Come and enjoy a double bill of ballet: *L'Amour Sorcier*, a love story set against a backdrop of ancient rituals, and *Don Quixote*, based on the novel by Miguel de Cervantes, about a knight on a quest to vanquish evil.
"L'amour Sorcier"
This story is...
Come and enjoy a double bill of ballet: *L'Amour Sorcier*, a love story set against a backdrop of ancient rituals, and *Don Quixote*, based on the novel by Miguel de Cervantes, about a knight on a quest to vanquish evil.
"L'amour Sorcier"
This story is set amongst the gypsies of Andalusia and is punctuated by rituals of superstition and witchcraft. Candelas and Carmelo, two young lovers, whose love is overshadowed by the spectre of Candelas’s former fiancé. The curse will be broken for good when Candelas manages to divert the ghost’s jealous attention towards another young woman. The curse will be broken the moment Candelas succeeds in diverting the ghost’s attention from his beloved to another young woman
This story takes us on a journey through other traditional tales, such as the ancestral rites of inviting the dead to spring rituals. These ceremonies aim to ‘regenerate’ the world by using powerful symbols such as fire: the conqueror of the darkness of the night. The “danza ritual de fuego” composed by Manuel de Falla will drive away the jealous spirit and allow Candelas and Carmelo to live in the glow of a new love. This rite will break the spell and succeed in diverting the spectre of his beloved towards another young woman, a young girl sacrificed.
Without detracting from the story’s picturesque quality, it explores the cycle of life and death. Through this choice, and adopting a universal approach to the narrative, the leading roles are partly performed by the entire company of dancers. The performance concludes with a stage covered in ash-coloured rose petals to emphasise the tragic nature of the event.
"Don Quichotte"
This choreographic creation explores the philosophical dimension of Miguel de Cervantes’ timeless masterpiece. Through a poetic and contemporary interpretation, it reveals the moving and often paradoxical struggle against the constraints of reality.
In Cervantes’ world, Don Quixote stands against a disenchanted society governed by reason and irony, where dreams and ideals seem to have lost their place. His journey across the plains of La Mancha becomes more than a physical adventure—it is a spiritual quest, a path where the boundaries between illusion and truth constantly shift.
This journey mirrors the artist’s own experience, navigating between imagination and reality, between self-discovery and engagement with the world. Throughout the performance, Don Quixote emerges as a symbol of those who refuse to abandon their ideals and continue to believe in the power of transformation.
Beyond the iconic windmills, the knight pursues justice and seeks to restore wonder to the world. Driven by an idealized love that inspires courage and hope, he also embodies the artist: a visionary figure, often misunderstood, yet compelled to create.
The work celebrates perseverance, imagination and the determination to keep dreaming, loving and believing. Balancing lucidity and utopia, solitude and faith in art, it offers a powerful reflection on the role of the artist and the enduring strength of creativity.
As the third production created for Ballet Biarritz, this piece carries a special significance. It explores a deeply personal question: how can one continue to dream, love and create when responsibilities grow and reality becomes increasingly present? How can the essential madness that fuels artistic expression remain alive without losing its balance? These questions lie at the heart of this contemporary vision of Don Quixote.