BJM_lab
BJM_lab is a heartbeat within Ballets Jazz Montréal — a living laboratory where dancers become dreamers, and choreographers emerge from within. This new initiative invites our artists to step into the role of creator, offering them not just a platform, but a playground — a place to risk, reflect, and reveal. Here, creativity is nurtured, collaboration is instinctive, and innovation is the pulse.
On May 21 and 22, we welcome Montréal audiences into our studios for an intimate encounter with these emerging dance makers. These performances are windows into evolving voices — fresh works born from within the company, crafted by the very artists who bring our stage to life.
Our Mission
At its core, BJM_lab is a celebration of artistic courage and self-discovery. We seek to cultivate a space where dancers feel empowered to trust their instincts, explore the unknown, and shape new languages of movement. We believe that discovery flourishes in the presence of opportunity — and through this initiative, we invite emerging choreographers to step forward, take risks, and contribute boldly to the ever-unfolding landscape of contemporary dance.
Our Intentions
-
Empower Our Artists – Equip our dancers with the guidance, tools, and freedom to explore choreographic creation within a professional and supportive setting, and share that with our community.
-
Celebrate Experimentation – Honour the beauty of risk, the joy of process, and the poetry that emerges when structure gives way to imagination.
-
Inspire the Future – Offer a pathway to the next generation of creators, affirming that the leap from performer to choreographer is not only possible, but powerful.
Seating will be limited for the May 21 and 22 performances.
Stay tuned for ticket information and booking links.
We look forward to sharing this adventure with you.
Choreographers & Featured Works
blister
Choreographed by Marcel Cavaliere
Marcel Cavaliere’s blister is a piece shaped by impulse rather than premeditated structure, allowing the dancers, the space, and the shared emotions of the moment to drive the movement. By stepping away from a fixed vision, the creative process became a dialogue—one that deepened the choreographer’s understanding of each dancer and the connections they share. The result is an experience where movement emerges organically, blurring the lines between femininity and masculinity, structure and spontaneity, control and surrender. More than just a showcase of technical ability, blister is a space for transformation—where dancers command the stage on their own terms, and where Cavaliere himself discovered new perspectives on artistry, identity, and the freedom of expression.
Effervescent
Choreographed by Andrew Mikhaiel
Set to Chaconne in G Minor by Tomaso Antonio Vitali, Effervescent explores the tension between structure and freedom. Inspired by the way an effervescent tablet fizzes when dropped into water, Mikhaiel’s choreography plays with the boundaries of classical and neo-classical ballet, giving dancers space to expand and redefine movement within their discipline. The piece is a celebration of technical mastery colliding with spontaneous expression, asking whether true liberation can exist within form.
The Second First Time
Choreographed by Madeleine Salhany
Salhany’s The Second First Time delves into memory—how we hold on, create, and let go of experiences. Inspired by her grandmother’s battle with dementia, her choreography seeks to physically embody the subconscious choices we make in remembering or forgetting. With a cast of eight dancers, she explores evolving movement language influenced by the interplay between bodies, textures, and sensations.
WHERE’D YOU GO?
Choreographed by DaMond LaMonte Garner
Garner approaches choreography as an intimate journey of self-discovery. His piece is an exploration of escapism and daydreaming, a fantasy playground where fleeting thoughts materialize through movement. Integrating original compositions, recorded voices, and layered soundscapes, Garnier aims to create an immersive experience that reflects his evolving artistic identity while offering dancers a deeply personal and expressive space to perform.
Photos of company by Sasha Onyshchenko
Photos of Marcel Cavaliere by Wyatt Florin
Photos of Andrew Mikhaiel by Marc Montplaisir
Photos of Madeleine Salhany by Aidan Tooth
Photos of DaMond LaMonte Garner by Jason Lam