Le Patin Libre: Melt

Sunday, October 11, 2026 at 5pm

Choreography: Le Patin Libre (Alexandre Hamel, Pascale Jodoin)

Original Music: Philippe Le Bon

Director: Jeff Hall

Stage Manager: Émilie Hamel

Accessories: Jean-Philippe Cloutier Cyr

Performers: Alexandre Hamel, Maude Poulin, Philippe Le Bon

Financial support: Ministère de la culture et des communications, Conseil des Arts du Canada, Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, Conseil des arts de Montréal

Duration: 65 minutes without intermission

PLEASE NOTE: A strobe light effect is used during 2 short moments of the show (approx. 5 seconds each).

In a scorching post-apocalyptic world without ice or music, a duet of skaters lives on. Eerily observed by a gas-guzzling musician, they survive together on what’s left: humor and love.

Taking to theatre stages for the first time, Le Patin Libre embraces the opportunity to create an intimacy and weirdness impossible on an ice rink. Skating on a forgotten 1990s prototype of roller skates, they combine the athletic virtuosity of figure skating with the depth of contemporary dance, with a nod to street performance.

Melt takes us on a surreal journey, inviting us to reflect on what is truly precious in these uncertain times.

LE PATIN LIBRE

Le Patin Libre is a Montreal-based company reinventing skating as a contemporary performing art. Drawing on ice-skating technique and thoughtful artistic exploration, the company creates bold, choreography-driven works. Founded by former high-level figure skaters, Le Patin Libre has toured internationally for more than a decade, earning acclaim at major festivals and venues across Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia. Known for its innovative staging, collective artistry, and genre-defying physicality, the company continues to expand the possibilities of performance on ice and wheels, transforming rinks, theaters, streets, and alternative spaces into artistic venues.

Alexandre Hamel

Alexandre Hamel originally trained as a traditional figure skater. He competed internationally, reached the podium at Canadian championships, and won several provincial titles. He also performed professionally with Disney On Ice. In 2005, he founded Le Patin Libre to pursue his passion for skating beyond the constraints of competition and traditional “On Ice” shows. He serves as the company’s Artistic Director, choreographer, and performer, and is deeply committed to making contemporary performing arts accessible to broad audiences. Alexandre is also an accomplished documentary filmmaker whose films have won awards and been presented at festivals in several countries.

Pascale Jodoin

Pascale Jodoin originally trained as a traditional figure skater but avoided many of the conventions imposed on young female skaters because of her free-spirited attitude. She joined Le Patin Libre in 2009 after seeing the company perform, auditioning, participating in workshops led by its founding artists, and dancing at underground ice parties organized by the collective. In addition to her work as a creator and performer, she manages many of the company’s activities. Before devoting herself fully to Le Patin Libre, she ran a small jewelry business and performed as a circus artist in Montreal.

Maude Poulin

Maude is an artist and skater, born in La Tuque, QC, Canada. She trained for nearly 12 years as a figure skater. In 2008, she joined Le Patin Libre for a show in Vancouver as part of the inauguration of the Olympic Ice Oval. She continued her competitive career for a few years before turning to studies in visual arts. In autumn 2021, following a call for auditions, she laced up her skates again and joined the troupe for their new creation Murmuration.

Philippe Le Bon

Philippe Le Bon is a composer, orchestrator, arranger, pianist, multi-instrumentalist, and sound designer whose music has traveled the world for more than a decade. After studying composition at the Université de Montréal and film and television scoring at Berklee College of Music in Boston, he focused primarily on commissioned music.

His work spans film, dance, circus, theater, and figure skating, allowing him to collaborate with creators around the world. He has worked as an orchestrator for Cirque du Soleil and composed music for choreographers, artists, and world-class productions.