Ballets Jazz Montréal to Perform DANCE ME: The Music of Leonard Cohen at the Detroit Opera House, Oct 17
DETROIT, MI - Explosive, poetic, and completely original, Ballets Jazz Montréal arrives at the Detroit Opera House on October 17with their highly anticipated tour de force Dance Me: The Music of Leonard Cohen.
Dance Me is an exclusive creation inspired by the rich and profound work of Montréal-based poet, artist, and songwriter Leonard Cohen. Approved by Cohen during his lifetime, this riveting homage evokes the grand cycles of existence, as described in Cohen’s deeply reflective music and poems. The performance begins at 7:30pm; tickets are available in person at the box office, at 313.237.7464, and at Detroitopera.org.
Ballets Jazz Montréal opens the 2026–27 Dance@ Detroit Opera season, which also will include RENNIE HARRIS PUREMOVEMENT’s American Street Dancer (Jan 23), Dance Theatre of Harlem (Feb 20–21), and American Ballet Theatre’s Swan Lake with the Detroit Opera Orchestra (May 1–2).
For Dance Me, three internationally renowned choreographers were entrusted with putting movement to Cohen’s legendary songs: Andonis Foniadakis, Annabelle LopezOchoa, and Ihsan Rustem. Their powerful and profound choreography is brought to life by Ballets Jazz Montréal’s 14 artists and the bold dramaturgy of Eric Jean. Dance Me combines scenic, visual, musical, dramaturgical, and choreographic writing to pay tribute to Montréal’s greatest ambassador.
Dance, music, lighting, scenography, and videography all come together in this unforgettable show. Leonard Cohen songs featured in Dance Me include “Here It is” (2001), “Lover, Lover, Lover” (1974), “Dance Meto the End of Love” (Live in London, 2009), “Boogie Street” (Live in London, 2009), “Steer Your Way” (2016), “Everybody Knows” (2001), “Tower of Song” (1988), “So Long Marianne” (1967), “A Thousand Kisses Deep” (poem), “Suzanne” (1967), “Famous Blue Raincoat” (1971), “Nevermind” (2014), “First We Take Manhattan” (1988), “It Seemed the Better Way” (2016), “Hallelujah” (1984), and “String Reprise / Treaty” (2016).
Ballets Jazz Montréal’s Dance Me has won widespread critical acclaim during the company’s international tours. “ ‘Dance Me’ is a powerful, visually imaginative production that packs a wow factor,” wrote The Recs.
The Daily Telegraph called Dance Me “Shiver-inducing. Combined with a fedora-wearing, Cohen-like figure stalking the show, at its best ‘Dance Me’ supplies a heartfelt haunting: not just of his art but of his soul shining on.”
LA Dance Chronicle noted, “This tribute to Montréal’s native son, the brilliant poet, songster and writer, Leonard Cohen was an 80-minute tour de force. It managed to cross boundaries and rise to such levels of subtlety, intensity and aesthetics as not seen often in these parts."
Ballets Jazz Montréal will offer a dance masterclass at the Detroit Opera House on October 17 at 11am; free for ticketholders, $15 for non-ticketholders; pre-registration required. Listen to Detroit Opera’s podcast conversation with Ballets Jazz Montréal’s artistic director, Alexandra Damiani, at YouTube, Spotify, Apple, and Soundcloud.
