Dancer and choreographer Louise Lecavalier.Andre Cornellier/Supplied
Louise Lecavalier doesn’t collect David Bowie souvenirs. No Space Oddity comic books, no Aladdin Sane lightning bolt merch.
“I wouldn’t buy things with him on it: I worked with him,” Lecavalier said, speaking with reverence from her home in Montreal. Behind her was a life-size blue screen print of the late singer’s face, a special exception to her no-Bowie policy. A few Decembers ago, she spotted the print at a holiday art market, and during their brief exchange, the artist realized she knew exactly who Lecavalier was.
A groundbreaking contemporary dancer (the first Canadian to receive a New York Bessie Award) and an Order of Canada officer, Lecavalier is best known as Bowie’s stunning blonde dance partner, kicking her leg above his shoulder in the faux-tango video for Fame and touring with him, along with other dancers in the now-defunct Montreal company La La La Human Steps, on the 1990 Sound and Vision tour.
That day at the Christmas market, Lecavalier politely declined to buy the Bowie portrait and continued strolling the stalls, looking for presents for her twin daughters.
To her surprise, the artist came looking for her, artwork in hand. “She said, ‘I want to give it to you.’ So that’s how I have something I love so much.”
Lecavalier kept dancing beyond her 17 years with La La La. First came solo projects created for her by choreographers such as Crystal Pite and, since 2012, the now 65-year-old has toured self-choreographed works. Her newest evening-length work, Stations, debuted in Germany prepandemic and arrives in Toronto this week, running from Nov. 23-25 as part of the Torque series presented by Harbourfront Centre. It’s a retrospective of sorts, the stages of Lecavalier’s life depicted in a series of choreographic vignettes.
She spoke with The Globe and Mail about Stations, her famous dance partner and still being able to do splits.
I know you’ve told this story many times, but how were you chosen to work with David Bowie?
There was one agent who came to La La La, and he told us, “We have a client who wants to work with the company.” That’s how it started. We refused to work with him, because they wanted a dance that we had just finished touring for two years, and we wanted to move on to something new.
But the beautiful thing is – and this says a lot about David Bowie – he was not at all insulted. He phoned to propose an interesting new project, and that was the Sound and Vision tour.
Today musicians often pick dancers who have thousands of followers on Instagram to work with. It’s amazing to me that Bowie wanted to work with what was then a little-known dance company from Montreal.
David was curious. He didn’t find what everyone else finds.
Complexions Contemporary Ballet performs a David Bowie jukebox ballet called StarDust. Have you seen it, or any similar dance works?
Because I really like his music, and unless someone else tells me, “You have to see what they’ve made with it,” I’m not going to go. It’s not easy to mix a huge star with your show.
A number of older dancers have created or commissioned swan song pieces, including Wendy Whelan’s Restless Creature and Sylvie Guillem’s farewell tour. Is Stations a statement about being an older dancer?
No. I don’t think like this. I’m talking about living, and maybe we live a little bit differently at different points in our lives.
You grew up a Catholic in Quebec. Does the title Stations reference the Stations of the Cross?
Yes. I like this word because it has so many different meanings. The Stations of the Cross is something quite dramatic and brings me back to my childhood. And there’s the stations of the subway. I like the word as something that means something sedentary, but it also means to travel, that you’ve stopped at places.
At one point in Stations, you attempt to get into a split, but stop short, and weave your hand under your legs. Is that about not being able to do a split any more?
Oh no. I can do a split. But that moment, it does remind me of the [split] jumps that we were doing with La La La. We would kind of float in the air for a moment, and then roll on the floor. It’s the same way with a split: I’m suspended, and it takes more effort. It’s about effort and floating at the same time.
There’s a lot of arm movement throughout this piece. How has your approach to gesture changed over time?
That’s a good question. It has changed. Especially in the early years, there were a lot of little, delicate gestures. I was more rock and roll when I started to make my own pieces, although Stations is less rock and roll. The upper body, when it talks, is very different from the lower body. It’s more personal. You can express a few things with legs but not as much as with your hands. So yes, it has evolved, and it evolves for each show. Maybe the next show will be more minimalist.
Toronto marks the final stop for Stations. What is next?
I have material. I have ideas. The dates are already booked for Germany at the end of 2024.
Can you tell us what the title is?
No. When I get a good one, I don’t even pronounce it to myself. Each piece is a new world, and I dive in. I present my research, and I’ve been lucky enough that people want to see my work. After about 70 to 100 times, I want to move on. I go back to the studio. It seems I always find something.
This interview has been condensed and edited.
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