“More than a
mere place, this building is a veritable work tool, an open space where people
and ideas circulate, breathe...” Inaugural speech by Jean-Christophe Maillot,
Choreographer and Director of the Ballets de Monte-Carlo, 10 December 1998.
Officially
opened in the presence of Prince Rainier III and H.R.H. The Princess of
Hanover, the Atelier is the workshop of the Monegasque ballet company. Created
in a former sawmill with over 4,000 m2 of floor space, it brings together dancers,
artistic, technical and administrative teams under one roof.
Two architects,
Daniel Raymond and Sophie Nivaggioni, worked with Jean-Christophe Maillot to
design the space painstakingly, almost to the last millimetre, taking account
of the highly specific requirements of dancers and the various trades working
in the live performance sector. After a great deal of careful thought, they
finally came up with this well-balanced, practical space that remains true to
the ballet company’s image: rigorous straight lines, ample and transparent
volumes, reminding everyone at all times that the Atelier is not just a place
of hard work and technical precision, but also a laboratory for a team of
people to experiment and innovate.
The Atelier is
also a living environment and a home. For the dancers, their place of work is
where they spend most of their lives, devoting themselves wholly to their art,
without counting the hours. “We demand from them rigour, quality, performance
and intelligence,” explains Jean-Christophe Maillot.
“In turn, we had
to provide them with the means to satisfy those demands: comfort, ease,
relaxation, spacious areas to rest and work... It is luxurious, certainly, but
commensurate with them and what is expected of them. As we all know: an
“athlete’s” environment is one of the conditions for their success.” Finally,
with the administrative, artistic and technical teams all together at one site,
they are truly able to work together. The Atelier allows Les Ballets to embody
the dual nature of the Principality of Monaco itself, as both a stage for
glittering spectacle and a place of work and rigour, reflecting the Monegasque
government’s great esteem for those who contribute to its global renown and
prestige.
Atelier des Ballets de Monte-Carlo
+377 97 70 65 20
www.balletsdemontecarlo.com