Founded in Montreal in 2006 by Hedi Graja (Tunis) and Myriam Allard (Quebec), La Otra Orilla has established itself as an unclassifiable creative cell at the crossroads of languages. After a six-year formative journey in Andalusia, the duo chose to break away from established conventions to forge a unique stage signature where movement, voice, and space are inseparable.
Under their dual leadership, Allard and Graja co-create transdisciplinary pieces that defy labels. Their practice — marked by raw poetry and dramaturgical rigor — explores the tension points between dance, physical theater, and sound composition.
La Otra Orilla’s reach is international, with productions presented across Canada, the United States, Scotland, Colombia, and Tunisia. Alongside their creations, they lead La Lola, a creative hub in Montreal that catalyzes artistic exchange and serves as a North American center for innovation in the field.
La Otra Orilla is a vital stance — a collective act of resistance born from the collision of two singular trajectories. Myriam Allard and Hedi Graja weave together the distinct textures of their worlds, Quebec and Tunisia, creating a field of tension, allowing a new, hybrid language to emerge.
Refusing established boundaries to honor the urgency of living freely, the company practices a radical “indiscipline.” Allard’s choreography is distinguished by an absolute visceral quality, where the gesture — though informed by the rhythmic precision of flamenco — becomes a raw physical necessity. In echo, Graja’s direction and scenography sculpt the stage into a symbolic territory of high intensity, creating a transdisciplinary language where artistic expression resides in a singular, visceral exclamation.
La Otra Orilla defends the performing arts as a vital territory for re-humanization — a space to embody what lies outside the frame and subvert codes to reveal essence. This is the choice of an uncompromising stance, anchored in a permanent search for balance. Rooted in the fragility of human connection, their work acts as a breath of fresh air — a journey by two artists who, for twenty years, have been tirelessly swimming against the tide.
Artistic Director | Choreographer | Dancer | Teacher
Myriam Allard is a true agent provocateur of the contemporary stage. Born in Quebec and forged by a decade of immersion in the professional tablaos of Spain and international companies—notably that of Israel Galván—she has developed a choreographic language where high-voltage energy meets a raw, instinctive precision.
As the artistic co-director of La Otra Orilla, Allard uses her rigorous flamenco mastery as a springboard for liberation. Her work is driven by a somatic intelligence that seeks the “seismic” point of the gesture—a visceral dialogue where the refined rubs shoulders with the primal. For thirty years, her signature style has been defined by a magnetic tension, a constant search for the exact threshold where structure yields to surrender.
“One moment, she’s coiled tight, low to the ground, ready to strike; the next, she’s floating mid-air, creating a dizzying dance of extremes. Allard seems to push herself to the limit… as if this performance, now, might take her over the edge.” — The Dance Current
Based in Montreal, where she leads the creative hub La Lola, Allard is also a highly sought-after collaborator for Canadian companies and a dedicated educator with three decades of acclaimed teaching experience. Whether at Jacob’s Pillow or on international tours, she remains a singular figure—an independent thinker thrillingly engaged in the transformative light of the stage.
Direction | Scenography | Voice
“Narrative emerges when shapes and accidents collide, where words, rhythm, and space converge. This grand dance of elements becomes a site of exploration—a fresh, uncompromising way to inhabit the world.”
Hedi Graja is a multidisciplinary artist whose work is deeply informed by his dual heritage on both shores of the Mediterranean. Born in Tunisia, he carries a cultural imprint that naturally permeates his artistic gaze—a subtle, ancestral resonance that anchors his contemporary search for form and meaning.
Initially trained in theatre in Paris and classical singing in Toulouse, Graja later completed studies in French Literature and Arts, while developing a vast cinematic knowledge that continues to influence his sense of framing and visual rhythm. Since 2006, he has sculpted the stage signature of La Otra Orilla, overseeing the direction and scenography of all its productions.
His visionary approach to space is physically embodied in La Lola, the creative hub he entirely designed and hand-built—from the intricate woodwork of the sprung floors and tiered seating to the carefully curated light and greenery—creating a sanctuary that has become a vital landmark for the Montreal dance community. His visual environments, described by the New York Times as among the stage’s “most striking components,” offer a “refreshing” departure from traditional codes.
Endowed with a warm and powerful bass-baritone voice—a rare and compelling tessiture—his singing embodies deep, rooted, and timeless colors. For Graja, the stage is a site of perpetual exploration, where he taps into a primal curiosity to craft narratives that are as visceral as they are intellectually rigorous.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President: Janie Robillard
Treasurer: Hedi Graja
Secretary: Myriam Allard
Directors: Anouk Leblanc-Dominguez, Florence Grandmont
OUR PARTNERS
