PWith less than ten performances of “The Nutcracker” until December 30 (1) – “on the 31st, it’s the other “cast” that dances” – it’s almost a professional rhythm that follows Antoine, 11 years old, who divides his schooling between the Aliénor-d'Aquitaine college and the Bordeaux conservatory. For around fifteen years, the latter has been regularly requested by the Opera for productions requiring the presence of children or adolescents.
The end-of-year ballet is one of them, and Antoine plays the most important role given to young artists: that of Clara's little brother, the central character of the story, whom he comes to tease to the point of breaking the doll-shaped nutcracker she received for Christmas. “To dance this, I took inspiration from what I do with my three little brothers,” says Antoine, round face, quiet smile, disarming naturalness behind the scenes as well as on stage. “In this part of the ballet, we are left quite free to add our own moments to the choreography. The passing of the children is my favorite part of ''The Nutcracker''. »
Antoine in costume shortly before the performance. “As I am the only boy in my group, I am also the only one to have a dressing room just for me. »
Ch. L. / SO
Children and mice
Because when they are not the children of this social reception, the students of the conservatory become mice who fight with rats against toy soldiers, in Clara's dream. “As soon as we get off stage, we quickly have to put on our costumes to take part in the battle. » By wearing masks twice as large as their heads. “It’s not very convenient. You can only see through small holes at the muzzle and eyes, and what's more, it's really hot down there. »
Julien Benhamou
The battle between the rats and the toy soldiers, in which the children of the conservatory are disguised as mice: “We have to quickly put on our costumes to participate”.
Masks that they put back on in the second act for two small entries. After which, after an hour and a quarter of performance, the young dancers can go home. And that, every other evening or every third. Tiring, right? “I only missed one class, the day after pre-general – we had PE at 8 a.m. All the other times I went to college normally. »
Ch. L. / SO
When joining the stage: “Now it’s more adrenaline than jitters that I feel before each performance. »
Adrenaline makes him forget fatigue and stress. “The first time I went on stage at the Grand-Théâtre in front of a thousand people, I said to myself 'wow…'. It was weird but it was exciting. I learned to have a peripheral gaze, not to look at people, otherwise your mind would be elsewhere. Now it's more adrenaline than jitters that I feel before each performance. I can't wait for the curtain to rise. And when I get home, I don't want to go to bed. »
Little kind words
His motivation also comes from the welcome he received from professional dancers. “Oleg [Rogatchev, NDLR]Melissa [Patriarche] or Marc-Emmanuel [Zanoli] gave me little tips on how to enter the scene at the right time. » He shows his program autographed by half of the members of the Ballet, with several kind little words: “Lots of kisses” (Diane Le Floc’h), “For my stage son” (Émilie Cerruti), “It’s a pleasure of being your father” (Kylian Tilagone), “Big kisses from the king of rats” (Kohaku Journe)… “I will keep it as a memory. »
Ch. L. / SO
His ballet program, autographed by the stars Mathilde Froustey and Riku Ota, and by the principal dancers Vanessa Feuillatte and Diane Le Floc'h, among others…
Dancing with professionals is also what motivated him when his classical teacher offered him this role. “I had already seen “Giselle” last year. I liked the decorations and the lines formed by the dancers all in white. There, I loved seeing how everyone prepares before the show. And also see the sets and costumes up close. It's extremely well done, with lots of little details. »
Julien Benhamou
In the first minutes of “The Nutcracker”: “I learned to have a peripheral gaze, not to look at people, otherwise your head will be elsewhere. »
And the choreography, difficult to assimilate? “No, we mainly do footwork. You just had to understand the movements to get there. We have worked on it almost every week since October, first with my teacher then with the choreographer's assistant. »
As for being the only boy in his group of eight students, Antoine does not seem to be bothered by it. “So I'm the only one to have a dressing room just for me! » Has the rise of hip-hop, where men are very present, broken the stereotype “dance is for girls”? The fact is that he particularly appreciates this discipline. “Frédéric Faula, the hip-hop professor at the conservatory, is so nice. » But it is still with pride that he says that his friends were impressed to know that he was going to dance at the Grand-Théâtre, or that his best friend came to see him. He himself will return “but this time as a spectator”.
(1) From 10 to 60 euros. Even if the show is sold out, around a hundred places become available every evening around 7 p.m. opera-bordeaux.com
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