In 2006, on the occasion of the Great Mozart Days, the Center de Musique Baroque de Versailles proposed to Marie-Geneviève Massé, who directs the dance company l'Eventail, to recreate "Les Petits Riens", choreography by Jean George Noverre on music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart performed for the first time on June 11, 1778 at the Royal Academy of Music.

Source : CN D - Centre national de la danse

Following a classical training with Daniel Frank and Yves Cassati, she studied contemporary dance with Aron Osbon, Sarah Sugwihara, Françoise Dupuy and Bernard Delattre.

In 1980 she fell in love with the dance she discovered through Françoise Lancelot – the baroque. She immediately joined the company “Ris et Danceries” and remained one of its principal artists until 1988, participating notably in the creation of  Atys ,  the Bal à la Cour de Louis XIV ,  La Suitte d’un Goût Etranger   with Dominique Bagouet and François Raffinot. From 1989 to 1992 she worked with François Raffinot as dancer and assistant in his company Barocco.

At the same time she taught baroque dance at the CNSM in Paris, the Conservatoire Royal in La Haye, the Sablé Academy, the Rio Academy and in the Cefedem. From 1995 to 1997 she directed the troop of dancers in the Théâtre Baroque de France.

Marie- Geneviève began choreographing in 1985 at the request of several directors and conductors, founding the company L’Eventail with Bernard Delattre. With this company, based in Sablé since 2001, granted national convention status in 2004, she has created more than thirty-five choreographies and collaborated with renowned artists.

In 2000, proposed by Didier Deschamps and Vincent Berthier de Lioncourt, she was named CHEVALIER DES ARTS ET DES LETTRES.

Following the presentation of  "Renaud et Armide | Médée et Jason"   at the Opéra Royal at Versailles and the Opéra Comique in December 2012, Marie-Geneviève created, amongst other things,  "La Sérénade Royale"  which was staged throughout the summer of 2014 in the Galerie des Glaces at Versailles.

For the past four years she has been continuing the project “De la plume à l’image" in partnership with the National Dance Centre. At the moment, she is working on three new creations:  « Les Amants Magnifiques » , « Fables à tiroir » et « Othello ou le ballet des apparences ».

She is also preparing the thirtieth anniversary of l’Éventail to be celebrated on December 12th 2015 with the Ballet des Fables at l’Entracte in Sablé-sur-Sarthe.

Source : The Company Eventail 's website

More information

compagnie-eventail.com

Artistic direction: Marie-Geneviève Massé and Bernard Delattre

Creation: 1985

Encouraged by Francine Lancelot L’Éventail Dance Company was founded in 1985 by Marie-Geneviève Massé and Bernard Delattre. From 1985 to 2000 the company was installed in the Paris region, thereof four seasons in residence at the Espace Carpeaux de Courbevoie. Since 2001, with its relocation in Sablé sur Sarthe, the company life has radically changed. In 2004 it receives the status of “compagnie conventionnée” – registered company – by the Ministry of Culture of the region Pays de la Loire (DRAC).

L’Éventail Dance Company is recognized as an essential reference point in the domain of Baroque Dance. Apart from contributing actively to the discovery of the richness and the vitality of this art form as well as to the spreading of the French choreographic culture the company shows a creative audacity: parting from roots of the past it initiates innovation and does not follow but blazes a trail.

The company develops two complementary intentions connecting memory and innovation, past and modernity with creations or reruns of choreographies in the spirit of the 17th and 18th century like (Don Juan by Gluck, Le Carnaval et la Folie opera-ballet by Destouches, Les Petits Riens by Mozart, Monsieur de Pourceaugnac comédie-ballet by Molière et Lully…) as well as the conception of original performances in baroque esthetic but with a contemporary concept like (Voyage en Europe, The Four Seasons, Metamorphosis)

Consisting of around twenty dancers, an acrobat, a marionette player and technicians, l’Éventail Dance Company cooperates regularly with international costume designers, musicians.

Source: L’Éventail Dance Company 's website

More information

compagnie-eventail.com