Murmuration | Le Patin Libre | DanceHouse | Kerrisdale Cyclone Taylor Arena | March 20 – 23, 2025
A flock of 15 skaters glide effortlessly from one formation to another, crisscrossing and swirling around the rink. It’s mesmerizing to watch, incredible in its precision and awe-inspiring in its artistry. Murmuration is the latest creation from Montreal’s Le Patin Libre, a company melding figure skating with contemporary dance.
In a gliding kaleidoscope of interwoven patterns, the skaters form concentric circles and move together and apart. At times they seem to glide slowly without moving their feet at all, imperceptible movements allowing them to move into position. Later they are high-speed racers gaining as much momentum as they can before sliding to a scraping stop that throws ice on each other in a moment of confrontation.
Arms outstretched like wings, they woosh by, the sound of their skates on the ice adding to an unobtrusive soundscape that allows for the scraping blades to become part of the music by Philippe Le Bon and Jasmine Boivin.
Out of 15 skaters, only one wears hockey skates, the others wear traditional figure skates. Their varied backgrounds come together with contemporary dance influences mimicking the pacing and spacing of a dance performance. Ironically the skater wearing the hockey blades turns out to be one of the most graceful, impressing us with an emotional solo in which he goes from tragic to triumphant.
Dance and figure skating fans alike will be awed by Le Patin Libre’s artistry that seamlessly melds these two worlds. The are truly pioneers of this genre of contemporary ice dance and I look forward to seeing where they take the form next.
