L’Orchestre/Le duo d’amour de Roméo et Juliette/Echoing Stravinsky – Jeune Ballet Rosella Hightower (Mougins – Cannes)

This evening, the DAP Festival proudly dedicates this event to celebrating the friendship pact between the City of Pietrasanta and the City of Mougins, France.

Cannes Jeune Ballet Rosella Hightower

Artistic and Educational Direction: Paola CANTALUPO

Ballet Master: Maurizio DRUDI

Production Assistant: Jade CABRIGNAC

Communications Manager: Julie SONNET

Dancers:

Donia Abdin, Eskiejda Allka, Nanami Auwerkerken, Tom Bellec, Evans Berthelot, Gilliane Blaser, Carla Cardinale, Gianluca Cardinali, Manon Cardix, Elsa De Ponnat, Héloïse Fontang, Juliana Koldehofe Marchais, Afonso Nunes, Lucrezia Panza, William Philbert, Liam Scott, Orania Varvaris, Monica Yuste Alvarez, Qige Zou.

L’Orchestre (Excerpts)

Choreography: Jean-Sébastien Colau & Vincenzo Veneruso

Music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Premiered in 2022

Jean-Sébastien Colau, an international freelance dancer and choreographer, and Vincenzo Veneruso, a dancer and choreographer, have created an abstract piece for the Pôle National Supérieur de Danse Rosella Hightower, inspired by the genius and beauty of Mozart’s music.

Driven by a passion for freedom, equality, and fraternity, and convinced of the necessity of mutual exchange and collective effort to advance humanity, the arts, sciences, and ideas, Mozart spent his life in search of himself.

His music reflects the richness and diversity of emotions it can convey: joy, beauty, overflowing life, and exuberance, as well as sensitivity, depth, and fragility.

The creation Hommage à la musique de Mozart highlights the universal themes of creative genius, artistic freedom, madness, and the vulnerabilities that often characterize great creators.

Amber (Duet)

Choreography: Lukas Timulak

Music: Beastie Boys

Premiered in November 2023 for the Cannes Jeune Ballet Rosella Hightower

In this new creation for the Cannes Jeune Ballet, choreographer Lukas Timulak collaborates with his long-time partner, designer Peter Bilak. Exploring the limits of visual and emotional perception, the stage becomes an evolving canvas, immersing the audience in a world where emotions transcend boundaries. The performance is accompanied by instrumental music from the Beastie Boys and piano compositions by Kate Moore.

Le duo d’amour de Roméo et Juliette

Choreography: Jean Christophe Maillot

Music: Sergueï Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64 – Act 1: Balcony Scene

Premiered in November 2024 for the Cannes Jeune Ballet Rosella Hightower

Excerpt from Romeo and Juliet by Jean-Christophe Maillot

The balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet, a work by Jean-Christophe Maillot, choreographer-director of the Ballets de Monte-Carlo and former student of the Pôle National Supérieur de Danse Rosella Hightower, highlights the emotional intensity between the two protagonists. Through a choreographic style that reinvents classical language, Maillot succeeds in blending poetry and modernity. This duet will be performed by the dancers of the Cannes Jeune Ballet Rosella Hightower, who will embody the beauty and passion of this iconic excerpt.

Echoing Stravinsky

Choreography: Filipe Portugal

Music: Igor Stravinsky

Premiered in November 2024 for the Cannes Jeune Ballet Rosella Hightower

Stravinsky’s “Violin Concerto” has long been on my list of compositions to choreograph. I’ve always been deeply drawn to Stravinsky’s music, and my admiration for his collaboration with George Balanchine only amplifies that fascination. Their partnership produced such profound masterpieces, and I’ve wanted to embody a similar spirit in my work, to explore this iconic piece and see where it would lead me. Creating this choreography felt like immersing myself in Stravinsky’s world, letting my thoughts and feelings guide my response to the music. Though the music itself was the core inspiration, the 20 dancers of Cannes Jeune Ballet became a powerful part of the journey. Their unique interpretations added layers to the piece, building intricate worlds within the same musical landscape. Each dancer brought their own story, and weaving those narratives together became the heartbeat of the choreography. In the end, I feel this piece was created for the dancers and with the dancers, tailored to their specific energies and voices. Musically, too, “Violin Concerto” feels endlessly rich, with something new to unearth each time. I imagine that starting this work anew with another group or in another place would bring entirely different inspirations, creating something unique once again. This is the echo of Stravinsky’s magic, a music that inspires boundlessly, ever-changing with each interpretation.