PERFORMANCE DETAIL

This duet is one of Angelin Preljocaj’s most celebrated choreographies. It poetically traces a journey toward intimacy and the full acceptance of desire. Set to Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major (K. 488), it follows the shifting stages of a relationship between a man and a woman—from seduction and hesitation, through longing and gradual closeness, to complete union. Often referred to as the “floating kiss,” this scene captures both the beauty and the fragility of human connection and remains one of the ballet’s most powerful images.

“What state is love in today—caught in crisis, shaken by doubt, confronted with AIDS? What paths do emotions follow, and what itinerary do our feelings travel? If the ability to resist tends to fuel desire, it seems that the wish to control the course of passion—while also shaping it toward a particular goal—ultimately elevates love even further,” said Angelin Preljocaj.

The ballet Le Parc was created in 1994 for the Paris National Opera. Drawing on 17th- and 18th-century literature, Preljocaj explores different ideas of the “art of love,” from Platonic reserve to sensual passion. Unfolding over three acts, the work becomes a refined game of flirtation and intrigue—an emotional chess match in which the possibility of true love is at stake.