La Compagnie des Ballets de Monte-Carlo was
re-established in the Principality in 1985 due to the commitment of H.R.H. the
Princess of Hanover in accordance with the wishes of H.S.H. Princess Grace of
Monaco. The company was initially managed by Ghislaine Thesmar and Pierre
Lacotte, then by Jean-Yves Esquerre.
In 1993, H.R.H. the Princess of Hanover appointed
Jean-Christophe Maillot as the head of Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo. Building on
his dancing experience gained with Rosella Hightower and John Neumeier, and as
choreographer and director of the National Choreographic Centre in Tours,
Jean-Christophe Maillot gave the Monegasque company a new boost. He created an
original repertoire around his own productions. Jean-Christophe Maillot’s
choreographic influence dominates in pieces like Dov’e la luna, Recto-Verso,
Vers un Pays Sage, Entrelacs, Opus 40, Men’s Dance, D’une Rive а l’Autre, Altro
Canto and Miniatures, as well as in the great classics with their timeless
themes such as Romeo and Juliette, the Nutcracker Suite, Cinderella, La Belle,
Faust and Daphnis and Chloй to name just a few of the ballets, some of which
have featured in the repertoire of major international companies.
Visual artists like George Condo, Ernest
Pignon-Ernest, Philippe Favier, Rolf Sachs
and Dominique Drillot, composers
such as Marc Monnet, Yan Maresz, Andrea Cera, Ivan Fedele, Ramon Lazkano, Martin
Matalon, Daniel Teruggi and Bruno Mantovani and costume designers like Jйrфme
Kaplan, Philippe Guillotel and Karl Lagerfeld have been involved in these
works.
Furthermore, Jean-Christophe Maillot recently
enriched the repertoire of the Ballets de Monte-Carlo by inviting contemporary
choreographers including William Forsythe, Jiri Kylian, Karole Armitage, Marco
Goecke, Johan Inger, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Shen Wei, Alonzo King, Emio Greco,
and Chris Haring among others.
Touring for part of the year, since 1993 the
company of fifty dancers has been performing on major international stages. In
2009 and 2010, on the occasion of the Centenary of the Ballets Russes which was
celebrated in Monaco, the Ballets de Monte-Carlo collaborated with the Acadйmie
de Danse Princesse Grace and the Monaco Dance Forum. In 2011, under the
Presidency of H.R.H. the Princess of Hanover, the Ballets de Monte-Carlo merged
these three institutions into one structure. The Ballets de Monte-Carlo now
includes the excellence of an international dance company, the quality of a
varied festival and the potential of a high-level dance school. The director is
Jean-Christophe Maillot.
J-CH.
MAILLOT
Rosella Hightower liked to say of her student
Jean-Christophe Maillot, that his life was just a union of opposites. In fact,
for the current Choreographer-Director of the Ballets de Monte-Carlo, dance
combines with theatre, enters the ring under a big top, evolves into the arena
of visual arts, is fuelled by the most diverse scores and explores different
forms of literature... His repertoire draws from the world of art in the
broadest sense and each ballet is a sketch book which feeds the following work.
Thus, over 30 years, Jean-Christophe Maillot has created an ensemble of sixty
pieces ranging from great narrative ballets to shorter formats, and where
multiple connections reflect a work which forms part of the history and
diversity. Neither classical nor contemporary, not even between the two,
Jean-Christophe Maillot refuses to adhere to one style and designs dance like a
dialogue where tradition on pointes and the avant-garde are no longer mutually
exclusive.
Born in 1960, Jean-Christophe Maillot studied
dance and piano at the Conservatoire National de Région de Tours, before joining
the Rosella Hightower International School of Dance in Cannes until winning the
Prix de Lausanne in 1977. He was then hired by John Neumeier at the Hamburg
Ballet, where he danced in principal roles as a soloist for five years. An
accident brought his dancing career to an abrupt end.
In 1983, he was appointed choreographer and
director of the Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Tours, which later became a National
Centre of Choreography. He created around twenty ballets for this company and in
1985, founded the Dance Festival, "Le Chorégraphique". In 1987, he created Le
Mandarin Merveilleux for the Ballets de Monte-Carlo, which was a great success.
He became the company's Artistic Advisor for the 1992-1993 season and was then
appointed Director-Choreographer by H.R.H. the Princess of Hanover in September
1993.
His arrival at the Ballets de Monte-Carlo set the
company on a new path that quickly developed the level of maturity and
excellence for which this company of 50 dancers has been renowned for 20 years.
He has created almost 30 ballets for the company, some of which, such as Vers un
pays sage (1995), Romeo and Juliet (1996), Cinderella (1999) La Belle (2001), Le
Songe (2005), Altro Canto (2006), Faust (2007), LAC (2011), CHORE (2013)
and Casse-Noisette Compagnie (2013) have forged the reputation of the Ballets de
Monte-Carlo across the world. Several of these works are now included in the
repertoires of major international ballet companies, such as the Grands Ballets
Canadiens, the Royal Swedish Ballet, the Korean National Ballet, the Stuttgart
Ballet, the Royal Danish Ballet, the Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève, the
Pacific Northwest Ballet, the American Ballet Theatre and the Béjart Ballet
Lausanne. In 2014, he creates La Mégère Apprivoisée for the Ballet of Bolshoi
Theatre.
Also aware of the work of other artists,
Jean-Christophe Maillot is known for his spirit of openness and his commitment
to inviting choreographers with a different style to create for the company. In
2000, this same desire to present the choreographic art in all its many forms
led him to create the Monaco Dance Forum, an international showcase for dance
which presents an eclectic proliferation of shows, exhibitions, workshops and
conferences.
In 2007, he produced his first stage opera, Faust
for the Hessisches Staatstheater and in 2009 Norma for the Monte-Carlo Opera. In
2007, he created his first choreographic film with Cinderella then Le Songe in
2008. In 2009, he developed the content and coordinated the Centenary of the
Ballets Russes in Monaco, which would see over 50 companies and choreographers
pass through the Principality in one year, providing entertainment for 60,000
audience members. In 2011, dance in Monaco underwent a major and historical
change. Under the presidency of H.R.H. the Princess of Hanover, the Ballets de
Monte-Carlo now incorporates the Ballets de Monte-Carlo Company, the Monaco
Dance Forum and the Princess Grace Academy under a single organisation.
Jean-Christophe Maillot was appointed head of this organisation which now unites
the excellence of an international company, the benefits of a multi-format
festival and the potential of a high-level school.
Jean-Christophe Maillot is an Commander in the
Ordre du Mérite Culturel of the Principality of Monaco, Chevalier of the Ordre
des Arts et Lettres and Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur in France. On 17th
November 2005, he was appointed Chevalier of the Ordre de Saint Charles by
H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco. In 2008, in Moscow, he received the Prix
Benois de la Danse for the Best Choreographer along with the "Premio Dansa
Valencia 2010". En 2015, he won with La Mégère Apprivoisée three Golden Mask
including best performance.
from http://www.balletsdemontecarlo.com