DGV: Danse à Grande Vitesse

© ROH/Bill Cooper, 2011

DGV: Danse à Grande Vitesse

Set to a supercharged, minimalist score, DGV: Danse à Grande Vitesse propels 26 dancers in sleek costumes through surging, relentless movement in front of a structural metallic background.

Created in 2006 for The Royal Ballet, Christopher Wheeldon's DGV: Danse à Grande Vitesse is set to Michael Nyman's score, MGV (Musique à Grande Vitesse). The score was composed to commemorate the 1993 inauguration of the north European line of the French train à grande vitesse, more commonly known as the TGV.

A tour de force for 26 dancers, with four couples at its core and featuring costumes and scenery by Jean-Marc Puissant and lighting by Jennifer Tipton, the work propels the dancers through shifting physical and emotional landscapes, paralleling Nyman's division of the score into five "regions." While a travel motif is never literal, a sensation of momentum and surging progression infuses the ballet.

Creative Team

Choreography
Christopher Wheeldon

Music
Michael Nyman

Set designer
Jean-Marc Puissant

Costume designer
Jean-Marc Puissant

Lighting designer
Jennifer Tipton

World Premiere: November 17, 2006 - The Royal Ballet, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London
DGV is currently in repertoire with the following companies:
The Australian Ballet Australia Melbourne
New York City Ballet USA New York City
Corella Ballet Spain Barcelona
The Royal Ballet United Kingdom London
Pennsylvania Ballet USA Philadelphia
Texas Ballet Theater USA Fort Worth
New National Theatre Foundation Japan Tokyo

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