Hang-Ups

Thursday night, I watched two virtual shows both showcasing Montreal performers. But while the second was wonderfully executed, the first was disappointing. First up, Toronto's Danceworks was co-presenting a hip-hop dance company called Ebnflōh. I was excited for full line-up as online performances during the pandemic have been solo works.

On a mostly darken stage, 8 dancers accompanied by a live DJ, pop and lock through a recital entitled Hanging By A Thread. It started quite interesting since dance companies often mix break-dancing with contemporary dance instead of just being itself. But I soon lost any excitement for the show.

It's fun to watch a recital and learn its language. Ballet has a formal and codified one. So it is usually the story that is novel. Modern dance invents its own with every show, but through repetition of steps, longer choreography, and callbacks, you feel its cadence and can map out its phrases. With almost no interaction between the dancers, no pairs or trios, not even the unison/formation dancing that makes a pop video enjoyable, Hanging left me, well ...

I didn't stay for the post-show Zoom chat but "left" for my second show. With mostly French speakers in the chat, it felt like an actual concert hall in Montreal. Charlotte Cardin has been gaining in popularity though much more in Quebec and French-speaking Europe than the rest of Canada. An odd affair since this native French speaker sings mostly in English.

Some people were disappointed that this wasn't a live show since the first few songs were stripped-down numbers in her living room. A few were convinced this was merely the intro until the concert, even after we cut to songs with a full band. I also felt initially let down as well but soon changed my mind because this was a pre-taped show done right. Instead of simply shooting a band set, Cardin's team added dramatic lighting, even some CG effects, and let her move naturally from one setting to another. They must have rented a large space to support this effort. At one point, Cardin sat down at a piano before a circle of flames ignited to surround her while a large choir appeared from the darkness. Other dramatic moments such as when she turned away from the camera/mic stand to dance topless could never occur at a live venue.

With songs like Meaningless, Daddy, and Sad Girl from her new album Phoenix, Cardin employed the quiet, plaintive melody typical of current singers like Billy Eilish. There is more of a driving rhythm underlying these numbers though. As the kids might comment in a video: *sad twerking*. Sometimes a deep-throated grittiness would peek through in her vocals reminding you that when she started out about 7 years ago on the Quebec version of The Voice, Cardin modeled herself after Amy Winehouse.

Her fans were thrilled and transported in the chat. They were also buying a lot of show merch. This particular platform's monetization scheme showed people's purchases in the chat window which no doubt led to more buys but was my least favourite aspect of the night. That aside, it was a showcase of a talented and charismatic musician. I wasn't surprised to learn that Phoenix debuted no 1 on Billboards Canada the following week and stayed there. You won't be able to catch her in your small clubs now (she had already moved to mid-tier venues like The Danforth in Toronto in 2018).