Arts Previews

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Dance

Armed with choreographers who have proven their worth, the Ballets Jazz de Montreal takes on the month of October with a three-in-one show. Closer, Harry, and Night Box touch on themes of identity, cultural conflict, night life, sexuality, and romantic relationships. The show is a panorama explored through multiple styles of dance, and it has something for everyone. See it in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Sherbrooke, and Sainte-Thérèse. www.bjmdanse.ca

Critically acclaimed at the premiere in 2010, Maguy Marin’s Salves is back on stage at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa in October as part of a U.S. tour. With a soundtrack played on four tape recorders, the work features seven dancers. Through a succession of images, they attempt to depict the madness and absurdity of today’s world.
www.nac-cna.ca

Theatre

Zimmerman and De Perrot were fascinated by human contradictions. So they put a magician, a DJ, and five acrobats on stage. Thus was born Hans was Heiri. This show, midway between theatre and circus, places its seven protagonists in an apartment where the ceiling is the floor. They must adapt to their new universe in between the DJ’s music and circus and dance numbers. www.tohu.ca

“You don’t get to choose your brother, your father, your mother. Why do you need to choose your wife?” Asha, an Indian-Canadian mother, is worried about her still-single son. Her husband and she decide that his trip to India is the perfect opportunity to put the squeeze on him, and many lively discussions result. Written and directed by Ravi Jain, A Brimful of Asha was a smash hit in Toronto. It appears in Montreal at Usine C. www.usine-c.com

Visual Arts

Until October 13, you can visit artist Guy Fortin’s show Chut! Regardez… at the Écomusée du Fier Monde. Comprised of 30 black-and-white photographs, the show takes a fresh look at intellectual disabilities. Capturing moments of pride and joy, the artist manages to enter into his subjects’ daily lives, going beyond prejudice. www.ecomusee.qc.ca

The Arab World Festival (FMA) includes two shows. The Ligue des Artistes Tunisiens presents Tribles: A Journey to the Ethni-City, a series of paintings and pictorial works on the themes of travel, tribe, ethnicity and city. Meanwhile, photographer Amine Kouide presents a show on the Algerian Sahara. www.festivalarabe.com

From October 1 to November 8 at TOHU, discover the works of photographer Bertil Nilsson. For Intersections, he photographed circus artists in an urban setting, giving the work a mysterious, gravity-defying quality that is at the same time very human and sensitive. www.tohu.ca

Cinema

Cinephiles, get ready. In October, the Cinéma du Parc presents the complete works of Jacques Tati, after getting their hands on restored copies of the filmmaker’s greatest classics. Now you have the opportunity to see (or re-see!) Playtime, Mon oncle, and Les vacances de M. Hulot. September 29 to October 24. See the website for schedules. www.cinemaduparc.com

One festival, eleven days, 300 films, plus lectures, parties, and happy hours. Such is the line-up of the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, held from October 9 to 20. The 2013 edition of a festival committed to new creations and innovation once again promises some great surprises. Keep an eye on the website for scheduling. www.nouveaucinema.ca

Elizabeth Price, winner of the 2012 Turner Prize, is in Montreal as part of the Pop Montréal festival. The Musée d’art Contemporain presents her video work The Woolworths Choir of 1979. Evoking a tragic fire in a British supermarket, the work reconstructs the sequence of events in a series of collages over a background of music. www.mcam.org

Translation: Rebecca Anne Clark