Les Grands Ballets Canadiens will perform at the Megaron Hall in Athens on November 7, 8, and 9, featuring a double program by Mauro Bigonzetti: The Four Seasons and Cantata.
The Four Seasons is danced to Vivaldi’s four violin concertos, each depicting a season and divided into three movements: Allegro – Adagio (or Largo) – Allegro (or Presto). By making this global masterpiece his own, the Roman choreographer creates a contemporary ballet that combines rigorous pointe work with an entirely original universe. He explores the many facets and inner impulses of the human being. The dancers’ bodies become genuine instruments, intertwining and releasing. Their movements are bursting with energy, theatricality, humor, joy, and desire. The physical impact is overwhelming: bodies charm, embrace, kiss, and push away each other with playful audacity.
Cantata is a tribute to Italian culture and its musical traditions, in the truest sense of the word. The piece draws inspiration from 18th- and 19th-century Italian music, from lullabies to the pizziche of Salento, and from Neapolitan serenades. This heritage comes to life on stage through the performance of four singers and musicians, who accompany the dancers with tambourine and diatonic accordion. The choreography propels the dancers into frenzied, masterful, commanding, and infinitely complex movements, reflecting the nature of passionate relationships. An explosive cocktail, reminiscent of Vesuvius, which permeates the Neapolitan imagination.
Through these two flagship works, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens invite audiences on an intense sensory journey, oscillating between Vivaldi’s vigor and the warmth of Italian musical traditions. Between technical virtuosity and raw emotion, this double program showcases the full power of Mauro Bigonzetti’s choreographic language and dance’s ability to transcend cultures and eras.
Megaron
Athens, Greece
November 7, 8, and 9, 2025
