Meet the artists taking the stage at USINE C from March 26 to 28!
Whether long-time followers of Frédérick Gravel’s universe or newcomers, they will lead us through his latest creation. As eclectic as they are united, this incredible team comes together to offer a performance where body and music collide, at the crossroads of the growing gap in our illusions of connection.
PERFORMANCE
Nindy Banks is a dancer and instructor. She has had the privilege of learning from Hip Hop and Krump pioneers in Montreal and the United States.
With practices rooted in improvisation and a bachelor’s degree in contemporary dance from UQAM, Nindy has developed a particular interest in exploring dance as a vehicle for emotions and sensations. She is a member of the dance company Ebnfloh and participates in multiple projects, notably with We All Fall Down Interdisciplinary Creations.
In 2024, Nindy was the recipient of the Prix de la danse de Montréal in the PERFORMER category.
Jean Bùi studied visual arts and earned his bachelor’s degree in contemporary dance from UQAM. Throughout his career, Jean has worked with choreographers George Stamos, Katya Montaignac, and Andrea Peña, and has appeared in numerous music videos and commercials. Jean co-founded a collective with Sydney McManus, creating collaborative works that explore functionality (1,2, maybe 3, 2018, and Shape Tank, 2020).
On television, he has appeared in L’Indétectable (2025), Bellefleur (2023–2025), and Bête noire (2024). On film, he appeared in Ru (2023) and the short films Les fenêtres brisées (2025) and Le petit panier à roulettes (2023).
Marco Curci began his training at the age of six and received scholarships from the AMDA Performing Arts Center, the Peridance Capezio Center (New York), and Studio Harmonic (Paris). In 2016, he participated in DV8 Physical Theatre’s Intensive Development Workshop, joined Eleina D. Company as junior artistic director, and trained in aerial dance. Selected for the Biennale College Teatro (Venice) in 2020, he has performed in several Eleina D. Company creations, including Phobos, co-produced by the Ballet National de Marseille. In 2023, he played the lead role in the award-winning short film Mèmori. A graduate with honors in linguistic mediation, he studies psychology and has collaborated since 2024 with Daniel Léveillé and Andrea Peña & Artists.
Originally from Vancouver, Kimberley De Jong has been a dance artist in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal for 20 years. She began dancing for Compagnie Marie Chouinard in 2006 and continues as an independent performer, rehearsal director, and choreographer. She has also collaborated on Frédérick Gravel’s works since 2013.
In recent years, she has presented her own works: Cycle, with actor Jon Lachlan Stewart at Espace Libre (2025); (M)other, at the Galerie de l’Université de Montréal (2024); and The Day the Wild Cried, with musician Jason Sharp at La Chapelle (2022). A mother of three, she balances her career and motherhood with grace.
Combining a passion for urban dance with training in contemporary dance, Jean-Benoit Labrecque has developed a highly sought-after versatility. A 2014 graduate of the École de danse contemporaine de Montréal, he collaborated with Danièle Desnoyers on Anatomie d’un souffle (2016) and Unfold, 7 Perspectives (2019). A member of Andrea Peña & Artists since 2017, he has participated in restagings of Untitled I+III (2018) and 6.58: Manifesto (since 2020).
He is a performer in Frédérick Gravel’s Some Hope for the Bastards and Catherine Gaudet’s L’Affadissement du merveilleux. He also collaborates with Alan Lake, Jacques Poulin-Denis, Sébastien Provencher, George Stamos, and Riley Sims, among others.
Alexia Martel is a dance artist based in Montreal. For over a decade, she has explored, collaborated, and reflected within collectives, established companies, and with emerging artists. Her practice spans performance, rehearsal direction, and teaching. As a performer, she favors projects that combine intense physical demands, intuitive freedom, and a theatrical dimension.
She was recently seen on stage at Agora de la danse with the Laboratoire Pop molle collective (uniting dancers and robotics specialists) and in Réunion.s, the latest creation by Marie Béland.
Passionate about rehearsal direction, she has also collaborated with Simon Renaud (Amour, Amour), Julie Artacho, and Jacques Poulin-Denis (Grand Poney).
MUSIC
Philippe Brault has worked for nearly twenty years as a producer and session musician with numerous renowned artists (Pierre Lapointe, Ariane Moffatt, Dear Criminals, and Koriass, among others). He has over fifty albums to his credit as a producer and arranger. As a composer, he has scored more than fifty theater, dance, and circus shows, as well as many television series. In recent years, film scoring has taken a central role in his career, earning him two Iris awards for Best Original Score at the Gala Québec Cinéma.
Frédérick Gravel is a choreographer, dancer, musician, and lighting designer who shakes up the structures of choreographic art by integrating elements of rock and performance. An associate creator with DLD since 2010, he was appointed Artistic Director in 2018. Embracing a truly cross-disciplinary approach, his productions come to life through close collaboration with dancers, musicians, and other artists from diverse backgrounds. Both at home and abroad, Frédérick Gravel has left a lasting impression with his choreographic concerts and his universe of boiling energy and ironic nonchalance.
Active on the Montreal music scene since 2004, drummer José Major has collaborated with numerous artists, including Jérôme Minière, Paul Cargnello, Marie-Pierre Arthur, Jimmy Hunt, Salomé Leclerc, Pierre Lapointe, Catherine Durand, Pierre Flynn, Daniel Lavoie, and Luc De Larochellière.
He produced and arranged EPs and albums for Maritza, as well as the latest album by Jonathan Savage. He has also worked with choreographer Frédérick Gravel on the shows Some Hope For The Bastards and Fear and Greed.
Laurie Torres is a Canadian musician and composer raised in Montreal by Haitian parents. Since 2008, she has been a trusted stage and studio performer for Julia Jacklin, Pomme, and Land of Talk, touring across Canada, the USA, Europe, the UK, and Australia. She was also a founding member of Folly & The Hunter, recording four studio albums and touring extensively. Her debut album, Après coup—centered on piano, drums, and synthesizer—was released in February 2025 on the Tonal Union label, recognized for its genre-defying releases.
BONUS: SONGS OF LOVE AND COLLAPSE PLAYLIST
A curated list of songs that, in one way or another, inspired the creation of this work.
