BIOGRAPHY
Emmanuelle Martin
It was after training in Specialized Education that Emmanuelle considered dance as a career. A mixed French-Reunion Islander with Indian origins, she has been immersed since her early childhood in the culture of the islands where the relationship with dance and music is an integral part of everyday life. Street dances such as hip-hop, Latin dances and island dances color his self-taught encounter with dance. Holder of a bachelor's degree in dance, Emmanuelle completed her academic training - ballet, contemporary, jazz - in France, the United States and Canada, which allows her to benefit from a varied and complete approach to this art. Specializing in contemporary and urban dance, she has worked as a dance performer for 10 years and is recognized for her versatility, her skills in improvisation and her strong presence.
She associates herself with the works of many artists who inspire her and enrich her practice. She thus develops her knowledge of the dance-technology relationship through her collaborations with Van Grimde Corps Secret, Audrey Gaussiran, Barbara Diabo, Kim-Sanh Chaû, Bettina Hoffmann, Maribé Sorts de ce corps and Sébastien Cliche.
She makes young audiences smile thanks to the creations of Bouge De Là, PPS Danse, Imprudanses and Ampleman Danse. Sinha Danse, Maya Dance Theater, Chowk Production and P7:1sma Dance Company, companies fusing contemporary dance with traditional Asian dance, make its gestures flourish. She has the honor of collaborating with Johanne Gour and Azalia Kaviani, neurodivergent artists. She also works on major productions such as the Opéra de Québec, The Ten Commandments and the television show TVA Révolution. In 2020, Emmanuelle joined Valleto Dance Company (USA) for an international creation premiered on Zoom due to the pandemic. Emmanuelle also dances in the water with works by Early Morning Opera (USA) and Caroline Laurin-Beaucage. She recently joined the new creationSymphony of Hearts by RD Créations which will be presented at Place des Arts in Montreal in 2024.
Over the years, Emmanuelle has developed a unique hybrid gesture where she combines the fruits of her life journey with those of her artistic journey.
As a choreographer, in addition to responding to choreographic commissions, she has decided to invest in her own creations since 2019 after presenting the duo Angel in France with her multi-handicapped little sister who is her life inspiration. She also named her company Nouena Danse in her honor. Emmanuelle has since presented her soloEncounter at the Zemmourballet and Quartiers Danses Festivals. Also, it presents18.015 at the Quartiers Danses and Vue Sur La Relève festivals and received several awards. She draws her inspiration from the mix of styles, likes to deconstruct the movement to deliver raw and visceral material in search of authenticity.
ARTISTIC APPROACH
I see in the non-verbal aspect of dance an opportunity to express oneself through a more universal, visceral and intimate language than that of speech. Growing up with a little sister with multiple disabilities, I learned to cherish this non-verbal language that favors sensory communication.
In my choreographic work, I am interested in societal themes that have challenged me since childhood: human condition (mental illnesses, diversity, identity quest), ecology, society (capitalism, overconsumption, wars, etc.) philosophy, spirituality.
My understanding of life such an interconnection and interdependence of all beings, colors my creative process. Meditation has also become a key since it helps me channel my creative energy and perceive my work in a more holistic way.
Fascinated by the immensity of possibilities when it comes to movement, my mixed gestural vocabulary - imbued with my background at the crossroads of contemporary dance and urban dances, my Indian and Reunionese roots and my professional experience with various creators - gives a singular and recognizable signature to my choreographic work. I explore a gesture that is as fluid as it is jerky, explosive and visceral in various spectra of texture, dynamics and speed. I center my work around techniques of bodily isolation, improvisation, repetition, deconstruction of movement and breaks in rhythm. On the one hand, I am interested in the very refined and precise aspect of the movement, and on the other, I strive to distort it to find its emotional essence. I dig my artistic “signature” at the heart of a permanent search for authenticity and human depth.