Charles-Alexis
Desgagnes
Performer, choreographer and contemporary dance teacher based in Montreal.
Charles-Alexis Desgagnés is a queer, self-taught, committed artist and choreographer, performer, cultural worker and teacher based in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal. His company, Personne Danse, is defined by a strong focus on movement as the main vehicle of expression, whether virtuoso or somatic in its approach.
In 2023, he presented at the Agora de la danse, in a world premiere in Montreal, The call of the embers, a 50-minute solo. He is currently creating or presenting three works in 2025, including the short film A Dying Tree, created in collaboration with director Vincent René-Lortie, The silence of the ashes, a first 20-minute excerpt from a future complete creation for 7 performers, and the immersive solo Open my eyes.
Performer
/ 2025
Performer-choreographer @ Masdanza Festival
Performer-choreographer on The call of the embers (15-minute format) at the Masdanza festival in the Canary Islands in October 2025, official selection for the competition and the tour of the 6 islands (8 performances in total)
/ 2025
Performer and choreographic collaborator @ Willow Seeds
Performer and choreographic collaborator on Mirror Maze, a 12-minute work which was presented in June 2025 at the prestigious RIDDC (Rotterdam International Duet Dance Competition)
/ 2025-2023
Performer and choreographic collaborator @ Life and Trust
Performer and choreographic collaborator of the original cast of Life and Trust, a mega immersive dance-theater production from the producers of Sleep No More by Punchdrunk, in New York. Artist visa 01 obtained for the contract.
Choreographer
/ 2025-2023
The call of the embers @Solo
The call of the embers is the first complete solo by Charles-Alexis Desgagnés, lasting 50 minutes, presented as a world premiere at thethe Agora de la danse in October 2023In a liminal space where walls rise at the same rhythm as they fall, the choreographer-performer transforms, letting skin melt onto skin on stage, without shame. This virtuoso and visceral composition invites a conversation on solitude, the divine, authenticity and the masks we wear, immersing the audience in a triangular sensory experience where music, light and movement intertwine.
/ 2025-2023
A Dying Tree @ Solo short film
15-minute solo short film created in collaboration with the distinguished director Vincent Rene-LortieAs his workday draws to a close, a 45-year-old office worker encounters the enigmatic gaze of a chimpanzee, initiating a silent exchange that pushes him to make an irreversible decision.
/ 2025
The Silence of the ashes @ Group work
In this choral work, the choreographer weaves a fascinating analogy between human fascia and the underground network of mushrooms. Through organic and sensory gestures, seven performers explore the possibility of a shared body language, a collective memory in motion. Heir to the solo The call of the embers, the creation The Silence of the ashes pushes further a profound research on connection, transformation and healing, in a universe where the body becomes a fertile territory of transmission.
Teacher
/ Available
Group/Private Lessons & Workshops
Open classes in contemporary dance Charles-Alexis explores, in an encouraging and positive atmosphere, floor work, interpretation, the kinesthetic discovery of the body's possibilities, the training of the athlete and the artist, improvisation alone and in contact with others, contemporary technique, alignment, meditation, somatic approaches and the learning of varied choreographies.
