Efer is ritual in motion, an ode to the unknown and unknowable. It’s an invitation to anchor into something real, to embrace the fleeting nature of our existence. It is a paradox: at once an offering, a rare opportunity to rule the world and equally, the inevitability of what will eventually be left of us. Dust and ashes.
Through striking physicality that borders on the heroic, Efer and its cast of seven performers explore loss, loneliness, community, and the transformative power of grief.
Winner of the Prix Rideau at the Parcours Danse 2021 biennial, Efer is Parts+Labour’s most audacious work to date. Directly translated as "ashes" in Hebrew, Efer is a symbol of finality and renewal. The work sits suspended in a liminal space, between the here and now and the beyond, a place that is neither here nor there, both barren and brimming with vitality.
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Photo 1 © Marion Desjardins (Nicolas Patry, Brianna Lombardo, Léna Demnati, Charles Brecard, Maïka Giasson, Milan Panet-Gigon)
Photo 2 © Bobby León (Léna Demnati, Charles Brecard, Brianna Lombardo, Nicolas Patry)
Photo 3 © Marion Desjardins (Maïka Giasson)
Photo 4 © Bobby León (Fabien Piché, Brianna Lombardo, Nicolas Patry, Léna Demnati, Charles Brecard, Maïka Giasson, Milan Panet-Gigon)
Photo 5 © Marion Desjardins (Léna Demnati)
Photo 6 © Marion Desjardins (Fabien Piché)
David + Emily on Efer:
Efer reflects the deep personal connection we both have to grief. It was important to us to create a work that explores the dual impact of presence and absence. We were inspired by the many different and often opposing aspects of grief: isolation, despair and even disorientation - and in contrast, community, resilience and even levity. Through this transformative process, we sought to express transcendence.
In many ways, the confinements of the pandemic climate that cradled this work also shaped it, defining its aesthetic and raw physicality: the obscured bodies, the hidden faces, and the distance between. The work is our take on the age-old tale of loss, transformation, and hope. Efer is about finding connection when we’re worlds apart, and finding beauty in the darkness.
Press
THE EPHEMERAL CAPSULES SERIES
Private grief infuses itself into public spaces in The Ephemeral Capsules Series, a satellite project to Efer. Developed and distributed in partnership with Danse Danse in 2021, this series showcases artists drawing inspiration from the transformative power of grief. Performers Brianna Lombardo, Charles Brecard, Maïka Giasson, and Fabien Piché bring their rawness and their craft to the public arena, celebrating the convergence of personal and shared experiences.
Captured and directed by Robin Pineda Gould.
Concept & creation: David Albert-Toth, Emily Gualtieri
Dancer-collaborators: Charles Brecard, Léna Demnati, Maïka Giasson, Brianna Lombardo, Milan Panet-Gigon, Nicolas Patry, Fabien Piché
With the involvement of: Geneviève Robitaille, Frédérique Pelletier
Text: David Albert-Toth, Victoria Côté, Brianna Lombardo, Milan Panet-Gigon
Lighting and Set Design: Paul Chambers
Music: Antoine Berthiaume
Costume Design: Nalo Soyini Bruce
Accessories Consultant: Marc-Alexandre Brûlé
Rehearsal Director: Jamie Wright
Outside Eye: Helen Simard
Technical Director and Board: Mateo Barrera
Production Direction: Dominique Sarrazin
Agent: Sarah Rogers
Production: Parts+Labour
Co-Production & Premiere: Danse Danse
Co-Production: La Rotonde, Diffusion Hector-Charland, Cas Public
Partners / Creation Residencies: Circuit-Est centre chorégraphique, Danse à la carte, Studio Flak, ELAN
This work is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts, le Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, and le Conseil des arts de Montréal.
An aspect of this production is funded by the Secretariat for Relations with English-speaking Quebecers.
Distinctions: Winner, RIDEAU Prize 2021
2021
60 minutes
7 performers
Header photo © Marion Desjardins / Milan Planet-Gigon, Fabien Piché
Press photo © Bobby León / Fabien Piché
Ephemeral capsules © Robin Pineda Gould
