This afternoon at 3 PM, the Ballet Nice Méditerranée, celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, will showcase the many facets of the troupe’s talent with the final performance of a program that has been presented six times on the Opéra de Nice stage since October 18.
The show consists of three parts, starting with “Démons et Merveilles,” a creation choreographed by Julien Guérin, who is being invited for the first time by the Ballet Nice Méditerranée. It is inspired by the film “Les visiteurs du soir” by Marcel Carné, which was shot in 1942 at the Victorine Studios in Nice, celebrating their centenary this year.
In the film, the Devil sends two of his emissaries to the engagement of a lord’s daughter to create romantic chaos. Using this premise as its starting point, “Démons et Merveilles” weaves its own patterns between dance and cinema. The performance features music by Maurice Thiriet, Ernest Bloch, Max Richter, and finally Joseph Kosma, who passed away fifty years ago.
Choosing “Le Rendez-vous” as the second part of the show is a way to honor the memory of this composer, as he composed the music for this ballet, created in 1945, with choreography by Roland Petit.
With this piece, we take a plunge into post-war Paris, full of hope, a fervor to live and create despite the painful memories of terrible years that lingered in the hearts.
Few periods have created such a feeling that anything was possible and generated such a proliferation of the arts. Reconstructing often means reinventing, and Roland Petit knew this well.
In the final part of the program, with “Vespertine” by British choreographer Liam Scarlett, the focus is solely on the musicality of the gestures and steps. The ballet shines with its baroque audacity set to the music of Arcangelo Corelli.
Originally written for the Norwegian National Ballet in 2013, “Vespertine” was subsequently performed notably by the Ballet Nice Méditerranée, which, through the quality of its interpretation, has made it one of the choreographic gems in its repertoire.
