Its title serving as a promise, Confession Publique explores ambiguity and paradox, probes the noble and the vulgar, oscillates between grace and brutality. Choreographer Mélanie Demers turns her trusted collaborator Angélique Willkie into her muse. Together, these two kindred spirits explore the act of telling others about yourself without reserve. The result is a hard-hitting solo show, where anecdotes become painful secrets and the body reveals as much as words, if not more.
Confession Publique is a courageous laying bare of the self—a full unveiling—made possible through the trust emerging from the profound encounter of its makers. On stage, Willkie, who provides the raw material for the show, cannot escape the audience’s gaze. With her, an enigmatic human presence, sometimes devoted, sometimes hostile, manipulates and organizes the space. Through her powerful voice and captivating presence, the performer conveys the beauty and depths of her soul with strength and fragility.
Mélanie Demers is a multidisciplinary artist and founder of the Montreal dance company MAYDAY (2007), known for blending poetry and politics through hybrid, cross-genre works. Over her career, she has choreographed thirty pieces presented in around forty cities worldwide.
Her key choreographic achievements include WOULD and Confession Publique, which both earned CALQ Awards for best choreography, alongside internationally toured works like Animal Triste and Cabaret Noir. Demers has also expanded into theatre, directing Jordan Tannahill’s Déclarations and premiering her play l’amour ou rien in 2025. Her profound impact on the performing arts has been recognized with major honors, including the GRAND PRIX de la danse de Montréal (2021), the 2024 NAC Award, and the 2025 Canada Council for the Arts Molson Prize. Additionally, she teaches at top Canadian theatre schools and regularly contributes to radio and television.
Angélique Willkie recently moved back to Montreal after more than 20 years living in Europe. She is a performance artist, with experience as an interpreter, singer, dramaturg and educator. After graduating from the School of Toronto Dance Theatre, she went to live in Belgium where she participated in several dance projects with choreographers such as Alain Platel, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Karin Vyncke and Jan Lauwers/Needcompany. Her singing collaborations include the likes of Zap Mama, dEUS, DAAU and Zita Swoon Group. She has also lent her voice to composers such as Walter Hus and Spectra Ensemble, Kaat De Windt, David Linx, Fabrizio Cassol and the Ensemble Musiques Nouvelles. In addition to being a performer, Willkie has taught at the École supérieure des arts du cirque (ESAC) in Brussels and at the École de danse contemporaine de Montréal (EDCM). Most recently, she is a professor at Concordia University’s Department of Contemporary Dance. As an artist-researcher, she has been exploring her interest in the dramaturgical aspects of the body in performance. While she continues to work as a dramaturg for various dance, music, and circus-theatre projects, she has recently found her way back onstage, performing the works of various Montreal-based choreographers.