Where memory drifts into dream, and love lingers in absence.

“Past Rooms is a profoundly human piece, tender and deeply moving.”

—— KinoCultureMontreal.com

With Past Rooms, Skeels delivers a sumptuous creation for six dancers—a deeply moving, dreamlike reflection on absence. A woman, ensnared in the stillness of sleepless nights, finds herself haunted by visions that blur the line between memory and dream. Set to Julien Tarride’s evocative score, the work invites audiences into a surreal world where shadows of loss and whispers of love entwine. Through poetic movement and a hauntingly beautiful design, Past Rooms explores the depths of grief, honoring the delicate humanity found within sorrow and resilience. It is a tender, visually arresting journey through the labyrinth of the mind, creating a space for audiences to connect, reflect, and find solace in the fragile beauty of the human experience.

“A little gem of dance-theater, polished with care.”

—JEU Magazine

“Skeels offers us a refined odyssey... A poignant and unsettling imaginative reflection. With infinite tenderness, we are brought to feel the weight of grief and sorrow.”

— Journal des Citoyens

“This meditation on sadness and absence succeeds where other works fail: loss, depression, and mute stupor are deeply felt and skillfully expressed, without ever descending into pity or desolation.”

—JEU Magazine

Created for Skeels Danse, Andrew Skeels’ Montréal-based company, Past Rooms has toured since 2023, gracing stages at the Festival des arts de Saint-Sauveur, Danse Danse, Théâtre des Deux Rives, Théâtre Alphonse-Desjardins, Centre culturel de l’Université de Sherbrooke, Théâtre Desjardins, Salle Albert-Dumouchel, and the 2024 off-CINARS in Montréal. Everywhere it travels, the work captivates audiences with its emotional depth and striking visual poetry, resonating across cultures and contexts. Its intimate exploration of absence, love, and memory has established Past Rooms as a signature creation in Skeels’ repertoire — a poignant work that bridges contemporary dance and theater to offer audiences an experience both profoundly human and visually unforgettable.

Video Excerpts

Past Rooms (2023)

A Skeels Danse Production

Creative Team

Choreography – Andrew Skeels
Stage Direction – Andrew Skeels, David DiGiovanni, Joe De Paul
Dramaturgy – David DiGiovanni, Robert Vezina
Music – Hildur Guðnadóttir
Original Music – Julien Tarride
Set & Costume Design – Damián Siqueiros
Lighting Design – Rasmus Sylvest
Floral Design – Reuben Stewart
Costume Construction – Jill Meuris
Puppet Design – Flavia Hevia
Vocal Coach – Nick Carpenter
Photography – Damián Siqueiros
Promotional Video – Max Machado
Video Editing – Fred Baune