Jo Strømgren
Prized by audiences from all walks of life, Ballets Jazz Montréal shines once again with a captivating creation by Jo Strømgren, a prolific figure in the international performing arts. A work of boundless creativity!
Inspired by real events in the life of choreographer Jo Strømgren, this story became the anchor of La Revue Finale —a dynamic exploration of the extraordinary secrets we all carry within us. Beneath the fabric of everyday life, behind polite smiles and quiet habits, stories throb, waiting to be revealed. La Revue Finale Revue is an ode to these unseen narratives, a dance that unveils the wonders hidden in plain sight.
In this 65-minute journey, Strømgren pays homage to anonymous individuals, to those whose rich and profound lives often go unnoticed. Here, simplicity becomes an art. In a world saturated with digital noise, La Revue Finale seeks the poetry of an untouched moment, in a life lived without artifice, yet imbued with meaning.
What makes this creation truly unique is its unexpected companion: an immense sheet of paper. More than just a backdrop, this element breathes, folds, unfolds—becoming a silent dancer, a being in perpetual transformation, a vehicle for metaphors. In Strømgren's hands, this humble material is transformed, evoking the fragile beauty of existence, the layers of our stories ready to be revealed.
With over thirty years of experience, Jo Strømgren weaves his signature style, blending theatricality and Nordic spirit in a work of profound emotional intensity. Combined with the immense talent of our dancers, this piece becomes an invitation—a call to return to the essential, to the raw joy of existence.
More than anything, La Revue Finale is an ode to life itself, a reminder to embrace the wonders hidden within and around us. It invites us to dance with our own truth and savor the unspeakable magic of existence.
Have you ever wondered if there's something more, a hidden depth, when you close your eyes at night? Perhaps. When truth falters, imagination takes over. We cling to images as if they were proof of our existence—for ourselves as much as for others. They reassure us, comfort us, but only for a time. These frozen fragments of the past eventually fade, like leaves in autumn. A strange paradox, for we dread endings. By nature, we prefer spring, this season of beginnings, where every seed holds the promise of a tree. Dreams, desires, hopes: life's most vibrant impulses often reside in what could have been, but never did. Sometimes even in what did happen, but which we chose to keep secret. Perhaps this is what motivates us to get up every morning. "Joie de vivre" is a tribute to invisible lives, perhaps with an invitation to embrace them fully.
— Jo Strømgren
2025
year of creation
65
minutes
12
dancers
Choreographer and director Jo Strømgren
Music Charles Aznavour, Gustavo Santaolalla, Mr. Enirbod, Bergmund Waal Skaslien, Vandudas, La Bottine Souriante, Madalena De Melo, Luis Mariano, Isä ja lapsi and Zelwer
Costume design by Philippe Dubuc
Lighting design by Chantal Labonté
Design and manufacture of accessories by Alain Jenkins
Production Coordinator Louis Morisset
Technical team: Maxime Lambert, Claude Plante and Daniel Ranger
Video recording and editing by Louis-Martin Charest
Photographers Raphaël Ouellet and Sasha Onyshchenko
Performers Zoey Anderson, Gustavo Barros, Millie Brinck-Dubuc, Yosmell Calderon Mejias, Marcel Cavaliere, Kyle Davis, Shanna Irwin Calderon, Miu Kato, DaMond LeMonte Garner, Zack Preece, Madelaine Salhany, Silje Vereide
Intern Troy Atamanuk
Duration (without intermission): 65 minutes
La Revue Finale is a co-production of the Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur, presented as a premiere at FASS 2025.
