MISSION STATEMENT
Founded in 2013, Cie Manuel Roque (CMR) is dedicated to the research, creation, and touring of contemporary dance works.
CMR's creations are distinguished by a singular choreographic signature, where kinesthetic virtuosity and generous physical engagement are combined with a deep reflection on the human condition. Both political and poetic, this approach seeks to create a dialogue between the rigor of the gesture and the sensitivity of the gaze.
Presented on professional stages as well as in situ contexts, the works aim to be spaces of resonance and openness, simultaneously radically bold and accessible to diverse audiences.
Committed to placing the creative act within a dynamic of sharing, CMR also deploys a variety of mediation, teaching, discussion, and exchange activities, in order to multiply encounters and build bridges between artists and territories. Recipient of the Prix du CALQ – Best Choreographic Work of the Year (2017) and the Prix Interprète at the Prix de la Danse de Montréal (2017), Bang Bang has allowed CMR to acquire international distribution scale and to consolidate its position in the contemporary choreographic landscape.
Photo: Robin Pineda Gould
BIO MANU
ROQUE
Photo: Juraj Žilinčár
Trained in Theater, Music, and then Circus (at the National Circus School of Montreal), Manu quickly became interested in contemporary dance, where he discovered an immense space for exploration and creativity for the body in motion. He has performed for numerous choreographers in Quebec (Paul-André Fortier, Sylvain Émard, Marie Chouinard, Daniel Léveillé).
He founded Cie Manuel Roque in 2013 and created Data, which was a great success following its presentation at the FTA in 2015. The piece examines the mutation of matter through a choreographic writing that blends fluidity and endurance. 2017 saw the creation of Bang Bang, an athletic solo on the notion of performance. Its presentation at the FTA (also co-producer) in Montreal propelled the piece onto the international stage. Manu then joined the ranks of DLD, which acts as executive producer and offers support for international development and distribution. Sierranevada was born following a 6-month residency at the Studio du Québec in Paris at the Cité des Arts, but its development was slowed by the pandemic context.
As of 2022, a new creative momentum saw the production of two new works. A re-reading of Bang Bang for two dancers was born from the collaboration with Nils Levazeux. Then Le Vent se Lève, a solo danced to the sound of the wind, presented at Théâtre La Chapelle in Montreal in 2024, offers perspectives on finding a sense of orientation and balance in a chaotic context.
Sweet Rodeo, a new duo creation with Nils Levazeux about the connection to the other, will open the Euro-scène Festival in Germany in the fall of 2026.
ARTISTIC
APPROACH
My choreographic approach aims to activate the imagination and sensitivity of the public by creating works where the athletic, the somatic, the political, and the poetic coexist. Far from the prevailing polarization, the pieces offer open, porous, and generous spaces where a sense of nuance unfolds like a welcoming invitation to apprehend the world with sensitivity. à
Each creation develops a rigorous writing of the body in motion, space, and time, and attempts to offer several entry points (intellectual, sensory, emotional) in order to address a diverse public.
Faced with the saturation of information, opinions, and images that characterize our era, I propose an act of meditative attention. I use repetition and duration to reveal the successive layers of the same action and to dive deeper into the commitment and identity of the performers. Anchored in a significant expenditure of energy, the choreographic vocabulary reveals a humanity in search of meaning, humble, listening, connected to its vulnerability as much as to the power of its impulses.
Each work is intended to be an act of resistance against the acceleration, the mind-numbing dullness, and the exponential violence of our time.
Each work aims to be a meeting point to collectively address brighter visions and reinvent a world that aligns a little better with our deep aspirations.
ARTISTIC
TEAM
Nils Levazeux
Photo: Jean Maso
Performer in Bang Bang and Sweet Rodeo
Interested in movement, Nils discovered contemporary dance and improvisation through a somatic approach at the Conservatoire de Nantes (France). Subsequently, his training at the École de Danse Contemporaine de Montréal offered him a small revolution within his body and his way of seeing things, whether danced or not.
Since graduating in 2022, he has been able to further sharpen his relationship with performance by working alongside the precision and rigour of the companies SINHA Danse and Sylvain Émard Danse. More recently, it is through the hypnotic imagination and sensory states of Alexandre Morin, the scenographic devices of Hugo Dalphond-Laporte, as well as the kinesthetic and rhythmic virtuosity of Manuel Roque that he finds pleasure in collaborating and investigating.
Nils approaches his role as a dance performer/collaborator with porosity. He explores movement informed by somatic practices, philosophical reflections, and the various physical training programs he follows.
Raphaëlle Renucci
Photo: Eugénie Tutin
Understudy Performer for Bang Bang
Trained in classical music from a young age (cello and piano), Raphaëlle is a dance artist originally from Corsica (France) and a 2018 graduate of the École de Danse Contemporaine de Montréal (EDCM). Now based in Montreal, Raphaëlle is establishing herself as a performer in the fields of dance, circus, theater, and music in Canada and internationally.
She collaborates with various artists and companies such as Cirque du Soleil, Compagnie de Danse Sursaut, Sylvain Émard Danse, Manuel Roque, director Philippe Boutin, the music group Kolinga, and others. She practices aerial dance in Rebecca Lazier's latest international production, Noli Timere, and also touches upon animation and "clowning" on other projects. For several years, Raphaëlle has also been moving to "the other side," not only by offering her vision to different artists as a rehearsal director but also by creating her own universes as a choreographer.
Marie-Philippe Santerre
Understudy Performer for Bang Bang
In 2013, Marie-Philippe Santerre completed a bachelor's degree in dance performance at the Université du Québec à Montréal. Upon graduation, she worked as a performer with choreographers such as Sébastien Provencher, Helen Simard, and Geveniève Jean-Bindley. She also collaborated with Dans son salon as a performer and co-creator on various projects. More recently, she has worked with Sylvain Émard, Catherine Gaudet, and Amélie Rajotte on projects presented in Montreal and internationally, and has begun new collaborations with Morin-Leroux arts vivant, Milles feux, and Manuel Roque. Marie-Philippe draws inspiration from the human experience, from the depths of the human soul, using vulnerability to generate sensations. She enjoys immersing herself in different artistic worlds, while adding her own unique touch.
photo: Justine Latour
Lucie Vigneault
photo: Tony Chong
Artistic Adviser - Rehearsal Director
For over 20 years, Lucie has worked on various artistic projects as a performer, teacher, rehearsal director, and choreographer. A freelance contemporary dance artist, she has danced in several original and repertoire works by Montreal choreographers. In 2015, her work was recognized with the prestigious Performer Award at the Prix de la danse de Montréal. She works as a rehearsal director for several choreographers. In recent years, she has collaborated with Frédérick Gravel, Manuel Roque, the Marie Chouinard Company, Clara Furey, Virginie Brunelle, and Catherine Gaudet. As a choreographer, she has collaborated on several productions directed by Oriol Tomas at the Opera and the Circus. She joined the team at the Montréal Complètement Circus Festival in 2014, where for five years she assisted Anthony Venisse in the creation of large-scale outdoor artistic events. Since the fall of 2018, she has been teaching movement and contemporary dance to students at the Theatre School of Cégep de Saint-Hyacinthe.
Sophie Michaud
Artistic Adviser - Rehearsal Director
After exploring movement through performance and choreography since the early 1990s, Sophie Michaud has dedicated herself to artistic support. Having completed a bachelor's and a master's degree in dance, as well as doctoral coursework in Arts Studies and Practices (UQAM), she collaborates with creators from diverse linguistic, stylistic, and generational backgrounds. Alongside her studio work, she continues her research and, as a trainer and mentor, shares her knowledge of rehearsal direction, artistic guidance, and dance dramaturgy. Michaud is a faculty member at the École de Danse Contemporaine de Montréal (EDCM). In 2024, the Prix de la danse de Montréal honored her lifetime achievements by awarding her the Prix Ethel-Bruneau.
Photo: Marie-Noële Pilon
Karine Gauthier
Lighting Design - The Wind Rises
Karine Gauthier is a lighting designer and technical director whose practice lies at the intersection of live arts, installation, and performance. Introduced to visual arts, psychedelic worlds, and the stage at a very young age, she quickly developed a fascination with light as a sensitive material and as a distinct artistic language. Inspired by the landscapes of Abitibi-Témiscamingue, she creates immersive lighting environments where space, time, and perception engage in dialogue.
For over twenty years, she has collaborated with numerous artists and companies in Quebec and internationally. She designs lighting for several renowned artists, including Dana Michel (Silver Lion at the 2017 Venice Biennale), Clara Furey, Manuel Roque, Alan Lake Factories, Estelle Clareton (Parcours Danse Prize 2019), as well as Audrée Juteau, Andrew Tay, Maria Kefirova, George Nicolas Tremblay, Natte Yaffe, and Corpuscule Danse. Her work also extends to circus arts and music, notably through her collaboration with Cédric Dind-Lavoie for the show Archives. Curious and open to interdisciplinary approaches, she also collaborates with visual artist Andreanne Godin on the exhibition L’endroit où tu existes encore (The Place Where You Still Exist), presented at OBORO and L’Écart.
Alongside her artistic practice, Karine Gauthier has served as technical director for several dance companies in Montreal and abroad. She also acts as production manager for the Francos de Montréal and the Montreal International Jazz Festival, on the Place des Festivals.
Driven by a constant exploration of lighting and stage presence, she continues her career today with the same sensitivity and commitment, constantly exploring new ways to inhabit space and bring the performance experience to life.