Year: 2024-2025
DanceForce Member: Missy Pfohl Smith
Artists: Samory Ba; Alexandre Hamel; Pascale Jodoin; Le Patin Libre
Community Partners: Quebec Government Office of New York; Tim Horton’s Iceplex at Monroe Community College; University of Rochester
Audience: 268
County: Monroe
Montreal-based Le Patin Libre celebrated the company’s public debut in Rochester on December 8 at 8pm, performing “Murmuration” at Tim Horton’s Iceplex (Monroe Community College). This captivating piece blends high-speed choreography with mesmerizing visual storytelling, pushing the boundaries between dance and skating. An original work for 13 ice dancers choreographed by Le Patin Libre’s (The Free Skate) Alexandre Hamel, Pascale Jodoin, and Samory Ba, “Murmuration” is inspired by the intricate patterns of flocking birds in flight. The show drew a fantastic audience of almost 200, despite the uniqueness of this new art form, a non-conventional performance space, the company’s first appearance in Rochester, and a Sunday evening. On Dec. 9 at 7:30pm, Le Patin Libre’s performers led a free, public artist talk/off-ice contemporary dance workshop at the University of Rochester’s River Campus. Participants explored the group’s groundbreaking hybrid form of dance and figure skating, both by trying out some techniques and by listening to the company’s challenging journey of bringing this new art form to the forefront for presenters and audiences who had never experienced anything quite like it before. Le Patin Libre also held a rehearsal on Dec. 7 on the ice at the Lakeshore Hockey and Sports Center in Rochester. Young female hockey players (two teams) were warming up for a tournament in the stands, and were abuzz with excitement about what they were seeing.
Feedback from attendees and participants was overwhelmingly positive, with many praising the group’s innovative approach, mesmerizing choreography, and incredible skill, as well as the opportunity to meet and learn directly from the performers. Isaac Lindy of Le Patin Libre shared “We enjoyed a robust weekend of programming in Rochester, with our evening-length work Murmuration presented by the University of Rochester Program of Dance + Movement to an enthusiastic audience of folks from across the western NY region. We were able to interface with multiple facilities in the city through rehearsals and the show, which was a nice way to get to know the area. We capped off the weekend with a lecture/demonstration on campus at UR – even though it was the last day of classes for the fall semester, nearly 75 students, faculty and community members attended to learn more about Le Patin Libre’s history and approach to cultivating its unique skating idiom.” Pascale Jodoin also shared “I’m very touched and impressed by all these words for us (discussing audience feedback). My eyes become full of tears, some are dropping while I’m answering. Each show is an adventure physically and emotionally with all the steps and energy it needs before being in front of the audience. That’s why we do this! Being touched and touching people.”
The University of Rochester Program of Dance and Movement, the NYS DanceForce, the Quebec Government Office of New York, and the Tim Horton’s IcePlex at Monroe Community College all supported this residency. For example, the IcePlex gave us a rental discount. These partnerships were crucial in making the event possible and accessible to a broad audience.