Pas de Dieux/Soir de Fête

The Ballet Nice Mediterranée celebrated the Christmas holiday in 2014 with this unusual bill featuring Pas de Dieux, choreographed for the Paris Opera Ballet by American film star Gene Kelly in 1960, and Soir de Fête, created in 1925 by Léo Staats, a former ballet master at the Paris Opera. Kelly's Pas de Dieux (Dance of the Gods), with its punning title that plays on pas de deux, is a frothy, jazzy confection set to a piano concerto by George Gershwin. The absurd plot has Aphrodite, the goddess of love, descending to Earth to cavort with mortal men (first a lifeguard on a beach, then a gangster in a club), which brings Zeus down from the heavens to retrieve her. Staats's Soir de Fête is simply a series of solos and ensembles in classical style—set to music by Léo Delibes—intended to show off the skill of company dancers. Neither piece could be considered a classic, but both are enjoyable, with Kelly's being notable for fusing more traditional technique with steps drawn from Hollywood musicals. The company orchestra plays well for David Garforth, while the dancers—especially the principals in Pas de Dieux, Marie-Astrid Casinelli (Aphrodite) and Eric Vu-An (the gangster)—provide spirited moves. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM stereo, extras include an interview with Claude Bessy, who not only originated the role of Aphrodite in Pas de Dieux in 1960 but also choreographed this revival of the piece. Recommended. (F. Swietek)