Nice Opera Ballet Presentation

L'Arlésienne

THE ORIGINS OF THE COMPANY

The Nice Opera Ballet was created in 1947 under the instruction of Pierre Pasquini, appointing Ms Françoise Adret as its first ballet master. Until 1959, the ballet's direction called on renowned choreographers and guest stars to present creations related to the Opera's musical commissions, with the likes of Claire Motte, Youly Algaroff, Claire Sombert, Lyane Daydé, Josette Amiel and John Gilpin all coming to mark their presence in this first period. Over the years, this company would be successively directed by Lycette Darsonval, Jean-Pierre Ruffier, Tony Pardina, Martine Parmain, Jean-Michel Bouvron, Marc Ribaud and Eleonora Gori.

Troy Game

THE EVOLUTION OF THE COMPANY

After a hiatus lasting a few years, the new city council sought to restore the reputation of dance in Nice and decided to revitalise the Nice Opera company by endowing it with a first-rate artistic director. Ultimately, the man chosen for the job would be Éric Vu-An, renowned dancer, from the Paris Opera, having already directed several companies and collaborated with some of the greatest choreographers.
With his arrival in 2009, the company took on a new lease of life, becoming the "Nice Méditerranée Ballet". In order to better serve the repertoire and artistic vision of the new director, eight soloist-dancer positions were created. Collaborations were set up with other structures, such as the Dance Department of the C.N.R.R. (Nice Conservatory) and the Rosella Hightower Higher National School of Dance, as well as with the Monaco Dance Forum, for which the new Nice Méditerranée Ballet was invited to perform in December 2009 as part of the celebrations commemorating the centenary of the Ballets Russes.

In the same spirit of openness, the company presented an outdoor summer season in Nice at the Théâtre de Verdure. Its external programming has also included performances at the National Theatre of Nice and the Cimiez Gardens.

In order to introduce young audiences to dance, the company proposes educational projects and boosts its influence through collaborations with other professional companies.
Finally, its reputation has been developed thanks to tours both in France and abroad: Italy, Spain, China, Hong Kong, Cuba, Russia and more.

Les deux Pigeons

THE REPERTOIRE (SINCE 2019)

The first performances of this renewed company were given in January 2010 at the Nice Côte d'Azur Opera, in front of a large audience, with a programme paying tribute to the Ballets Russes. In the same year, a wide selection of very varied works were added to its repertoire, and so the tone for this new company was set. Today, the Nice Méditerranée Ballet bases its new identity on its ability to appropriate the most diverse and demanding dance styles.

Classic

The Company is renowned for the quality of its dancers, all having received high-level classical training allowing them to perform its great repertoire.

The most demanding of ballet devotees have been able to appreciate its talent through the presentation of works such as: Don Quixote (E. Vu-An), Coppélia (E. Vu-An), Les Sylphides (M. Fokine), Allegro Brillante, Chaconne and Concerto Barocco (G. Balanchine), Suite en blanc and Romeo and Juliet (S.Lifar), Raymonda (E. Vu-An after Petipa), Sylvia (E. Vu-An after L. Mérante), Les deux pigeons (E. Vu-An after A. Aveline), Soir de Fête (L. Staats), La Sylphide (D. Bjorn after A. Bournonville), Pas de Dieux (G.Kelly), Cantate 51 (M. Béjart), Les Trois Preludes (B. Stevenson), l’Arlésienne (R. Petit), Concerto en G (J. Robbins).

Contemporary

While classical dance defines an essential part of the Nice Méditerranée Ballet's identity, the company has also been turning towards a more contemporary form of dance. As a result, the following works have been added to the Ballet's repertoire: Viva Verdi and Marco Polo (L. Cannito), The Envelope (D. Parsons), Por vos Muero and Gnawa (N. Duato), Voluntaries (G. Tetley), La Pavane du Maure (J. Limon), Adagietto, Petrouchka and Rhapsody (O. Araiz), Night Creature (A. Ailey), Sinfonietta (J. Kylian), Oktett (U. Scholz), Vespertine (L. Scarlett), Belong (N. Vesak), Troy Games (R. North) and Cinderella (T. Malandain).

Creations

Finally, upon the initiative of Éric Vu-An's, a host of great choreographers have been invited to create original works for the Company.

These creations include: La Campanella (G. Mancini, 2010), Oceana (L. Childs, 2011), Verse Us (D. Rhoden, 2014) and Démons et Merveilles (J. Guérin 2019).

Petrouchka