<p><strong>Choreography</strong> : Blanca Li <br />Music : Manuel de Falla, libretto by Gregorio Martinez Sierra <br />Scenography : Victor Ramos <br />Lights : Christine Richier <br />Costumes : Ren&eacute; Zamudio</p>
<p>This piece is part of an evening program of neoclassical  and modern ballets, inspired by Andalusia and its links with arabic  culture, titled Al Andal&uacute;s, which can include (according to different  versions) Nana and Lila, El Amor Brujo and two new creations by Blanca  Li, Canciones Populares, with music by Carmen Linares, and Silhouette,  with music by Tao Gutierrez.  <br />In its most prestigious version, all the music is interpreted live  by a symphonic orchestra, a flamenco singer, a  flamenco guitarist and  the Gnawa Halwa from Marrakech. Titles of the pieces, year of creation :  Nana (1993) Canciones Populares (2004) Silhouette (2004) El Amour Brujo  (1997)</p>
<p>In 1997 for the 50th anniversary of Manuel de Falla&rsquo;s  death, Jean-Marie Blanchard commissioned the Granada born dancer and  choreographer Blanca Li to direct and create the choreographic pieces  for La Vie Br&egrave;ve and L&rsquo;Amour Sorcier at the Op&eacute;ra de Nancy. <br />Whereas her fellow countryman introduced elements of the traditional  flamenco in a very modern musical piece, Blanca Li chose to keep only  the spirit of the gypsy legend and translate it into a contemporary  language. But she also has an intimate knowledge of both the technique  and the culture of flamenco. Without using it in a direct way, she drew  her inspiration from the same sources and succeeded in staging a  completely renewed interpretation of this ballet, now known as a classic  of the Spanish repertoire.</p>
<p>&laquo;<em>It is a very personal creation, a sort  of concentrate extract of my intimate relation with Andalusia and with  the flamenco, the music and the dancing I grew up with. I have traveled a  lot and my work draws its inspiration from a great variety of sources,  from Martha Graham to the Gnawas of Marrakech, including from other art  forms. But flamenco always reappears in my choreographic pieces. Its  presence just seems necessary, as a mean to go back to this part of me  rooted in my childhood, where lies the very origins of my passion for  dancing. This adaptable program is like an illustration of the  multifaceted vision flamenco has inspired me at different stages in my  life. It reveals a lot about myself.</em>&raquo; B.L.</p>
<p>From the very beginning of its creation, this ballet in  one act composed by Manuel de Falla has had close links with some of the  legendary figures of flamenco. The great dancer Pastora Imperio  commissioned Falla to write her a melody. Influenced by the legends and  the olds gypsy songs which Pastora Imperio&rsquo;s mother taught him, Manuel  de Falla started a far more ambitious project. His composition was  performed for the first time in 1915 at the Lara Theater of Madrid. It  was a disaster. L&rsquo;Amour Sorcier only became a ballet again in 1925 at  the Trianon in Paris, starring Antonia Merc&eacute; &ldquo;la Argentina&rdquo; , along with  Vicente Escudero and George Wague. This time it was a great success.  Falla wrote to la Argentina : &ldquo;what you achieved with l&rsquo;Amour  Sorcier  is so magnificent that nothing or nobody could ever make it look pale.  You and l&rsquo;Amour Sorcier are all one : this is a fact that everybody  acknowledges.&rdquo;</p>