«I move, I create, I transform, I am 2.0», Calixa-Lavallée high school (Montreal) - 2021/2022 

Presentation card

• Project name: I move, I create, I transform, I am 2.0
• Participating school: Calixa-Lavallée high school, Montreal North
• Participating group: 17 students from the reception class
• Project dates: January to May 2022 (5 months)
• Disciplines: dance therapy, photography and art therapy
• Partner: The National Center for Dance Therapy of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens
• Speakers: Angélique Dumet-Kerherno, dance therapist, Mikaël Theimer, photographer and Mia Hébert, doctoral student in psychology, M.A. ATPQ, art therapist

Description

The project proposed a dialogue between different artistic modalities such as dance, photography and plastic art, with the aim of allowing students to express themselves in their identity and their emotions. The result of the exploration had the final form of a video animation, more specifically, one GIF per student.

Step 1

The exploration of the body in motion allowed each student to find a movement unique to their personality and imagination. This movement was then performed in front of the photographer's lens (dance-therapy photos).

Step 2

Then the creative process moved towards painting, and the creation of a work on canvas representing an intimate and imaginary universe in which their movement was located. They thus invented a space in which they dance in an imaginary way. The photographs of the different stages of deployment of their movement were then printed, so that they could cut out and integrate this movement into the work created.

Step 3

The art therapist and the intervening photographer helped the students to unite all the facets of the project in the realization of a small stop-motion video animation (GIF), revealing their danced movement within the universe they have imagined and brought to life.

Step 4

The final unveiling of the project consisted of the projection of the GIFs on the big screen in the school library as well as a vernissage of the paintings on canvas. Relatives and friends of the young people were invited to this opening, and they were encouraged to talk to them about the project and the meaning of their painting.

“I am so happy to participate in this activity. I liked everything it was cool and fun” - Student participant