In touch with her inner man
Choreographer uses her masculine side to create all-male production Screaming Popes
Jen Zoratti

Screaming Popes is an intriguing title made even more intriguing when you get to know the woman behind the decidedly male dance.

Montreal-born, Toronto-based choreographer/dancer Marie-Josée Chartier had the idea percolating in her head for nearly 12 years before Screaming Popes made its debut in Germany in 2004. Inspired by a series of paintings by Irish artist Francis Bacon, Chartier drew upon the images that were etched into her head to create an ethereal, artful piece that uses theatre, dance and music to infiltrate the male psyche.

‘Thank you, Mr. Bacon’

“The idea goes back to 1992 when I discovered the work of Francis Bacon,” Chartier says from Toronto. “I had created two other works from his paintings, and I was interested in his work on the popes — the way they were painted open-mouthed, the way the lines were designed to look like they’re in a room or a cage or a box.

“I already knew the name would be Screaming Popes in 1992.”

She continues: “These were all images I had in my head, but I didn’t start working on it until 2001. There were a few things I knew I needed, such as a set design that would convey that idea of the box. Clothing was also important. The Pope outfit is really the ultimate outfit.”

The last statement strikes me as remarkably funny, prompting Chartier to elaborate on how the Pope’s gaudy threads are actually quite integral to the subject matter of the piece.

“The outfit represents many layers,” she explains. “The subject matter had to come from that. It’s all about layers and deconstruction. It travels through this sort of religious aspect. It’s about.... femininity and masculinity and how they co-exist within the male. It’s also about men and working with men.”

All male, all the time

Screaming Popes is a unique gem of a piece that features a male cast — a rare occurrence in an art form dominated by females. Inspired by the bold ideas of Bacon’s paintings, Chartier and dancers Dan Wild, Michael Sean Marye and Sven Till explore the ideas of faith, spirituality, ritual, power and the elusive definition of what it means to be a man — all juxtaposed against religious and cultural symbolism.

Her current production isn’t the first time Chartier has gotten in touch with her masculine side, either. In fact, some of her earliest work is influenced by her fascination with the opposite sex.

“It was a subject matter that was proposed to me back in 1988 by an anthropologist,” Chartier says. “I was really fascinated by a tribe in Papua New Guinea, where men would practice menstruation rituals by cutting themselves once a month to achieve that same cleanse that the women got each month. It was a subject I just found fascinating.”

Male rituals in the East were fascinating enough to inspire 1988’s RED the Mens Club, a dance that put the ‘men’ into menstruation and blurred the lines of sexuality. Some may doubt that a woman can interpret the male psyche, but Chartier says it’s her curiosity and interest that make her a credible choreographer, even when dealing with a masculine dance.

“I guess I have a strong masculine side,” Chartier says. “I was close with my brother growing up, and I spent a lot of time hanging out with guys. I grew up in a boarding school in Quebec, which was all girls, but when I went home for the weekends and summer I was always around guys. It’s a comfortable place for me to be, and I’m interested in it, what they feel and their psyche.

“It wasn’t always easy to create this piece,” Chartier continues. “I think they (the dancers) felt like, ‘How do you know about this?’ Communication was very interesting. But I’m interested and curious and I think that having a woman direct this brings an interesting colour to it. We all have both sides. This certainly wasn’t a dance piece where you just learn steps.”

A multimedia affair

Reaching beyond dance, Screaming Popes combines elements of theatre, art and music to shape the performance. Heavily inspired by the visual arts, Chartier uses specific lighting to emulate the colours within the paintings and she drew upon the talents of German composer Alex Nowitz to create an original work to accompany for the dance. Indeed, the show is billed as a co-production of Chartier Danse and Nowitz’s fabrik Potsdam. Nowitz will actually perform his creation live in Winnipeg.

“I definitely wanted music that was specifically written for this piece,” Chartier says. “Alex is a composer, but he’s also a virtuosic whistler and singer, so he can do the craziest things with his voice. He plays different roles in a way. He continues to explore —there’s still that element of improv there which makes it very live and very visceral. It would be a crime not to have him perform live.”

Shock and awe?

Given its title, Screaming Popes has an inherent element of shock value to it, but if the dance is pushing the envelope it’s doing it by expanding the definition of ‘dance’ — which is precisely why WCD artistic director Brent Lott wanted to include Chartier’s piece in the WCD season.

“Most people think of ballet when they think of dance,” Lott says. “I want people to know that dance can come at you in different ways. I want to expose an audience to as much as possible.”

Chartier wants to do the same through a multi-faceted work that features intertwined subject matter and art forms.

“I think it’s provocative as opposed to controversial,” she says. “It’s not like, ‘Oh my god. I was so offended.’ I hope that they will be provoked in the sense they are stimulated. It’s musical experience, a theatrical experience and it’s all developed together.

“I don’t think about making it shocking or provoking,” she says. “I just do what I have to do.”