unconsciously. I was always attracted to the urban environment and architecture.”
If Diavolo: Architecture in Motion draws comparisons to Cirque du Soleil, it’s no surprise — Haim spent time working with the internationally-acclaimed, Montreal-based company when they recognized his amalgamation of circus, dance and theatre.
Haim hopes to bring that combination of disciplines — and more — to a Winnipeg audience on Friday, with a stage show he says will be more engaging in person than anything you’ll find on a screen.
“There’s nothing better than live performance. No technology and phone and computers … live performance, there’s nothing better than that,” he said.