Hubert Hazebroucq and Doulce Mémoire revive 15th- and 16th-century performance art in Now, Let Us Dance!, April 12

Early Music Vancouver program features a piffari, or wind band, accompanied by the early dances of French and Italian court festivities

By emily lyth

Doulce Mémoire. Photo by Luc Detours

Early Music Vancouver presents Doulce Mémoire: Now, Let Us Dance! at the Vancouver Playhouse on April 12 at 7:30 pm

FRENCH PERFORMER-CHOREOGRAPHER Hubert Hazebroucq will let audiences in on the eternal appeal of early dances at an upcoming Early Music Vancouver show.

Accompanying France-based Renaissance-music ensemble Doulce Mémoire in Now, Let Us Dance!, Hazebroucq will bring the movement of the 15th and 16th centuries to life, proving that early dance defies its reputation of being stuffy or solemn. On the contrary, it has a refined theatrical style to it that once added spectacular elegance to court festivities and celebrations.

Doulce Mémoire will take on the role of a piffari, or wind band, by switching between the hauts (“loud”) sounds of the oboe and shawm (a Renaissance-era woodwind instrument) and bas, or “soft”, sounds of the flute and bassoon. The ensemble’s artistic director, Denis Raisin Dadre, will be at the helm of the performance.

Hazebroucq began his dance training in classical and contemporary styles. He later expanded his knowledge base to include Renaissance and Baroque dances, and has worked with such French companies as L’Éclat des Muses and Divertimenty. He is the founder and director of Les Corps Éloquents.

The program at the Vancouver Playhouse on the evening of April 12 will be divided into four segments that journey through Italy and France in the 15th and 16th centuries: “Elegance and splendor in the Italian Courts”, “Defiance and defeat of the Duke of Burgundy”, “Festivities in the royal castles of the Loire Valley”, and “A mascarade of deities”.  

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