By Peter Quanz
One of the most moving heroines in French literature, Marguerite Gautier moves through The Lady of the Camellias like a figure of light destined to fade. Both admired and condemned as a courtesan, she dares to believe in the possibility of a simple love when she meets Armand Duval. Their sincere and absolute passion soon collides with the moral codes and rigid conventions of an unforgiving society.
Inspired by the famous novel by Alexandre Dumas fils, Canadian choreographer Peter Quanz a powerful ballet in two acts, where intimacy and tragedy intertwine. Here, dance becomes a language of longing, love, and sacrifice carried by a neoclassical choreographic voice.
Offering the dancers rich and demanding dramatic roles, La Dame aux camélias evokes, through its sets and costumes, the refined elegance of 19th-century Paris. Born of a close collaboration between Peter Quanz and Florian Ziemen,, the score, drawing on music by Carl Maria von Weber and composers such as Lili Boulanger, Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann, stands out as a voice in its own right, weaving a soundscape of profound emotional intensity.
La Dame aux camélias tells the story of a love as luminous as it is fragile, where loving becomes an act of courage, and where sacrifice becomes the only possible form of freedom.
Prologue
Three couples appear. Embodying Marguerite & Armand, these fated lovers from Alexandre Dumas fils’ La Dame aux Camélias will sequentially evoke the epic’s themes - Love, Sacrifice, and Abyss.
Love
Armand Duval, a young man from the 19th-century Parisian bourgeoisie, falls passionately in love with Marguerite Gautier, a highly admired courtesan patronised by The Duke. Despite societal prejudices and disapproval, true love between Marguerite & Armand ignites. They retreat to the countryside and experience a quiet, simple devotion.
Sacrifice
Mr. Duval, Armand’s father, implores Marguerite to renounce this controversial and scandalous love in order to preserve his son’s reputation. Marguerite acquiesces and betrays Armand.
INTERMISSION
Abyss
Believing that Marguerite has abandoned him, Armand is consumed by desolation and rage. Disillusioned, ostracized by society, and stripped of her love, Marguerite is eclipsed by Olympe, the new favourite of these societal bon-vivants. She falls into a state of emotional distress. In the darkest depths of despair, she experiences a surreal moment of ecstasy and solace.
Passing
The three Marguerite & Armand couples are reunited in death. Nurtured in her ultimate journey by Nanette, her devoted maid, Marguerite succumbs. As Marguerite’s image and words fade into a distant memory of ephemeral beauty, Armand grasps the depth of her devotion, sacrifice, and love.
“Reflecting on Alexandre Dumas fils’ inspirational novel, La Dame aux Camélias, it becomes evident that a choreographer must seek their unique place within its layered and emotional journey. In my interpretation, I’ve sought to encapsulate four emotional tableaux with text distilled from the novel.”
Peter Quanz, choreographer
ABOUT THE SHOW
Duration
Act I: 65 minutes
Intermission: 20 minutes
Act II: 45 minutes
LES GRANDS BALLETS
Set Design and Production
Yves Nicol Productions, Showtex, Rose Brand, Nicheo
Les Grands Ballets Costumes Workshop
Head of Wardrobe: Mélanie Ferrero
Assistant-Head Wardrobe: Louisanne Lamarre
Wardrobe Clerk: Christelle Deforceville
Creative Assistant: Julie Pelletier
Project Manager – Hair, Makeup and Wardrobe: Marie-Hélène Gravel
Assistant, Footwear: Ange Bledja Kouassi
Main Cutter: Keli Alexandre
Second Cutter: Jessica Meghan Marcotte
Cutter: Rose-Anaïs Guillemant
First Assistant Cutter: Eve Plamondon
Assistant Costume Maker: Pénélope Garant-Saine
Costume Assistant: Mia Caron
Fabric Cutter: Sebastian Bravo
Seamsters and Seamstresses: Hélène Falardeau, Eve Sévigny, Cecilia Meza, Isabelle St-Gelais, Andréanne Saumuur, Anne-Marie Rostaing, Olena Shkoda, Mari-Philippe Comeau, Philippe Gaona
External artisans
Textile Artists: Valérie Delacroix, Katherine Paré
Head Hair Dresser: Stéphanie Bourgault
Atelier Julie Sauriol
Atelier Dominique Dubé
Concerto for String Orchestra, Movement 2, Andante composed by Grażyna Bacewicz
Used by arrangement with European American Music Distributors Company, Canadian and U.S. agent for Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne
Ciel d'hiver composed by Kaija Saariaho presented under license by G.Schirmer, on behalf of Chester Music Ltd. copyright owner
D’un matin de printemps and D'un soir triste composed by Lili Boulanger (Published by Clincton F. Niewer)
Symphony No. 1, 2nd movement composed by Louise Farrenc, with permission from Florian Noetzel Verlag GmbH
Notturno in G Minor composed by Fanny Mendelssohn, orchestrated by Florian Ziemen
Romance in A Minor composed by Clara Schumann, orchestrated by Florian Ziemen
