Artistic director sees 'huge potential' in local dance scene

Ballet d'Europe artistic director Jean-Charles Gil is "excited" to experience the connection between his dance company and the audience at the Royal Opera House, in Valletta, tonight - that "connection" being almost the raison d'etre of his performances.

At the same time, he is experiencing a sense of tranquillity, probably the result of the affinity the French choreographer has with Malta.

Mr Gil first visited the island last December, giving birth to a fruitful collaboration between the Marseille-based Ballet d'Europe and the Dance Council - a cooperation that is still going strong.

An EU-funded professional company of 18 dancers from around the world, the Ballet d'Europe is also a specialised laboratory where dance and dancers are developed.

It is through the connection between Ballet d'Europe and the Dance Council that it is putting up two shows today and tomorrow at the Royal Opera House - a venue the artistic director professes to "love!".

Today's performance is Mireille - what he describes as a narrative, using only costumes and lights, but no props. "You can understand the story through the movement - my language."

Mozart's Requiem tomorrow is contemporary language on a classical structure, and a flow of natural emotions. Elevation is the theme, and it is an evolution, the choreographer explains, with the dancers starting slowly on the floor and ending up on point shoes in a natural progression.

The ongoing collaboration with the Dance Council is set to carry on in the form of exchanges between dancers, ideas, cultures and choreographies.

"I felt something very strong when I came to Malta for the first time; I felt very comfortable. So many things are happening here in a concentrated way. It is a beautiful country, the people are great and I get positive energy from it," which is important for Mr Gil and his creation.

"The Malta dance scene is many things, but most importantly, it has huge potential and the capacity to improve. I saw the potential of the schools here, plus it is rare and unique that they are united under one umbrella in the form of the Dance Council."

Mr Gil is also impressed by the local talent, and a Maltese dancer is being offered the opportunity to train for a period of about 10 months at his dance laboratory and gain invaluable professional experience. "It is a question of the polish - the finishing touches."

Mr Gil has other Malta-related projects in the pipeline. For 10 years, he has been toying with the idea of creating a ballet centred around the cultures of the Mediterranean, and he plans to use the island as a base. The idea would be to spend a month here, choreographing the piece and organising master classes and workshops.

Dance is life and it, therefore, thrives on exchanges and contacts with other people, which bring about growth. It is about drawing from others, but remaining who you are, Mr Gil explains.

Mr Gil will today also be presenting a choreographic piece for top Maltese dancers, selected from local dance schools, and entitled MA', to mark the first collaboration between Marseille, the Ballet d'Europe's home, and Malta.

The ballets are part of the Malta Arts Festival - Summer 2006 and start at 9 p.m. Tickets at Lm10 and Lm12 are available from the festival's information stand, Freedom Square, Valletta, from 8.30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9.30 on weekdays, and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9.30 at the weekend. The Malta Arts Festival hotline is 9999 0145, and more information is available on www.maltaculture.com.