First show with a double program by Maillot

In these difficult times we are all living where culture had been canceled for several months, it is such a pleasure to see dancers back on stage, nurturing our souls with their talent and grace. It was Nehru who said “Culture is the widening of the mind and of the spirit.”

During the first show of the season in Monaco, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo performed two quintessential pieces by Jean- Christophe Maillot, both glorifying the dancers’ bodies.  In Altro Canto 1 their androgynous shapes are intensified by the magic of candlelight, Vers un Pays Sage is a moment of refined hedonism in celebration of life. 

ALTRO CANTO 1 – On the other hand – Choreographed by Jean-Christophe Maillot. Altro Canto 1 highlights the androgynous bodies to the rhythm of Magnificat of Italian composer Monteverdi that becomes the real heartbeat of the piece, as the music runs like blood through the dancers. Their bodies undulate, shake, shift and rise on a spiritual quest in a mix of religious and agnostic beliefs. Dancers hide behind statues and windows, moving between light and shadows, in a magical dance under the magic spell of candlelight.

Altro Canto 1, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, October 2020, _dsc6359.@ Alice Blangero

Altro Canto 1, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, October 2020, dsc6380 @Alice Blangero

Altro Canto 1, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, October 2019,_dsc5920 @Alice Blangero

Altro Canto 1, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, _dsc6400 @Alice Blangero

Choreography: Jean-Christophe Maillot
Music: Claudio Monterverdi, Biagio Marini, Giovanni Girolamo Kapsberger
Music played by Akademia conducted by Françoise Lasserre
Costumes: Karl Lagerfeld
Scenography: Rolf Sachs
Lighting: Dominique Drillot
Premiered April 19,2006, Grimaldi Forum Monaco

VERS UN PAYS SAGE  – Towards a land of wisdom, Choreographed by Jean-Christophe Maillot 
Jean-Christophe Maillot created the archetypal ballet Vers un Pays Sage in 1995, in homage to his father, the painter Jean Maillot, who disappeared at a young age. The famous passionate, prolific artist produced nearly 260 paintings, staging and opera costumes. The energy that he devoted to his painting and life in general, is the common thread running through this ballet piece of rare physical endurance. Vers un Pays Sage is based on the frenetic music of John Adams, that does not allow the dancers the slightest respite. He challenges them not to give up and reach the inexorable finish line.

Choreography: Jean-Christophe Maillot
Scenography: Jean-Christophe Maillot, Dominique Drillot
Costumes: Jean-Christophe Maillot, Jean-Michel Lainé
Lighting: Dominique Drillot
Music: John Adams
Picture from an original painting of Jean Maillot
Premiered December 29, 1995, Salle Garnier Opéra de Monte-Carlo

Today’s Quote

Caution not spirit; let it roam wilde; for in that natural state dance embraces divine frequency. Sah Asad Rizvi