Parade

Devised during the First World War, this ballet answers Diaghilev’s desire to change his artistic universe and introduce the modernist orientation that the Ballet Russes would follow.

Devised during the First World War, this ballet answers Diaghilev’s desire to change his artistic universe and introduce the modernist orientation that the Ballet Russes would follow. As the war and the revolution had cut him off from Russia, he now called upon western collaborators, notably Pablo Picasso.  The latter was fascinated by the ballet world he saw, and his personality soon dominated the whole production of the work. Picasso liked the subject matter of the ballet, as he had a predilection for the theme of acrobats himself. The two trends shown in his work during his stay in Italy can be seen in the relatively realistic backdrop and also in the cubist-style sets and costumes. As for Satie’s music, this contributes a concise modernity full of clarity and humour, which is not afraid of making the occasional incursion into jazz.

Source : Maison de la Danse programme