Archive
Theatre
Thank you for rating this article
The sweeping beauty of Monte Carlo's ballet
2010-11-24 13:37
If dance is your thing - and even if it's not - it’s well worth booking a stay in Monaco for at least the next two months!
Monte Carlo has a long and venerable history as the home of ballet - it was here, after all, that Serge Diaghilev founded the Ballets Russes. But far from becoming staid and outdated, Monaco today has taken a leaf from the Russian master's book and remained at the cutting edge of experimental choreography, making the Principality one of the world’s leading venues for modern dance.
Key to its development in recent times was the appointment in the mid-90s of Jean-Christophe Maillot, a choreographer whose skill has been universally praised. Two years ago Maillot’s company, the Ballets de Monte Carlo, was acclaimed at their debut in San
Francisco as an ‘alert, versatile company’ presenting work of a
‘ravishing’ quality.
Now, from November until the New Year, a visit to Monaco will allow you to catch a glimpse of this extraordinary world of spectacle.
On 30 November at the Théâtre des Variétés, one of Maillot's principal dancers, Ramon Reis (who is also performing in the New Year production of Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty), presents ‘Vibrations – the voice of the dance’, a stunningly crafted dance piece performed in association with the Chamber Choir of Monte Carlo. You can find out more about this performance and book your place by writing to tvarietes@gouv.mc or telephoning +33 6 87 98 75 89
Then, from 17 to 19 December, at the Grimaldi Forum, the Monaco Dance Forum presents the late Pina Bausch’s interpretation of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, alongside her Cafe Müller, the latter of which was memorably used in Pedro Almodóvar’s 2002 film 'Talk to Her'. The combination of the primitive energies of Stravinsky's controversial score and the baroque beauty of the Purcellian compositions of Cafe Müller make for an eclectic -and electric - evening's entertainment. Bookings can be made at http://www.monaco-spectacle.com
Monaco Dance Forum
Finally this year, 31 December at the Grimaldi Forum sees the first of three performances of The Sleeping Beauty, in a production by dynamic director Jean-Christophe Maillot which has already toured to immense acclaim in China. Tchaikovsky's music will be familiar, but here the traditional staging of Marius Petipa, the father of Russian ballet, has met its match in Maillot's contemporary choreographic design
Ballets de Monte Carlo