{"id":6438,"date":"2018-03-13T15:53:40","date_gmt":"2018-03-13T19:53:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/?p=6438"},"modified":"2018-03-13T16:00:15","modified_gmt":"2018-03-13T20:00:15","slug":"liga-teatro-elastico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/2018\/03\/13\/liga-teatro-elastico\/","title":{"rendered":"Puppet Wolves Hunt A Deer Through The Streets Of Montreal To Reconsider Legends Of The Big Bad Wolf"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_6413\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6413\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/festival.casteliers.ca\/en\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-6413\" src=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picFestivalDeCasteliers2018w-2-1024x424.jpg\" alt=\"Advertisement\" width=\"900\" height=\"373\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picFestivalDeCasteliers2018w-2-1024x424.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picFestivalDeCasteliers2018w-2-300x124.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picFestivalDeCasteliers2018w-2-768x318.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picFestivalDeCasteliers2018w-2.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picFestivalDeCasteliers2018w-2-370x153.jpg 370w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6413\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Advertisement<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>MONTREAL\u2014It was snowing lightly last Thursday afternoon as the performance of <a href=\"http:\/\/festival.casteliers.ca\/en\/spectacle\/les-betes-sauvages-ou-le-sortilege-discret-de-la-nature-sauvage\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cLes B\u00eates dansent ou le sortil\u00e8ge discret de la nature sauvage\u201d (\u201cThe Dancing Beasts or the Discrete Spell of the Wild\u201d)<\/a> began in front of Montreal\u2019s Pavillion Saint-Viateur and in the surrounding park.<\/p>\n<p>Performers from Mexico City\u2019s La Liga Teatro Elastico (The Elastic Theater League), which was founded by Jacqueline Serafin and Iker Vicente in 2011, began strapping on the harnesses that help them hold up life-sized puppets of wolves to perform a ritual hunt. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe ancient dance of the predator and the prey that allows life to flourish on the planet,\u201d is how the troupe describes the outdoor pageant.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6446\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6446\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picCasteliersMontrealPuppets180311DancingBeasts01w.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picCasteliersMontrealPuppets180311DancingBeasts01w-1024x646.jpg\" alt=\"\u201cLes B\u00eates dansent ou le sortil\u00e8ge discret de la nature sauvage\u201d (\u201cThe Dancing Beasts or the Discreet Spell of the Wild\u201d) by La Liga Teatro Elastico at the Festival de Casteliers, Montreal, March 8, 2018. (Marc Gibert \/ Adecom)\" width=\"900\" height=\"568\" class=\"size-large wp-image-6446\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picCasteliersMontrealPuppets180311DancingBeasts01w-1024x646.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picCasteliersMontrealPuppets180311DancingBeasts01w-300x189.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picCasteliersMontrealPuppets180311DancingBeasts01w-768x484.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picCasteliersMontrealPuppets180311DancingBeasts01w-370x233.jpg 370w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picCasteliersMontrealPuppets180311DancingBeasts01w.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6446\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u201cLes B\u00eates dansent ou le sortil\u00e8ge discret de la nature sauvage\u201d (\u201cThe Dancing Beasts or the Discreet Spell of the Wild\u201d) by La Liga Teatro Elastico at the Festival de Casteliers, Montreal, March 8, 2018. (Marc Gibert \/ Adecom)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The show was the opening performance of Montreal\u2019s 13th annual <a href=\"http:\/\/festival.casteliers.ca\/en\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Festival de Casteliers<\/a>, a showcase of international puppetry (which sponsored my visit).<\/p>\n<p>La Liga Teatro Elastico had spent two days that week making puppets and cardboard wolf masks with local children. But they had \u201cnever\u201d been in a snowstorm before and found it magical. \u201cWe were scared before we traveled. What is this weather? We need a lot of clothes,\u201d puppeteer Daniel Loyola told me the next day. \u201cBut it is great.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/246715116\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The pageant\u2014which they\u2019ve presented across Mexico and in Spain, South Africa and South Korea since 2016\u2014is inspired by the Mexican gray wolf, which was nearly driven to extinction by human hunting. The show mulls the animal\u2019s role in ecosystems as well as in the imagination of indigenous peoples and the descendents of European colonists.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn Mexico and the United States politics disappeared the wolves in the beginning of the 20th century,\u201d Loyola says. \u201cWhat is the predator? It\u2019s a monster? It\u2019s the bad guy in the tale? We say probably not. They can move the rivers, like in Yellowstone. \u2026 Historically the wolves changed the way of the river.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In \u201cThe Dancing Beasts,\u201d Loyola says, \u201cThe hunt is the death of the deer, which is necessary for the life because it permits the life of the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>Help Wonderland keep producing our great coverage of local arts, cultures and activism by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/wonderlandlandfanclub\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">contributing to Wonderland on Patreon<\/a>. And <a href=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/subscribe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sign up for our free, weekly newsletter<\/a> so that you don&#8217;t miss any of our reporting.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6445\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6445\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picCasteliersMontrealPuppets180311DancingBeasts02w.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picCasteliersMontrealPuppets180311DancingBeasts02w-1024x642.jpg\" alt=\"\u201cLes B\u00eates dansent ou le sortil\u00e8ge discret de la nature sauvage\u201d (\u201cThe Dancing Beasts or the Discreet Spell of the Wild\u201d) by La Liga Teatro Elastico at the Festival de Casteliers, Montreal, March 8, 2018. (Marc Gibert \/ Adecom)\" width=\"900\" height=\"564\" class=\"size-large wp-image-6445\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picCasteliersMontrealPuppets180311DancingBeasts02w-1024x642.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picCasteliersMontrealPuppets180311DancingBeasts02w-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picCasteliersMontrealPuppets180311DancingBeasts02w-768x482.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picCasteliersMontrealPuppets180311DancingBeasts02w-370x232.jpg 370w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picCasteliersMontrealPuppets180311DancingBeasts02w.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6445\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u201cLes B\u00eates dansent ou le sortil\u00e8ge discret de la nature sauvage\u201d (\u201cThe Dancing Beasts or the Discreet Spell of the Wild\u201d) by La Liga Teatro Elastico at the Festival de Casteliers, Montreal, March 8, 2018. (Marc Gibert \/ Adecom)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The puppet wolves and deer are assembled of wood sticks, furry fabric, cloth ears, bones, gourds, accordion bellows, baskets, straw. Each wolf is supported by two metal poles\u2014one rising from the harness on the operator\u2019s back, the other in the operator\u2019s hands\u2014that elevate the puppets above the standing crowd. The poles are elaborately rigged with cables and ropes that animate the animals\u2019 legs and mouth. Seen up close the wolf puppets can resemble schematic robots or three-dimensional sketches. But in motion\u2014or when you look into their shiny eyes\u2014they can feel strikingly alive.<\/p>\n<p>Several children follow each wolf, carrying their own puppets of butterflies, birds and beasts or wearing cardboard wolf masks. Performers howl and seed pods along the wolve\u2019s legs tinkle musically.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fjohn.bell.puppeteer%2Fvideos%2F10160088669640301%2F&#038;show_text=0&#038;width=560\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowTransparency=\"true\" allowFullScreen=\"true\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe play is participatory theater with children,\u201d Loyola says. \u201cThe subject is basically ritual hunting. We work for a week with children thinking about the wolves and the role they play in nature. We would talk with children at different levels, about the anthropological, biological, archaeological and political also.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Puppet ravens dangling from poles fly by. Loyola says, \u201cthe wolves become alive and they begin to reconstruct the pack. And they play in the space. Then from another space comes a deer. And they find the deer. And they start to pursue the deer. It\u2019s an ecological system.\u201d The whole performance can take two hours.<\/p>\n<p>Two puppeteers operating the deer make it seem to bound around the park, trailed by drummers. \u201cThe deer in different Mexican cultures is the god of the sun,\u201d Loyola says. \u201cIt\u2019s also the connection between the earth and the sky.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6443\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6443\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picCasteliersMontrealPuppets180311DancingBeasts04w.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picCasteliersMontrealPuppets180311DancingBeasts04w-1024x649.jpg\" alt=\"\u201cLes B\u00eates dansent ou le sortil\u00e8ge discret de la nature sauvage\u201d (\u201cThe Dancing Beasts or the Discreet Spell of the Wild\u201d) by La Liga Teatro Elastico at the Festival de Casteliers, Montreal, March 8, 2018. (Marc Gibert \/ Adecom)\" width=\"900\" height=\"570\" class=\"size-large wp-image-6443\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picCasteliersMontrealPuppets180311DancingBeasts04w-1024x649.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picCasteliersMontrealPuppets180311DancingBeasts04w-300x190.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picCasteliersMontrealPuppets180311DancingBeasts04w-768x486.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picCasteliersMontrealPuppets180311DancingBeasts04w-370x234.jpg 370w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picCasteliersMontrealPuppets180311DancingBeasts04w.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6443\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u201cLes B\u00eates dansent ou le sortil\u00e8ge discret de la nature sauvage\u201d (\u201cThe Dancing Beasts or the Discreet Spell of the Wild\u201d) by La Liga Teatro Elastico at the Festival de Casteliers, Montreal, March 8, 2018. (Marc Gibert \/ Adecom)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The wolves follow the deer a block and a half through the city, into the ornate Theatre Outremont. (\u201cIt was our first time in a theater,\u201d Loyola says.) <\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt some point, the pack finds the deer\u2014in this case in the theater,\u201d Loyola says. \u201cAnd they develop the hunt in the pack. The hunt is more like a dance. It\u2019s a ritual of the hunt.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fjohn.bell.puppeteer%2Fvideos%2F10160088666805301%2F&#038;show_text=0&#038;width=560\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowTransparency=\"true\" allowFullScreen=\"true\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>On stage, as a band plays behind them, five wolves circle the deer, which kicks and bucks and swings its antlers menacingly. The wolves bite the deer along the legs, until one seizes it by the neck, killing it. Which is symbolized by performers taking a gourd out from the neck of the deer puppet, cracking it open, and scattering the vivid red rose petals inside around the stage.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe alpha [wolf] gives the final bite to the deer and the deer in a moment understands it\u2019s the end and he gives himself to the wolves,\u201d Loyola says. \u201cIt\u2019s not an easy gift. You fight and I fight and now you have the honor to eat me.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>Help Wonderland keep producing our great coverage of local arts, cultures and activism by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/wonderlandlandfanclub\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">contributing to Wonderland on Patreon<\/a>. And <a href=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/subscribe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sign up for our free, weekly newsletter<\/a> so that you don&#8217;t miss any of our reporting.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6442\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6442\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picCasteliersMontrealPuppets180311DancingBeasts05w.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picCasteliersMontrealPuppets180311DancingBeasts05w-1024x579.jpg\" alt=\"\u201cLes B\u00eates dansent ou le sortil\u00e8ge discret de la nature sauvage\u201d (\u201cThe Dancing Beasts or the Discreet Spell of the Wild\u201d) by La Liga Teatro Elastico at the Festival de Casteliers, Montreal, March 8, 2018. (Marc Gibert \/ Adecom)\" width=\"900\" height=\"509\" class=\"size-large wp-image-6442\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picCasteliersMontrealPuppets180311DancingBeasts05w-1024x579.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picCasteliersMontrealPuppets180311DancingBeasts05w-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picCasteliersMontrealPuppets180311DancingBeasts05w-768x434.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picCasteliersMontrealPuppets180311DancingBeasts05w-370x209.jpg 370w, https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/picCasteliersMontrealPuppets180311DancingBeasts05w.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6442\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">\u201cLes B\u00eates dansent ou le sortil\u00e8ge discret de la nature sauvage\u201d (\u201cThe Dancing Beasts or the Discreet Spell of the Wild\u201d) by La Liga Teatro Elastico at the Festival de Casteliers, Montreal, March 8, 2018. (Marc Gibert \/ Adecom)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>MONTREAL\u2014It was snowing lightly last Thursday afternoon as the performance of \u201cLes B\u00eates dansent ou le sortil\u00e8ge discret de la nature sauvage\u201d (\u201cThe Dancing Beasts or the Discrete Spell of the Wild\u201d) began in front of Montreal\u2019s Pavillion Saint-Viateur and in the surrounding park. Performers from Mexico City\u2019s La Liga Teatro Elastico (The Elastic Theater [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6444,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[104,109,110],"tags":[320,319],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6438"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6438"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6438\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6462,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6438\/revisions\/6462"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gregcookland.com\/wonderland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}