Mercury footwork. Elegant elegance. Spider outfits and black fishnet suits cool enough to be on the cover of Vogue. La La La Human Steps is where ballet and haute couture collide; where traditional movements are redefined in current relevance. The choreography is an interplay of speed and extremes, physical challenge combined with lyricism that has brought the Canadian ballet company to international fame. But it is their unique blend of innovative dance vocabulary, contemporary music and cinematic effects that sets them apart from other ballet companies of their caliber.

The dancers have classical training, but add sports training to develop the right strength for the gravity-defying, leg-slapping twists and turns that each piece requires. This year, the company celebrates its 30th anniversary with a new work created by founder and choreographer Edouard Lock, featuring Kirov prima ballerina Diana Vishneva, who was recently described as “the most outstanding classical dancer today” by Ballet Magazine. The North American debut of the new work will be in May at the Place des Arts’ Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier. As of now, there are no announced plans for a US tour.

Since founding La La La Human Steps in 1980, Edouard Lock has collaborated with an eclectic lineup of stars, including David Bowie, Frank Zappa, Skinny Puppy and David Lang. He has created works for the Opéra National de Paris, the Paris Opera Ballet and the Dance Theater of the Netherlands. Since the creation of “Human Sex” (1985), the ballet company has toured all over the world, even reaching Europe and Asia, with two-year tours for each new production.

His most beloved work, “Amelia” (2002), originally choreographed for the Prague Opera, was made into a film that made its debut at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, followed by the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City. Utah. It is a study in chic fighting, the dramatic emotions brought to life in the members of the dancers, including the principal dancer and muse, Louise Lecavalier. His use of multiple angles offers a perspective distortion that sometimes alternates between falling and flying. The film has won the award for best of its category in numerous international festivals, and received 2 GEMINI AWARDS for best direction and best editing, 2 ICE awards (individual creative excellence) from the National Association of Broadcasters of the United States for best direction of photography and editing, and was a finalist in the International Emmy Awards. Directly block all her own videos. Excerpts from the movie “Amelia” can be found on YouTube.