The Language of Choreography: Communicating Culture and Story Through Movement

Don’t miss this exclusive interview with Tony and Olivier Award winning choreographer, Sergio Trujillo. Born in Colombia and raised in Toronto, Sergio is the first Hispanic ever to win the Tony Award for best choreography (Ain’t Too Proud) and once had four shows featuring his choreography on Broadway simultaneously (Memphis, Jersey Boys, Addams Family, and Next to Normal). Former Executive Editor at Playbill, Ruthie Fierberg interviews Sergio about his approach to communicating story and culture through movement.

Tony Award winning Choreographer (Canada) Sergio Trujillo (Choreographer): Internationally renowned theater choreographer and director, Sergio Trujillo is the first ever Latinx recipient of the Tony Award for Best Choreography for Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations (Tony/NAACP Award, Outer Critics Circle/Chita Rivera nominations). Other Broadway: Tony Award-Best Musical Memphis, (Olivier/Outer Critics Circle Award, Drama Desk and Astaire Award nominations), Tony/Olivier Award-Best Musical Jersey Boys (Greenroom Award, Olivier, Drama Desk, Dora, Outer Critics Circle Award nominations),On Your Feet (Tony Award nominee, Outer Critics Circle/Astaire Awards), Memphis the Musical (Olivier/OCC Award, Drama Desk/Astaire Award nominations), Jersey Boys (Olivier/ Drama Desk/OCC/Greenroom/Dora nominations), Summer: The Donna Summer Musical (Chita Rivera/NAACP Award), A Bronx Tale (Chita Rivera Award nomination), The Addams Family, Next to Normal, Hands on a Hardbody (Drama Desk nomination), Leap of Faith (Drama Desk nomination), Guys and Dolls (Astaire Awards nomination) and All Shook Up.

Composition as a Dramatic Narrative: Beyond the Canvas

Renowned and Grammy-nominated composer René Dupéré’s compositions played a key role in shaping the artistic universe of Cirque du Soleil. Join us as René Dupéré discusses how musical composition in theatrical drama plays a foundational role: not just accompaniment or narrative support. It is the score, not the under-score. René Dupéré is deeply engaged in the cultural impact of music in society. His compositions have been widely nourished and shared across cultural and national lines for well over four decades. We will also delve into the subject of emerging technologies augmenting the expression for both composition and audience reach. The benefits and pitfalls of what is now the Meta. Join us as we gaze into the horizon of musical composition.

NOTE: This interview is conducted in French.

René Dupéré
Composer (Canada) With more than three million records sold, René Dupéré is recognized around the world and his work transcends geographical and stylistic boundaries. In 1995, no less than 200,000 people paid him tribute at the Montréal Jazz Festival. He is known for his musical creations for Cirque du Soleil shows (Circus Reinvented, New Experience, Saltimbanco, Mystère, Alegria, Ka and Zed) as well as for events such as the ceremonies marking the rendition of Hong Kong to China in 1997. Being a multifaceted musician, he developed a personal musical style by combining traditional structures with modern sounds of synthesizers and exotic flavors of World Music. Equally at ease in the field of cinema, TV and publicity, he was able to impose an original musical signature and a strong personality to his musique. With two shows still on tour and two resident shows in Las Vegas, Dupéré proved that his music is travelling easily around the world, and that by virtue of its timelessness adapts well to the passing of time. EDUCATION: Bachelor of Philosophy, Bachelor of Music 2005: Awarded “Doctor Honoris Causa” in Music by the University of Laval (Québec) for his contribution to popular music. 2006: Awarded “Chevalier de la Pléiade” 2004: Founded a humanitarian project in Africa. ACHIEVEMENTS: 2019 : ISTAMBUL :Show “Chante-moi une histoire” with the string quartet SIMPLICE arranger and musician. 2012 :Album : “Chante-moi une histoire” with Francesca composer ,arranger and musician 2008 : Film JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH with Peter Fonda; composer and arranger. 2008 : Show ENERGIA for Holiday On Ice composer and arranger. 2008 : ZED permanent show for Cirque du Soleil in Tokyo: composer and arranger. 2006 : FILM La luna en botella: Spain Composer, arranger, and musician 2005 : CD of the show KA 2005 : The Dupéré effect: Performance by the Orchestre Symphonique de l’Estuaire 2004 : Creating the music for the show KA in Las Vegas, staged by Robert Lepage.