Noam Gagnon has been a prolific member of Canada’s dance scene for more than 25 years. | Photo credit: Belle Ancell
Debuted in 2005, monumental was the final and most ambitious work by the duo’s renowned dance troupe, The Holy Body Tattoo.
Describing it as “a social comment on the impact of technology and barrage of information” on contemporary culture, Gagnon believes the work’s message is even more pertinent today.
When it originally toured, the company did not have the money and resources needed to scale up the performance to the level that the choreographers envisioned. “That it happened 10 years later — it’s a tour de force,” Gagnon says.
Bubbling with enthusiasm, it appears that the success he has achieved over his quarter-century-long career has humbled him greatly.
“There’s a lot of great voices out there and we had a voice that went around the world,” Gagnon says. “I was really fortunate that I was at the right place at the right time and I had phenomenal teachers.”
When he began his BFA in studio arts at Concordia in the late 1980s, he felt sure of his direction. It was only when a friend invited him to perform in one of his plays that he discovered his hidden talent.
“I went on stage and the world disappeared,” Gagnon says. “It was the only thing I did in my life that made me realize that for some reason I was designed for it.”
Beginning a university-level dance program at age 19 with no prior experience was challenging. While he was wholeheartedly confident in his skills, learning the theoretical underpinnings and finer techniques of the art form took patience.
“That was the only aspect that I found extremely frustrating because I just didn’t have any foundation,” Gagnon says. “Classes felt archaic on some level, but I now understand that you need a strong base.”
Gagnon insists that the real turning point in his life was when he met Gingras. The pair had a shared vision: to push the body to its physical limit in order to force viewers to take stock of their values, beliefs and prejudices.
“What we do isn’t about making you feel good; it’s about making you have a powerful experience,” he explains.
The pair moved to Vancouver and formed The Holy Body Tattoo in 1990 after realizing that working for other people was not for them.
“We tried, and we constantly felt we were not being used to our fullest potential,” Gagnon says. “Our energy and desire were really insatiable.”
Both went on to pursue solo careers after dissolving the troupe in 2006. Today, Gagnon — who is still based in Vancouver — is an associate dance artist at Canada’s National Arts Centre and artistic director at his own dance company, Vision Impure.
An avid practitioner of Pilates, he also directs Noam Gagnon’s Wellness Centre/Beyond Pilates. “I’m still able to dance and throw myself around like I did when I was 20, so I’m taking that opportunity to just keep doing it.”