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Dangerous Liaisons
Resource Pack
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Dangerous Liaisons
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Introduction
Dangerous Liaisons was David Nixon’s first full
length ballet. The movement vocabulary is very
classical and is concerned with the quality, fluidity
and execution of classical ballet. Since its
creation in 1996 it has been reworked quite
significantly but the general look and structure of
the production has remained the same.
The letters in the ballet are key to the action and
plot. The audience needs to watch, think and
follow the letters, noting who they get passed to
and from. Originally there was a narrator who
guided the audience through the plot, filling in
detail and clarifying situations. However, during
the process of reviving the ballet this role was
removed resulting in a less linear production. The
audience instead is left with an impression rather
than an account.
An Introduction by David Nixon
“My ballet, Dangerous Liaisons, was first inspired by the movie of the same name and
thereafter the original story by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. I was first struck by the number
of main dramatic roles in the piece compared with most stories and the fact that a story
about sensuality in the written word, could be captured in movement.
The story, though complex, can be distilled into some very simple plots. The two main
characters the Marquise de Merteuil and Vicomte de Valmont are both predators, of the most
decadent type, of less artful victims. They are the products of extreme luxury and total
liberty, a time when idle minds had time to plot the ruination of others within their society.
There remains one powerful difference between our two lead characters; Valmont, being a
man, is in a more natural and accepted position for gaining a reputation for ruining women
whereas the Marquise, as a woman, is in the unnatural position for the era and responds by
making herself into a weapon of revenge against the male sex.
The ballet, though true to most of the tale, does take a more segmented approach.”
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Dangerous Liaisons
The Story
The story is set in late eighteenth century France. When we enter into our story the Marquise
and Valmont are no longer lovers but friends in their games of love, sharing strategies and
tales of successful liaisons; in some ways competing with each other in this game of
controlled and well-choreographed seduction. The Marquise is still simmering from a
previous affair with Gercourt who left her for another woman. With his recent announcement
of marriage to the virgin Cecile de Volanges, the Marquise has seen her perfect opportunity
for revenge. Enlisting the help of her partner in crime, Valmont, she unveils her plan of
Cecile’s seduction to him. Valmont takes this as an insult to his talents and refuses,
announcing that he has already set his eye upon the happily married and God-fearing
Madame de Tourvel.
Although the Marquise is irritated, she takes advantage of the situation to set a wager. She
offers herself for a night of pleasure as a reward, once Valmont has accomplished his goal.
There is however, one condition; the prize will be forthcoming only when she has proof in a
written letter. Valmont, true to his sex, accepts the challenge with relish therefore setting
into action the downfall of all involved.
The Marquise devises another plan and introduces the young Cecile to the young and
dashing Chevalier Danceny. Meanwhile Valmont has returned to his aunt’s country estate to
court his prey. Neither plan bears fruit: Danceny proves to be all poetry and no action and
Madame de Tourvel proves to be
more resistant than expected to
Valmont’s charms.
The Marquise decides that a shake
up is necessary and very sneakily
informs Cecile’s mother of the
letters Danceny has been writing to
Cecile.
Shocked, Madame de Volanges
sends Danceny away and follows
the Marquise’s advice, taking
Cecile to visit Valmont’s aunt in the
country, Madame de Rosemonde to
recover. Valmont agrees to deliver
letters secretly between Danceny
and Cecile, giving him an
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Dangerous Liaisons
opportunity to return to the country where he continues his pursuit of Tourvel as well as now
choosing to ‘educate’ the poor Cecile.
All eventually goes to plan. Valmont seduces Cecile by force and then she later learns to
enjoy her sensual nature.
Madame de Tourvel falls madly in love with Valmont and, though tortured over the prospect,
gives in and becomes his lover. Finally the Marquise takes the young Danceny as the latest
in her string of amusements and pleasures.
Without the original deal our story may
have ended quite differently. However,
when the Marquise receives the
triumphant letter from Valmont describing
his unprecedented love-making and
feelings for Madame de Tourvel she
becomes inflamed with jealousy and sets a
course of revenge.
When Valmont
demands his reward, she mocks him for
being in love and tells him he is no longer
in a position to receive his prize. The only
possible way of redeeming himself, she
adds, would be to give up Madame de
Tourvel.
Succumbing to his pride Valmont breaks
off with the woman he perhaps truly loves
knowing that this will more than likely be
the death of Tourvel. In an emotional rage he returns to the Marquise to demand his reward
and discovers Danceny as her new lover. He soon sets things straight with Danceny sending
him off to his preferred love Cecile. An outraged Marquise refuses Valmont and declares war
upon him. The Marquise reveals Valmont’s relationship with Cecile to Danceny and he, in a
rage, challenges Valmont to a duel. Valmont emotionally tired of the journey on earth and
perhaps having some realization of the evils of his life allows himself to be killed by Danceny
and before dying gives Danceny the Marquise’s correspondence.
Danceny, now privy to the truth of the matter, seeks out guidance from Rosemonde and
chooses to reveal a few of the letters. On returning to society, the Marquise is an outcast
and having been totally humiliated retires from public life, loses her fortune in a legal suit
and becomes disfigured by small pox.
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Dangerous Liaisons
Set Design
The set for Dangerous Liaisons was
designed by David Nixon and
locates the ballet in the same
period as the novel.
The set
consists of one large room of an
upper class mansion and is in
keeping with the French Rococo
tradition.
The Rococo style is
highly ornate and decorative with
extremely high ceilings and colour
schemes emphasising white, ivory
and gold. This creates a luxurious
setting which conveys the wealth
and splendour of the time and
characters.
The set stays more or less the same
throughout the performance but
has sections which spin to reveal
different rooms. Central to the
design are semi-circular French
windows which open outwards
(away from the audience). These
are mirrored, but clever lighting
techniques can make them totally
transparent allowing us to glimpse dancers behind them on occasions. The spinning
sections are used to locate the action in different rooms. One revolves to create a bedroom
with a four-poster bed and are a combination of mirrors and plain walls. Furniture also helps
to locate the action as a desk, chair, Chesterfield settee and chaise lounge are used as
props.
The walls of the room are made of thin gauze decorated with landscape paintings based on
the work of Jean Honore Fragonard. When specially lit they appear to dissolve which, like the
use of mirrors, helps create an atmosphere of secrecy and deceit. A secret door in one of the
walls extends this theme into the literal.
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Dangerous Liaisons
Costumes
The costumes for Dangerous Liaisons were designed by David Nixon and based on the
silhouette of the period and setting: French fashions of the 1770s – 1780’s. The fabrics used
are very rich and elaborate, representing the wealth and status of the aristocracy.
In keeping with the period, the female dancers’ costumes consist of corsets with full skirts.
The corsets are very fitted and structured, fastening with lacing down the back. The skirts are
cartridge pleated: very tightly packed pleats which can be recognised by the distinctive
figure-8 folds providing authentic shaping to the period garments. The skirts also have
padding at the hip to accentuate their small waists.
The fabrics used are mostly silks: from fine ‘watery’ silks through to heavier silks resembling
furnishing fabrics. Organza (a finely textured see-through material) is also used along with
frills, ruffles and bows to demonstrate the extravagance of the time. This is emphasised
through the use of rich colours and gold. Embroidery and hand painting has also been used
creating a textured, layered effect that accentuates the dancers’ fluid movements.
The men do not have any costume changes which helps the audience identify the characters
more easily. Like the women, their costumes reflect the fashion in France at the time and
consist of white shirts, cream tights and shoes, black breeches, silk waist-coats and tailored
coats. The principals (Valmonte, Danceny and Gercourt) also wear cravats.
The waist-coats are silk brocade and the tailored coats are made of silk in a range of rich
gold, blue and purple colours. These fan out from the waist finishing mid-thigh. Lace is
used to edge the coats giving an intricate embroidered effect and again on the cuffs.
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Dangerous Liaisons
The Music
The
choreographer’s
recurrent
problem when creating a ballet is to
find a musical language, which goes
with the kind of movement he or she
is hoping to create. David Nixon was
first drawn to Vivaldi’s The Four
Seasons as a possible score for his
ballet as it is from a period very close
to the setting of Choderlos de
Lacho’s
novel
Les
Liaisons
Dangereuses and for its very
rhythmic and dramatic qualities.
Upon repeated listening, however,
David found several of the lighter,
more frivolous sections to be
inappropriate to the ballet’s theme
so listened to a wider range of music
from the period, eventually settling
on a compilation of solely Vivaldi’s
music.
As with most composers of his time, Vivaldi’s music is characterized by vastness of
proportion, rich counterpoint, great splendour and a highly ornamented melodic line. There
is a breaking away from the severity of Medieval and early Renaissance music with its
emphasis on the use of great vocal and instrumental colour.
During the Baroque period the orchestra began to take shape, with strings, woodwind, brass
and percussion - though still not an orchestra in the modern symphonic sense. Ensembles
of several groups of instruments or of one or more instruments together with an orchestra
led to the development of the musical form known as the concerto (three movements, two
allegros with a slow movement in between). Vivaldi was a prolific composer and a pioneer of
orchestral music. His expressive lyricism and deep emotional content quickly distinguished
him from his predecessors.
Vivaldi’s concertos are particularly appropriate to a balletic treatment of Les Liaisons
Dangereuses for three reasons. First, the story is very much a product of its time, concerned
as it is with sexual adventures among the French nobility. The setting demands music which
is formal and elegant, yet full of rhythmic vitality. Second, any story about seduction is also
about showing off, or at the very least about behaviour designed to attract a prospective
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Dangerous Liaisons
lover. The use of baroque concertos allows the showing off to take place not only on stage
but also in the orchestra. Third, all attempts at seduction have the same end result in view.
Vivaldi’s musical palette is fairly narrow – he uses a limited range of keys, and there are
certain rhythmic and harmonic figurations which are immediately identifiable hallmarks of
his style. Yet for all that, each piece of music in this ballet has its own unique energy and
musical material, just as each incidence of love-making is subtly different in pace and
emotion from all others.
The selection of music used is:
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The Four Seasons, "Summer", Concerto in G minor. Opus 8 No. 2 RV 315. Ist, 2nd and
3rd movements.
The Four Seasons, "Autumn", Concerto in F major. Opus 8 No. 3. RV 293. 2nd
movement.
The Four Seasons, "Winter", Concerto in F minor. Opus 8 No. 4. RV 297. 1st and 3rd
movements.
Concerto a 5, "L’Inquietudine", RV 234. 1st, 2nd and 3rd movements.
Cello Concerto in C minor. Opus 20 No. 3. RV 401. 1st and 2nd movements.
Concerto " La Notte" for flute, strings and harpsichord in G minor. Opus 10 No. 2. RV
439 1st and 2nd movements.
Concerto for 2 violins in D major. Opus 21 No. 8. RV 511. 3rd movement.
Concerto for 2 violins in D major. RV 513. 3rd movement.
Concerto a 6 for 2 violins, strings and continuo in A minor. Opus 58 No. 2. RV 523.
2nd movement.
Concerto for 2 violins in B flat. Opus 9 No. 9. RV 530. 1st, 2nd movement.
Concerto in G minor for 2 cellos, strings
and continuo. Opus 58 No. 3. RV 531. 1st
and 3rd movements.
Concerto in F for 3 violins, strings and
continuo. Opus 23 No. 1. RV 551. 2nd
movement.
Concerto in B minor for 4 violins. Opus 3
No. 10. RV 580. 2nd movement.