Belle Spirale's Alexis Fletcher remounts her dreamlike solo assemble at Dancing on the Edge, June 20 to 22
Contemporary ballet piece co-created with her partner Sylvain Senez explores memory, mortality, and letting go
Alexis Fletcher wears a costume designed by Kate Burrows in assemble. Photo by David Cooper
Alexis Fletcher in assemble. Photo by David Cooper
Belle Spirale Dance Projects presents assemble at the Scotiabank Dance Centre from June 20 to 22 at 8 pm as part of the Dancing on the Edge Festival
ALEXIS FLETCHER, a former principal dancer and artist-in-residence at Ballet BC, began choreographing her rigorous 55-minute solo assemble in the thick of the pandemic. A dreamlike reflection on memory, mortality, and letting go, the work expertly weaves together disciplines—the result is a display of intensely poetic contemporary ballet.
Fletcher performed the world premiere of assemble at the Scotiabank Dance Centre in January 2022; when Stir saw the show, we praised its choreography as “fluidly breathless, layered, and complex—always deeply expressive.” Now, Fletcher is remounting the work on the same stage for this year’s Dancing on the Edge Festival.
A key aspect of the solo work is the variety of stage elements that accompany it. Sylvain Senez, co-creator of assemble and Fletcher’s life partner, is responsible for the impressionistic video projections, massive shipwreck-inspired set pieces, and ethereal visual-design components that round out the piece.
“I don’t think my work would be this cross-disciplinary without his sensibility in there,” Fletcher told Stir fondly of working with Senez in an interview before the premiere. The pair are co-founders and co-artistic directors of Belle Spirale Dance Projects, which is presenting assemble.
Meanwhile, the piece evolves over the course of the hour with the help of resonant music by Icelandic group Sigur Rós, American composer-pianist Dustin O’Halloran, and local scenographer Victoria Bell, who also doubles as the show’s lighting designer.
Last month, it was announced that Senez received a Dora Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Design for a recent performance of Fletcher’s solo Altar’d in The Smith Series at the dance: made in canada/fait au canada festival. The piece is an introspective journey of personal growth amplified by intense lights, shadows, and design.
If the nomination is any indication, Fletcher and Senez are certainly making a mark on the arts scene together. Catch assemble from June 20 to 22—the show starts at 8 pm sharp. 
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