Les avalanches
Performance
Duration: 75 minutes
Sensitive Content: Ages 16+
Description
In a society that often perpetuates a culture of rape, must one experience assault or witness it up close to finally remove the blinders to such a grave issue? Through a performance blending dance, music, theater, and activism, Les avalanches confronts, head-on, how actions can oscillate between love, possession, and violence. It examines how assaults can be insidious, how reactions can be confused, and how healing is a deeply personal experience for each individual.
Biography
After studying theater at the collegiate level, Julie Artacho turned to photography. For the past 17 years, she has worked as a photographer in Montreal. A feminist, her personal projects revolve around the representation of women in the arts, rape culture, body diversity, and fatphobia. Her artist portraits have been published in prominent Quebecois magazines such as ELLE Québec, JEU, Magazine Véro, Clin d’œil, and Châtelaine, as well as international publications like ELLE France and Le Vif (Belgium).
In 2015, her photographic work gained media attention with a series of nude self-portraits featuring her and a lover, offering a poignant reflection on perceptions of sexuality and the bodies of fat people.
She is a frequent media contributor, with appearances on Radio-Canada, TVA, Télé-Québec, Rouge FM, Urbania, Vice, Métro, and La Presse+. Artacho has participated in web series such as Les patronnes, Les brutes, Huis Clos (by YouTuber Camille Ingels-Fortier), Sans filtre, and Courrier recommandé (by Urbania), as well as podcasts like Entre filles, Tout le monde s’haït, and Sexe oral.
Artacho has also been a panelist and speaker at events hosted by ANEB (Anorexia and Bulimia Quebec), Jack Summits, We Day, and the Festival Mode + Design. She has contributed texts to books such as Sous la ceinture: unis contre la culture du viol (Québec-Amérique, 2016) and Libérer la culotte (Remue-Ménage, 2018).
In 2018, she debuted as a creator at the NICE TRY event, and in 2019, presented her first performance at the ZH Festival, realizing her desire to express herself across various mediums. After years photographing stage artists, she sought a place on stage herself. She began performing at events such as Cabaret des sorcières (curated by Judith Lussier, 2021), Cabaret féministe pas gentil du tout (Festival Phénomena, 2022), and Fck ta grossophobie* (Zoofest, 2023). In March 2024, she will present Les avalanches, a creation she wrote and directed, at Théâtre La Chapelle.
Credits
Writing, Direction, and Choreography: Julie Artacho
Performers: Marilyn Daoust, Claudia Chan Tak, Natacha Filiatrault, Mya T. Métellus
Sound Design: Karolane Carbonneau
Music: Raphaëlle Chouinard
Lighting Design: Joëlle Leblanc
Set Design: Anne-Sara Gendron
Production Manager: Olivier Rousseau
Technical Director: Justin Houde
Costume Design: Chloé Barshee
Research Consultant: Natacha Filiatrault
Rehearsal Director: Alexia Martel
Support
This creation is supported by:
Canada Council for the Arts - Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec - Conseil des arts de Montréal