Rough Cuts: Kapwa by Janelle Hacault
The first in our new series of Rough Cut sharings, with Kapwa by dancer, actor, choreographer, and standup Janelle Hacault, in residence at The Dance Space as part of our RAPPORT International Artists' Residency programme.
Kapwa is part dance, part storytelling, part standup comedy. Or it may be all of those things completely. It weaves through personal experiences and childhood memories that centre around (mistaken) identity, belonging, and what it means for Hacault to be brown.
Inspired by her pilgrimage to her ancestral land, the Philippines, Kapwa explores questions of belonging and who she is in relation to herself and others when she knows so little of her Filipino ancestry.
The word Kapwa is a Filipino core value that our identity is intrinsically intertwined with community. Kapwa digs into serious issues of racism, self-rejection, and the search for 'home' with the humour of standup comedy and the language of dance.
About Janelle Hacault
Janelle Hacault is a Filipinx/French Canadian professional contemporary dance artist, choreographer, actor, and standup comedian based in Montréal. From performing with Les 7 Doigts de la Main for Virgin Voyages’ inaugural transatlantic crossing, dancing for Sylvain Émard Danse in Rhapsodie, presented by DanseDanse, singing and dancing for Annie: la comédie musicale (Just for Laughs), and competing as a soloist on TVA’s 3rd season of Révolution, Janelle is a diverse performer. Her recent pursuit of standup comedy sparked the creation of her newest solo creation, Kapwa a hybrid of standup comedy, dance and theatre.
Janelle’s works are known to be thoughtful and intriguing, with compelling themes and, often, moments of hilarity. She has choreographed for large musical productions, such as Mamma Mia, Chicago, and Grease, and has created an original musical called Ships, in collaboration with actor/musician, Jeremy Walmsley. As a performer, Janelle has had the privilege of working with Celine Dion, Nafro Dance Productions, Ming Hon, Compagnie Entitey/Jason Martin, Charles-Alexis Desgagnés, Morgane LeTiec, Andrea Peña, Wynn Holmes, Serge Denoncourt, Ani Taj, and Tony Award winning Sam Pinkleton.
Bio provided by the artist.