Drottningholms Suit [transmission 2016]

Extrait remonté par Les Danseurs en herbe (CRC Danse de Bagnolet/EPT Est-Ensemble/Grand Paris, association Jocus, Bagnolet), responsable artistique Édith Bellomo, dans le cadre de Danse en amateur et répertoire (2015)

Choreography by Ivo Cramér
An extract remodelled by Les Danseurs en herbe* (Bagnolet), artistic manager Édith Bellomo, as part of the “Danse en amateur et repertoire” programme (2015) (a programme created to assist and promote amateur dancing).
* CRC Danse de Bagnolet/EPT Est-Ensemble/Grand Paris, Jocus association. 

The group
An ensemble of fourteen dancers, Les Danseurs en herbe hail from the workshops of the Conservatoire de danse de Bagnolet. Set up in 2006, on the initiative of Édith Bellomo, the group is passionate about the recreation of repertoire shows and the question of the survival of choreographic heritage. It has already participated on several occasions in the “Danse en amateur et repertoire” programme. This apart, the group tries to create links with other structures overseas to promote this work for the transmission and safeguard of historical pieces from the history of dance. For its rehearsals it is welcomed by the CRC Danse de Bagnolet/Est Ensemble directed by Claire Baulieu, and also disposes of a performance space in Les Malassis, Bagnolet. 

The project
By taking on Ivo Cramér’s Drottningholms Suit (1996) the group wished to tackle a traditional classical repertoire of which it had scant knowledge. This piece showcases leaps, turns, and a high degree of mobility of the upper body, while also demanding a solid leg technique. Léna Cederwall, a classical dance teacher and Cramér‘s assistant as from 2001, accepted to collaborate with the interpreters. A member of the Fondation Cramér, she has already remodelled the show and has access to the choreographer’s archives. She uses Benesh notation to transmit the score. The piece is presented in the original costumes. A trip to Sweden and a visit to the Drottingholm Palace Theatre extended this learning process. 

The choreographer
The Swedish dancer and choreographer Ivo Cramér (1921-2009) is well-known for his dramatic stagings on historical and religious subjects. Trained by the great figure of Swedish dance, Birgit Cullberg, he joined her company before going on to direct the Verde Gaio ballet, Lisbon, in 1948-1949. He then took on various positions as ballet master in Europe. On his return to Sweden, he collaborated with the Swedish Royal Ballet that he directed from 1971 to 1980. He has created more than two hundred works, ballets, operas, operettas and musicals, as well as productions for Swedish and foreign television. Among his best known ballets, created around historical or popular themes, he has rebuilt pieces such as Gardel’s La Dansomanie in 1985, Dauberval’s La Fille mal gardée in 1989, and Noverre’s Médée et Jason in 1992.