Les Grands Ballets will be returning to the stage this fall to the notes of two famous symphonies with Dancing Beethoven. Two of the company’s flagship pieces will be staged: Complete (Symphony No. 5), choreographed by the American Garrett Smith, and Symphony No. 7, by the late Uwe Scholz. The dancers will reunite with their audience and Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier from September 10 to 12, for 4 performances.
In light of the great success the program enjoyed with the public in February 2020, Ivan Cavallari, Les Grands Ballets’ artistic director, wanted it to open this season and the new cultural calendar, and mark the reunion with spectators, on the highest possible note.
“For me, nothing better reflects the resilience of our dancers, of our artists, this past year than the powerful notes of Beethoven. Now that health measures permit, I wanted to treat our audience to a reopening on a grand scale with two spectacular pieces that bring the entire company together on stage!” – Ivan Cavallari, artistic director of Les Grands Ballets
Symphony No. 5 in four movements by Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the most notable works in music history. Its iconic theme opens with four striking notes, three short notes followed by a long one, the omnipresent motif of an immediately recognizable symphony. According to a popular anecdote, Beethoven with those four notes was seeking to echo fate knocking at the door of Man. Choreographer Garrett Smith pays tribute, with his creation Complete, to that imposing piece. Drawing inspiration from the difference and the uniqueness of each of us, Smith creates a work celebrating the power that results from accepting our individuality: an ode to the freedom rediscovered when masks fall.
The second part of this unique evening consists of a bequest from the late Uwe Scholz. A monument of symphonic literature, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 ranks with his greatest successes. The dancers, in symbiosis with the symphony’s immortal music, will present a work that produces, with its athletic achievements and its geometry danced in unison, a leitmotif effect.
Tickets go on sale on August 8, starting at $39. They can be reserved online at grandsballets.com or by telephone at 514 849-0269.
The company will also announce the rest of its program for the 2021-2022 season in September.
DANCING BEETHOVEN
Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier at Place des Arts
September 10 and 11 at 8 p.m.
September 11 and 12 at 2 p.m.
Duration: 1hr43
