Virginie Brunelle
Compagnie Virginie Brunelle is a choreographic creation company founded in 2009 that produces and presents original works under the artistic and general direction of the eponymous choreographer. Holding a bachelor’s degree in dance from UQÀM in 2008, Virginie quickly set herself apart in the Montreal dance scene with her distinctive style. The company contributes to the promotion of dance and the appreciation of the arts by the public through about ten works, which have been presented in numerous theaters in Montreal as well as throughout Quebec, Canada, and internationally.
After clearly defining her purpose, Virginie systematically dives into a musical exploration, an essential phase of her creative process. Music becomes her source of inspiration, guiding the choreographic construction in which each idea carries its intention, spatial compositions, and symbolism. Once in the studio, she refines the structure by specifying the dynamics of rhythms, pauses, gesture intensity, delicacy, gaze, and breathing, much like notations of nuances, attacks, and phrasing on a musical score. This precise approach, where each element is meticulously considered, allows Virginie to infuse emotion into each movement, creating a rich and profound artistic experience.
After graduating, Virginie Brunelle created Les cuisses à l’écart du cœur, a choreography for seven dancers that earned the 2009 Bourse RIDEAU at the Vue sur la Relève festival. Emboldened by this initial success, she founded her eponymous company (Compagnie Virginie Brunelle) in 2009, and in the same year created a second work, Foutrement, which won the 2017 Prix du public presented by the CAM en tournée (CAM touring program). In 2011, Virginie Brunelle opened La Chapelle’s fall season with the presentation of her third work, Complexe des genres, which received second prize at Denmark’s prestigious Aarhus International Choreography Competition. Three years later, she presented PLOMB, and in 2016 she created À la douleur que j’ai. These four works have since been toured across Europe and Canada, thus allowing the choreographer to gain recognition on the world stage, culminating in an invitation, in 2018, to create a show for the Gauthier Dance Theaterhaus Stuttgart company. The result was Beating, a work that was first presented in Germany, with a Canadian tour scheduled in 2018-2019. Then, in 2020, she created Les corps avalés, a piece for seven dancers, accompanied on stage by the Molinari Quartet; Presented by Danse Danse at Théâtre Maisonneuve, this work was a resounding success with critics and audiences alike. In the spring of 2022, Virginie presented her most recent creation, Fables, a major work for twelve performers and a pianist, which had its world premiere at the Lugano Dance Project Festival in Switzerland and was subsequently presented at Théâtre Maisonneuve at Place des Arts in Montreal in December 2022. Then, most recently, Virginie directed her first dance short film entitled Réminiscences, which premiered in the official competition of the Festival Regard and was screened in around twenty dance film festivals, where it garners almost ten international awards. Finally, she completed a second short film called Show me the exit, co-directed with Nicolas Berzi.
