Larchaud Dance Project is committed to creating dance art that pushes boundaries, that engages all audiences, and that exposes new audiences to dance through mainstream culture. We are dedicated to producing work that is accessible to everyone, and that is layered to appeal to all ages. Larchaud Dance Project delivers a preservation of the technique and standard of breaking from some of the city’s originators with an array of contemporary styles. Through these combinations has evolved a hybrid form of dance and partnering that has become stylistically linked to the company. Larchaud Dance Project recognizes breaking's inception on the streets (to engage youth and combat gang violence) and is committed to elevating the art of breaking to the stage, and increasing exposure of contemporary dance to unlikely audiences by taking it to the street. We are dedicated to creating art that questions the harsh realities of today’s world, engages youth, and acts as a vehicle for social change. Larchaud is constantly strives to offer both dance forms to highly diverse audiences. We are consistently known for weaving a story through dance, theatre, and film, bridging the gaps between culture, class, and gender.
History
Larchaud Dance Project was co-founded in the spring of 2004, under the premise of creating a company which would expand the boundaries, appeal, and acceptance of contemporary choreography. The company incorporates the fundamental elements of break dance technique to create repertoire based on strength, agility, and gravity-defying movement. They premiered their first work “The Larchaud Project” at fFIDA 2004 as a distillery site specific. The piece fused the technical and sensual aspects of the tango with raw and dynamic urban movement. Performed on a cardboard stage, “The Larchaud Project” received reviews from The National Post and Dance International Magazine, and was later remounted for Choreographer’s Ball One Year Anniversary.
Larchaud Dance Project produced their first full-length production, Stript Bare, in June 2005. Stript Bare combined dance, theatre and multimedia installation to take an in-depth look into a clinical experiment to understand the layers of the human mind. Since then, the company has produced Game Over/10 the entertaining children’s show performed on a jungle gym, Back to X/09 (DanceWorks CoWorks Series) the highly athletic and provoking examination of interrogation techniques, CAUTION/07 (DanceWorks CoWorks Series) a retelling of Pandora’s Box, and SHINJIRU/07 the first incarnation of Game Over. Most recently, Larchaud Dance Project has performed at Illuminite/10, Dance Ontario Dance Weekend/11/09, Beats, Breaks and Culture/09, Nuit Blanche/07/08, Junction Arts Festival/07/08, remounted excerpts of SHINJIRU for the Toronto International Dance Festival, and toured the production to China for the Shanghai International Fringe Festival in the Fall of 2006. Performance credits also include The Revue, TIDF Urban Matinees/Closing Night Party/06, Wintercity Festival/06, fFIDA/05 Grande Scale Event, fFIDA/04 Site Specific.Artistic Director, Jennifer Robichaud, was also a featured choreographer on the Gemini-nominated television documentary series Freedom, produced by Acme pictures and aired on Bravo in 2007.
Known for their entertaining and intelligent choreography, Larchaud Dance Project have been guest artists for instruction and choreography at performing arts high schools, and elementary schools. Known as a multicultural and eclectic group of artists, the company appeals to diverse audiences and communities.Their newest endeavour is Out of Bounds: Larchaud’s Educational Performance and Workshop Program.Most recently, Larchaud has been given opportunity to conduct workshops/performances at Alexander Mackenzie Highschool, Judith Nyman Secondary School, Sir Sanford Fleming, Claude Watson, St. Elizabeth’s Secondary School (Regional Arts Program), U4Change (St. Jamestown), IHAD (youth led initiative through Scarborough Arts Council), and Havergal College It is their initiative to be able to bring contemporary dance to youth and audiences who are not familiar with the form or view it as something exceedingly abstract, by way of something that is recognizable: relevant social issues and mainstream dance.
