Celebrating 20+ years of bringing Bill Coleman and Laurence Lemieux to Peterborough

Three Special Events in 2016:

	Elvis & The Man in Black Date Saturday, March 12, 2016 8:00 pm Pre-Show Chat with Laurence Lemieux, choreographer, at 7 p.m. in the Showplace Lounge. Post-show reception: Meet the artists in the lobby following the show. Venue: Showplace Performance Centre Admission $37 general / $23 students, underwaged Tickets available for purchase through Showplace Performance Centre
	Dollhouse Date Saturday, April 2, 2016 8:00 p.m. Post-show reception: Meet the artists in the lobby following the show. Venue: The Market Hall Theatre Admission $24 general / $17 students, underwaged / $8 high school students *Ticket prices include box office service charges Tickets available for purchase through Market Hall Theatre.
	OutSideIn A 3D film presented by the ReFrame Film Festival, directed by Anne Troake and featuring Bill Coleman Date Thursday, January 28, 2016 7:30 p.m. Venue: Galaxy Cinema

In Conversation With…

Bill, what’s up with the spotlight on Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie?
I hear ya! Good question. After all, since 1987 the artists behind the company, Bill Coleman and Laurence Lemieux, have come to Peterborough a combined total of 16 times by our rough count. Check out the full chronology below.

So why again?
Well, c’mon it’s been four whole years since the company’s last full-length program in Peterborough, in 2012, with James Kudelka’s House of Mirth.

What are they up to now?
These days the company has two projects on the go – one driven by Laurence, the other driven by Bill – and we saw the chance to showcase their latest directions for veteran audiences who are curious to see what has changed and what hasn’t, and for new audiences who want to find out what all the fuss is about. The two programs present two very different approaches to dance, in creation and execution.

Two very different approaches?
I think they present a fascinating contrast, an opportunity to re-discover why we are drawn to this art form in the first place. Is it for the virtuoso ensemble work of the country’s best contemporary dancers in Kudelka’s The Man in Black? Or is it the playful experimentation with form and content we see in Laurence’s Looking for Elvis and Bill’s Dollhouse?

There seems to be a special bond between Peterborough and these two artists.
Yeah, more than any city in the country we’ve sort of adopted them, often acting as the supportive parents when their newest works were being born and no one else was paying attention.

So their dance careers have matured along with Public Energy?
Right, sixteen years ago, when they gave birth to their dance company, we were the first presenter in Canada to show their new program, An Evening of Duets. And when they brought James Kudelka into the company as resident choreographer, Public Energy presented the world premiere of his collaboration with Daniel Taylor at a sold out Showplace. We’ve hosted seven world or Ontario premieres here and a bunch of residencies.

Now it’s time to see what their latest work is all about.
Yes and as I alluded to earlier, the company is now more like two companies in one, as Bill and Laurence seem to be forging separate identities and directions under the umbrella of CLC. How many dance companies in Canada can make that claim?

The Shows

Charting all the shows Public Energy has done with Bill Coleman and Laurence Lemieux – sometimes together, sometimes apart – goin back to PE’s founding as Peterborough New Dance.  Coleman Lemieux and Cie was founded in 2000.

The column on the far right indicates who choreographed the work and who performed in the work.

To date, Bill and Laurence are tied with 7 choreographed works each.