Nice, France (Ballet: Violin Concerto No.1)

https://opera-nice.org/en/evenement/1284/apres-la-pluie?origin=menu

Ulysses Dove / Pontus Lidberg
Après la pluie
Ballet

This program brings together two works that approach the human condition from opposite poles: one marked by loss, the other by awakening. Dancing on the Front Porch of Heaven turns inwards, while Petrichor opens outwards, towards life, desire and connection.

Ulysses Dove created Dancing on the Front Porch of Heaven in 1993, to a composition by Arvo Pärt of superimposed cannons collapsing into silence. The choreography transforms classical technical virtuosity into a refined, architectural style, radical in its restraint. Dove, who was a member of the Groupe de Recherche Chorégraphique de l’Opéra de Paris, composed this work in response to the loss of close to him during the AIDS crisis, an illness which would claim his life three years later. This is the first time the piece has been performed in France.

Petrichor, Pontus Lidberg’s first work for the Ballet de l’Opéra de Nice, was created for the Miami City Ballet. The title refers to the scent of earth after rain. Set to a Philip Glass concerto, between structural minimalism and emotional lyricism, this animated ballet is based on classical technique, while rejecting symmetry. Like birds of paradise, the dancers combine fluidity and precision to conjure up a world in rebirth.