Mission of the company

RUBBERBAND is an organization dedicated to creation and production with the mission of supporting the research of choreographer Victor Quijada, disseminating his works, and ensuring the transmission and impact of his practice.

RUBBERBAND wishes to be recognized worldwide for its innovation, its significant contribution in dance, and for its role in the development of a new style inspired by break, classical ballet, and dance theatre.

History

Founded in Montreal in 2002, RUBBERBAND immediately wowed audiences and critics with three creations presented at Espace Tangente over two seasons, while also performing several smaller-scale works in mixed programs and self-produced evenings throughout the city. Tender Loving Care and Hasta La Próxima were both included in Le Devoir’s “Top 5 in Dance for 2002”, while Elastic Perspective began a 100-performance run in 2003 after winning the RIDEAU Prize at the Vue sur la relève Festival. During the 2003-2004 season, RUBBERBAND was granted a residency at Usine C to create Slicing Static, which was hailed as Best Dance Production of 2004 by the Hour, Montreal’s cultural weekly newspaper (now Cult MTL).

In 2005, Anne Plamondon joined RUBBERBAND as Artistic Co Director, assisting Victor Quijada with the company’s strategic planning. Another residency at Usine C in 2006 was followed by a four-year stint as artists-in-residence at Place des Arts. During this period, with the support of several partners, four new works were created: Punto Ciego and AV Input/Output in 2008, Loan Sharking in 2009, and Gravity of Center in 2011. In 2013, Quijada created Empirical Quotient for six dancers trained in the RUBBERBAND Method. The company then created Vic’s Mix in 2016, a kind of “Greatest Hits” of Quijada’s work. In 2017, as part of the Celebrations of Montreal’s 375th Anniversary, the members of the company were joined by thirty students from the École supérieure de ballet du Québec and the École de danse contemporaine de Montréal to dance in the multidisciplinary performance City Thread on the Esplanade of the Place des Arts. In 2018, Victor Quijada directed ten dancers on the immense stage of the Maisonneuve Theater in Ever So Slightly. 2020 marked the return of Victor Quijada to the stage as a dancer in Trenzado, a piece that raises the question of what it is to be from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

Reckless Underdog, created in 2022, propels the company’s achievements of the last twenty years to new heights. In a larger-than-life work, twelve dancers come together in a choreography of three acts. Each part, a piece in itself, draws spectators into a unique, complex world through its distinctive scenography, music, and movement aesthetic. RUBBERBAND’s newest creation, Second Chances, invites Quijada and the audience to delve deep inside themselves, reflecting on origin, belonging and displacement, between universal questions and intimate, personal thoughts.

RUBBERBAND also co-produced six films choreographed by Quijada, three of which are co-directed by him: Gravity of Center, Secret Service and Small Explosions That Are Yours to Keep.

Ever So Slightly – The Movie received 14 awards and was presented at 36 festivals between 2022 and 2024. It won Best Art Video at the Short Long World Festival in Corrientes, Argentina in 2022, Best Photography at the Toronto Awards Film Festival in 2023, and two awards at the Idaho Screendance Festival (Best Performance and Audience Choice Award) in 2024. It has been selected for the Dallas, Seoul and Oaxaca touring of the kNOwBOX dance Film Festival in 2024. Gravity of Center – The Movie won the 2012 Les Enfants and Air Canada/Spafax awards at the RVCQ / Festival Prends ça court!. It also won Best Experimental Short Film and Best Cinematography in a Canadian Short Film at the CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival. Hasta La Próxima- The Movie, shot in 2003, was a finalist in the short film category at the American Choreography Awards. Victor Quijada participated in the creation of three music videos, for the songs Man I Used to Be by k-os, La Garde by Alexandre Désilets and Blue Wonderful by Elton John.

For more than 23 years, RUBBERBAND has represented Canadian artistic innovation across the United States, and in Europe, Mexico, and Japan. RUBBERBAND is at the forefront of Montreal’s contemporary dance community and is recognized internationally for its unique vision.