EN TOURNEE
From the tragic story of Dido and Aeneas and the masterpiece it inspired in composer Henry Purcell, Blanca Li draws a choreographic and visual interpretation of fascinating freedom. A fable at once timeless and contemporary, carried by ten dancers, where chiaroscuro deepens the atmosphere of magic and intimacy. The love between Dido, Queen of Carthage, and Aeneas, future founder of Rome, remains one of the most moving passages in Virgil's Aeneid. In the libretto he derived from it for Henry Purcell's famous opera (1689), Nahum Tate took care to smooth out the main dramatic twists, allowing the music to unfold its full evocative power. A liberating choice for choreographer Blanca Li, who in turn set out to illuminate through dance the unspoken elements of the music and text, resolutely placing symbolism above realism. Set to the recording by Les Arts Florissants, she delivers of this opera, one of the highest expressions of the tragedy of passionate love, a choreographic and visual interpretation of fascinating beauty, underscoring its timeless power. From the ill-fated love between Dido and Aeneas, from Dido's suicide, fueled by rumor (the "fama") which immediately spreads news of their impossible love to the people and the gods, much as social media blindly propagates the slightest rumor today, Blanca Li creates a visual fable of thrilling fantasy.
The world premiere of the ballet version took place at the Opéra de Dijon on June 7, 2024.
Upcoming dates: Sisteron on August 12, 2026 at the Nuits de la Citadelle then on August 24, 2026 at the Festival de Santander