A film by Marie Lavorel, Tamar Tembeck and Paul Tom

With the participation of Louise Bédard, Erin Flynn, Paul-André Fortier, José Navas

2024, 22 min, bilingual French-English, subtitles

Dancing with Time / Danser avec le temps is a bilingual short documentary (22 min) featuring four Montreal dancer-choreographers facing the challenge of aging. Erin Flynn (40s), José Navas (50s), Louise Bédard (60s) and Paul-André Fortier (70s) talk about how they deal with their changing bodies and the demands of the artistic world. As they answer the question “As an artist, what have you gained with age?”, we discover how they deal with the challenges of aging with kindness, humility and creativity.

Through the testimonies of the protagonists, we observe the strengths that age can bring to these movement artists. Without denying the grief and adaptations they have faced, they tell us about the gains they have made with the recognition and growing acceptance of the fragility of their bodies. They deal with themes that go beyond the limits of aging, to reach subjects relevant to artistic practice more broadly: care of the body and physical limitations; benevolence towards oneself and others; the pleasure of dancing; the relationship with the public and the performing arts milieu; the mastery of one’s art; as well as confidence, humility and its opposite. What binds us to their stories are their gains in patience, compassion, and love, as well as the urgency to live and create that seem to assert themselves with the passage of time.

A production of the Euphrosyne collective, with the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts and Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, as well as the support of OBORO’s New Media Laboratory and PRIM.

For more information, contact collectif.euphrosyne AT gmail DOT com

Euphrosyne is an artist collective made up of Marie Lavorel, Tamar Tembeck and Paul Tom. Marie Lavorel is a curator and researcher-creator of audio installations and documentaries; Tamar Tembeck is an art historian, curator and author with a background in the performing arts; and Paul Tom is a documentary and animation filmmaker. All are interested in oral history, sensitive memories, and bodily representations and experiences.

Screenings and Awards

Festival Quartier Danses (Montréal, QC) – 5 Sept. 2024

Portland Dance Film Festival (Portland, USA) – 28 Sept. 2024

Named Best Documentary at Exeter Dance International Film Festival (Exeter, UK) 20 Oct. 2024 & online 21-27 Oct. 2024

Dance Camera West (Hollywood, USA) – 29 Jan – 2 Feb 2025

Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Market (Clermont-Ferrand, France & online) – 3-6 Feb 2025

Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma (Montréal, QC) – 23 Feb. 2025

Maison de la culture NDG – Botrel (Montréal, QC) – 7 May 2025

Vancouver Short Film Festival (Vancouver, BC) – 13-15 June 2025

Awarded the Jury’s Prize at Festival Chorégraphique International de Blois (Blois, France) – 6 July 2025

Named Best Documentary at RIFF – R.E.D. International Dance Art & Film Festival (Norway) – 15-17 August 2025

On Art Dance & Music Festival (Warsaw, Poland) – 4-6 September 2025

Bolton International Film Festival (Bolton, UK), 1-5 October 2025 & online 8 to 19 October 2025

Swan Perth International Women in Film Festival (Perth, Australia) – 17-19 October 2025

Ottawa Canadian Film Festival (Ottawa, Ontario) – 7-9 November 2025

“Dancing with Time” is both beautiful and brutal – perhaps beautifully brutal… I appreciated the underlying philosophie and aesthetic, it’s very well shot and professionally edited with spirited interviewees. — curator James Rowlins, Exeter International Dance Film Festival Best Documentary Award

We were captivated by this Canadian documentary due to its relevant and interesting topic: how age impacts performers, dancers, and choreographers whose bodies are the very tools of their art. It’s a charming and well-crafted film that, in a very short runtime, provides valuable insights that will allow audiences to see dance and performance through a new lens. — Jury of RIFF – R.E.D. International Dance Art & Film Festival