Director of dance, Brigitte Lefèvre was joined by principal dancers, Dorothée Gilbert and Jérémie Bélingard for the interview which is featured on the Harlequin YouTube channel.
Brigitte Lefèvre explained that although a well-established and respected traditional dance company "everything is always evolving, a living tradition and at the same time we are a reflection of an age, of the times." She continued, "You realise that the dancers are all becoming more and more attentive to everything that accompanies them and they are perfectly right. In a reference to dancers' health and well-being she said, "you can speak of attention to the floor, to the dance floor that then becomes a genuine partner."
Principal dancer Jérémie Bélingard picked up the theme. "Dancers want to see how they are going to turn and then find support, always seeking extremely varied and subtle sensations. You need a friend, a partner in what you do. That is what it is all about!"
Dorothée Gilbert added, "You rehearse a great deal when preparing for shows. There is a tendency to repeat the steps again and again which is why to avoid injury and muscular fatigue, it is very, very important to have a floor that is suited to the needs of your dancers. It's true that when you have a Harlequin floor, it is extraordinary, because you forget all of this and when you forget the floor it means that it is very good."
Brigitte Lefèvre summed up the selection process that had led to buying a Harlequin Liberty sprung floor to meet the daily needs of the one hundred and fifty four strong dance companies. "The choice of the dance floor is very important. Floors had to be discovered, tried and tested. It wasn't easy, but I am grateful, very grateful to Harlequin for having allowed us to get to know the floor in this way. A floor that is so ideally suited to our dancers."
(Jim Evans)
