Five Reasons to see Le Parc

Five Reasons to see Le Parc

Created specifically for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1994 by choreographer Angelin Preljocal, there are countless reasons why Le Parc has become a timeless classic.

CARDS
When desire is part of the game, the carte du Tendre is also a card to play. Love at first sight and gambles come together in the groves of Le Parc. Marivaux like, Preljocaj’s choreography – created in 1994 for the Paris Opera Ballet – reshuffles the cards for the game of love and chance.

MOZART
Female desire (Così fan tutte), debauchery (Don Giovanni) and true love (Die Zauberflöte): Mozart’s scores form the soundtrack for the century of Laclos, Sade, Crébillon and Vivant Denon. In Le Parc, Mozart is Preljocaj’s musical accomplice: concertos, quartets and symphonies give rhythm to a work that gives form to the desires of the heart and mind.

GARDENS
Be it the gardens of the carte du Tendre – the landscape of love charted out by Madame de Scudéry or the royal alleys at Versailles where Le Nôtre created the ideal backdrop for all things playful, the garden is above all a secret one when it comes to love.

QUARTET
“Divertimento”, “A Musical Joke”, “Serenade”, “A little Night Music”: the pages from Mozart selected by Angelin Preljocaj evoke hours of the day and night – moments in a sophisticated art of loving. Music and dance echo one another: in a conversation transposed into sound, a quartet of gardeners reply to a string quartet. Set to an electronic score by Goran Vejvoda, these little cupids guide the dancers along in a timeless game.

ERA
The society of the age of Enlightenment has given way to an entertainment based one: “The world parades and surges across the small screen”, says Preljocaj, “and we remain transfixed”. And yet, as the French writer Philippe Sollers says, the 18th century was a “forward” one. With Le Parc, the choreographer draws on the source of French libertinage. Dance finds new momentum that brings into perspective the games of seduction of our times.

“A masterpiece. There are dances that entertain us, and then there are a few that have the power to truly move us.” Alexandra Desvignes, BACHTRACK

Join ballet aficionado Leo Schofield for a pre-screening presentation of Le Parc on 18 July at Palace Cinemas Verona to hear why Leo thinks Le Parc is a masterpiece of dance.

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Image courtesy Paris Opera Ballet

Telstra Emerging Choreographer

Telstra Emerging Choreographer

After the sad news that The Australian Ballet are postponing their Melbourne season of New York Dialects, Artistic Director David Hallberg has made an exciting announcement.

Together with Telstra, The Australian Ballet are creating the Telstra Emerging Choreographer (TEC) award, a new pathway for emerging Australian choreographers in all dance styles to develop their skills and foster their talent.

The TEC will give up to four aspiring choreographers the opportunity to create a new work; the winner will be featured in The Ballet’s 2022 Bodytorque program and receive a cash prize of $10,000.

The award is open to all forms of dance, not just ballet. When discussing the initiate Hallberg said ‘I think part of my role and responsibility is to continue to stay a really active participant in the dance world, and the art world, here in Australia, and get to know it well. The community of dance should always be inclusive.’ Part of his vision for the company “is to open up our doors to other creators that aren’t necessarily ballet creators”.

Applications close 13 July, with the winner announced during the Bodytorque season in Melbourne this October.