Compagnie Marie Chouinard

Oct. 22-23, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater

MARIE CHOUINARD IS one of a group of dancers – La La La Human Steps being another – that in the '80s made Montreal the place to be for dance on the edge. No doubt the fact that one of her works got banned (she urinated into a bucket onstage) sent her reputation as an enfant terrible sky high. Chouinard's ritualistic solo pieces may have shocked audiences, but they also rigorously investigated the role of the body as a performance vehicle. When she retired from dancing in 1990, she started a whole new career with Compagnie Marie Chouinard, translating the intensity of her solos into work for an ensemble (currently 11 dancers). Presented by San Francisco Performances, this engagement marks the company's much-delayed Bay Area debut. In her choreography, Chouinard has said, she celebrates life: "This mixture of blood and flesh and soul that is temporary and total and immense." The program includes two companion pieces: 24 Preludes by Chopin, to the composer's piano works, and Le Cri du Monde, with an original electro-acoustic score by Canadian composer Louis Dufort. Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m., 700 Howard, SF. $24-$54. (415) 392-2545, www.performances.org. (Rita Felciano)