Inspired and inspiring, this unique artist is making her mark. Mélanie Demers first distinguished herself with her show La Goddam Voie Lactée, presented at the Festival TransAmériques. As a choreographer and author, Mélanie Demers is as skilled with her words as she is with her choreography. Her prolific career has been built on performances in the form of political and feminist manifestos. Demers’ unique artistic eye detects and reveals the talent of the many different creators she surrounds herself with. This fierce and socially committed artivist has the unique ability to portray humanity in all of its dimensions. Through the maturity embodied in her choreography, she charts a new course in the landscape of contemporary dance.
Biography
Multidisciplinary artist Mélanie Demers founded MAYDAY in 2007. The Montreal-based dance company’s works Les Angles Morts (2006), Sense of Self (2008), Junkyard/Paradise (2010) and Goodbye (2012) explore the powerful link between the poetical and the political. With MAYDAY remix (2014), she deepened engagement to cross-genre works and exploration of hybrid forms. Her fascination with the interplay between words and gesture crystallized in WOULD (2015), which won the CALQ prize for best choreographic work. In 2016, Demers embarked on a new creation cycle with Animal Triste and Icône Pop, both of which have toured internationally. In 2017, Mélanie Demers was invited to work as a guest choreographer at the Skånes Dansteater in Malmö (Sweden), where she created Something About Wilderness in collaboration with Laïla Diallo. Now that her ambitious choreographic relay Danse Mutante (2019) has left an awe-inspiring mark on stage, it is time for La Goddam Voie Lactée, Confession Publique (2021) and Cabaret Noir (2022) to enter the spotlight. To this day, Mélanie Demers choreographed over thirty works presented across Europe, America, Africa and Asia.