Presenter: Les Ballets De Monte-Carlo 
Choreography: Jean-Christophe Maillot 
Music: Sergey Prokofiev 
Duration: About 100 mins (intermissions excluded) 
Venue: National Centre for the Performing Arts - Opera House
Dates: Sept. 25-26, 2010　  19:30
Price:  VIP　  680　  480　  380　  280　  180 RMB

Programme Introduction

Jean-Christophe Maillot, Choreographer-Director of Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, has adapted Sergey Prokofiev's Cinderella into the contemporary ballet Cendrillon, which integrates real scenes with fantastic illusions and turns the famous fairy tale into a charming and poetic classic.

The ball, the glass slippers, the toll of 12 o'clock... Every fantastic element in the fairy tale is presented on the stage, thus making the ballet a "live fairy tale". However, beyond the fairy tale, the ballet conveys a lot of new ideas and visual effects and introduces modern abstract concepts into the dance, which has made it popular all over the world.　　

Cendrillon is also a perfect integration of costume, stage design and visual effects. Without luxurious and gorgeous scenes of classic dance drama, it still creates a brilliant and fantastic world; fashionable designs create the subtle and amazing visual language. The skillful design of consumes and stage effects represents features of T-stage show.　　

Despite of the modern techniques of creation and pioneering stage design, Cendrillon of Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo still focuses on telling the story so that we can experience the beauty and value of kindness and sincerity again. 

Synopsis
Cendrillon, who lost her mother in her childhood, has been bullied by her stepmother and two elder sisters and has been like a maid in the family. One day, a messenger from the palace sends invitations of the imperial ball; the two sisters are so excited when they know that the prince will choose a girl to be his wife at the ball, however, they and their mother mercilessly refuse Cendrillon to attend the ball. 

All out of a sudden, Cendrillon's late mother appears in the form of a fairy. With her help, Cendrillon wears her mother's dress and even her feet become shining. She is told to keep in mind that she must be simple at heart; otherwise, the shining spots will disappear in a moment.　
 
The Prince fells in love with Cendrillon at the first sight. Cendrillon's father also recognizes that the fairy is just Cendrillon's birth mother. The two young people are immersed in the mood for love following the steps of the parents of Cendrillon. At midnight, Cendrillon leaves the ball in a hurry.

A minister draws a sketch of the feet of Cendrillon, with which the Prince and his friends starts the journey of seeking for this beautiful and strange girl...

Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo
After the success of his Paris spring seasons, Diaghilev brought a ballet company to Paris for the fist time in 1909, consisting of some of the best dancers from the St. Petersburg and Moscow companies. In 1911 the company was presented under Diaghilev's own name, and also visited London for the first time. Its residence now became Monte-Carlo.

The Paris seasons and tours were continued and the company embarked for its visit to America in 1916-17. Through his aesthetics of perfect integration he reformed the ballet of his time in all its forms, until his death in 1929 after which the company dissolved. In 1932, a new company emerged from a fusion of the Ballets de l'Opéra de Monte-Carlo and the Ballet de l'Opéra Russe ŕ Paris, with Colonel de Basil as director, René Blum as artistic director. With its blooming in the following 30 years, the company gradually disappeared from the scene, until it completely vanished after the 1962-63 season.

Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo became the official company of the Principality of Monaco in 1985, reestablished by Her Royal Highness the Princess of Hanover in accordance with the wishes of her mother, Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco. The first performance took place on December 21, 1985, casting among others several guest stars of the Paris Opera. In 1989, Jean Yves Esquerre becomes artistic director, after the departure of Ghislaine Thesmar and Pierre Lacotte one year earlier.

In 1992, Jean-Christophe Maillot joins the company, first as artistic consultant. He was officially promoted to the rank of director-choreographer in september 1993. Four years later, thanks to his vision and his energy, the Ballets de Monte-Carlo leave their historical home, which had by then become too small, and they move into their own dance center: L'ATELIER. Further, in December 2000, they inaugurate their first ballet season on the huge stage of the Salle des Princes at the brand new congress center in Monaco, the Grimaldi Forum. Two turning points in the modern history of the Ballets de Monte-Carlo, and the beginning of a new dance era in Monaco...

Choreographer-Director: Jean-Christophe Maillot
Born in 1960 in Tours (France), Jean-Christophe Maillot studied dance and piano at the National Conservatory of the Region of Tours under the direction of Alain Davesne, afterwards he entered Rosella Hightower's International School of Dance in Cannes. He continued his studies up until he was awarded the Lausanne prize in 1977. Thereafter, John Neumeier engaged him with the Hamburg Ballet, where as soloist during five years, he danced principal roles. An accident brought a brutal halt to his dancing career. In 1983, Jean-Christophe Maillot returned to his hometown of Tours where he was named choreographer and director of the Grand Theatre Ballet of Tours, which later become a National Centre of Choreography.  He created more than twenty ballets for this company.
 
Monaco invited him to create Les Adieux for Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo and particularly in April 1987, Le Mandarin Merveilleux which was a great success. That same year, he asserted himself with L'enfant et les sortilèges. During the 1992-1993 season, he became  Artistic Advisor of les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, and in September 1993, H.R.H. the Princess of Hanover appointed him as Director-Choreographer. His taking over as director of the company of fifty dancers has turned les Ballets de Monte-Carlo on a new path that rapidly develops the level of maturity and excellence that is indicative of the company today.

Jean-Christophe Maillot's production, La Belle, obtained the Nijinsky award for the best choreographic production of 2001 at the occasion of the Monaco Dance Forum in 2002, and the Danza & Danza Prize for the best show 2002, awarded by the Italian critics. Jean-Christophe Maillot was awarded the Prize  "Choreographer" for the year  2007, at the occasion of the BENOIS DE LA DANSE Ceremony.

Jean-Christophe Maillot is Officer of the Order of Cultural Merit and Chevalier of the Order of Grimaldi, in the Principality of Monaco and also Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letter and Chevalier of the Legion of Honour in France.

We make every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information, however the hours, prices, and program details may vary due to last minute changes.