Ballet Premieres

In 2021, Kader Belarbi, choreographer and director of dance of the Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse, brought his 1998 ballet ‘Les Saltimbanques’ back to the stage. Inspired by Pablo Picasso’s painting ‘Famille de saltimbanques’ (Family of Saltimbanques, 1905) and the fifth of German poet Rainer Maria Rilke’s ‘Duino Elegies’ (1922), Belarbi animates the company of acrobats from Picasso’s canvas, bringing circus and dance together. The dancers of Ballet du Capitole bring the colorful acrobats, clowns, tightrope walkers, and ballerinas to life, accompanied by the music of accordionist Sergio Tomassi. This performance was recorded at the Halle aux Grains in Toulouse, France, in 2021.

Dance featured prominently in the work of French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901), painter of Parisian nightlife, entertainment, circuses, and balls. With his ballet ‘Toulouse-Lautrec’, Kader Belarbi, choreographer and director of dance of the Théâtre du Capitole of Toulouse, uses the work of the French artist to craft a new dialogue between painting and dance, impressively reviving the artist and his works. The fine and melodious music of the ballet, written by film composer Bruno Coulais, is performed by accordionist Sergio Tomassi and pianist Raúl Rodríguez Bey. This production features star dancer Ramiro Gómez Samón, who is on stage for the whole duration of the two-hour ballet, as Toulouse-Lautrec. Among the performers of the Ballet du Capitole are Alexandra Surodeeva, Natalia de Froberville, Marlen Fuerte Castro, and Solène Monnereau. This performance was recorded at Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse, France, in October 2021.