Louise Lecavalier Will Share Her Passionate Dance Moves in ‘So Blue’ at UCLA

So Far, ‘So Blue’: Louise Lecavalier at UCLA’s Royce Hall this January

Post-holiday blues got you down? Louise Lecavalier gets it. The award-winning dancer, and most recently, choreographer, will be performing “So Blue,” her choreographic debut, at Royce Hall on UCLA’s campus January 16.

Accessibility. That has been the defining word and the touchstone for Louise Lecavalier’s entire career. After years of her style being defined by violent thrashing movements that pushed the boundaries of dance technique and, in turn, gravity, Lecavalier sought something organic. She spent hours in a studio letting her body do the talking to figure out a new way to move. In this way, Lecavalier stumbled upon the frenetic movement vocabulary, evident in “So Blue,” that she is performing all over Canada and parts of the United States and France with her partner, Frédéric Tavernini.

Now 55 and the mother of twins, Lecavalier has all the energy and passion of her early dance days. At the beginning of her dance career, she was unsatisfied adhering to rigid techniques that did not relate to the humans she knew. It’s a good thing she sought something different, because Lecavalier burst into the public eye when she began collaborating with Édouard Lock. The pair met at Le Groupe Nouvelle Aire when Lecavalier was just 18 years old and she eventually served as the inspiration and visual centerpiece for Lock’s company, La La La Human Steps. Her long blonde dreadlocks and androgynous build became the mascot of the company for nearly two decades. Lecavalier’s ability to throw herself into a full body barrel-jump, landing in the arms of her cast mates or on to the ground with a seemingly weightless effort, was the company’s signature move.

Montreal born, Lecavalier is one of Canada’s most notable contemporary dancers. Her passion for extremes and content that explores humanity made her a magnet for innovative projects. In the early nineties, she danced with David Bowie on his “Sound+Vision Tour”, and later performed with Frank Zappa in his final tour before his death. Lecavalier was the first Canadian to win a New York Bessie Award for her performance in “Businessman in the Process of Becoming an Angel.” In 1999, she was awarded the Jean A. Chalmers National Award, the highest dance prize in Canada.

Louise Lecavalier will be at UCLA’s Royce Hall with “So Blue,” on Jan. 16. Tickets are available here.