I stumbled across Marionnettes op 1, created in 1897. The atmosphere of this work by Ekki Melartin literally charmed me. I knew I was going to use it one day... 

I asked pianist Sandrine Rossignol to make a reduction for solo piano based on the versions for orchestra and piano four hands.

This is an invitation to enter the world of this strange, melodious music.

From the very first notes, the regularity of the pulse suggests calm, elegance and a touch of nobility. 

I suggest counting in 6 beats to keep the phrasing flowing.

The relationship with space is fundamental, the body's involvement in the directions is important, and the lines must be complete. There is real work for the upper body and the eyes are in the right place. You need to pay attention to the fluidity of the arms and the cleanliness of execution.

When the music fleshes out, it suggests an amplified quality of movement. 

The dancer really needs to listen, because against a regular melodic backdrop, a small step can be grafted on to energise the whole and add a touch of character.

Enjoy immersing yourself in the music!

Mireille BOURGEOIS-DELCEY

Mireille Bourgeois studied dance in Marseille, her home town. Noticed by Roland Petit, choreographer and artistic director of the Ballet National de Marseille, she signed her first contract at the age of fifteen and a half. She remained with the company for six years, appearing as a soloist in the lead roles in Coppélia, The Nutcracker, Pink Floyd Ballet, Le Loup, Proust ou les intermittences du cœur, Notre Dame de Paris, À la Mémoire d'un ange, Le Jeune Homme et la Mort and l'Arlésienne, among others. She continued her career in the United Kingdom, where she was in turn a star with the London Festival Ballet, the Northern Ballet Theater in Manchester and the Birmingham Royal Ballet. She danced in the Romantic, Classical and Neo-classical repertoires, notably works by Kenneth MacMillan, Frederick Ashton and George Balanchine. Driven by a desire to teach, she trained at the Royal Academy of Dancing, where she graduated with distinction as a dance teacher. On her return to France, her particular reputation meant that she did not need to take the state diploma. She taught for a year in Paris before joining the teaching staff of the École nationale supérieure de Danse de Marseille a year after it opened in 1993. She also works with the Scuola di Danza di Torino (Italy) and the Ballet d'Europe (artistic director: Jean-Charles Gil). She also prepares candidates for the Prix de Lausanne. She is also a tutor for teachers in training as part of their preparation for the Certificat d'aptitude aux fonctions de professeur de danse.

Sandrine ROSSIGNOL is a pianist and composer.

After studying piano, harp and liturgical organ at the Avignon Conservatoire, she went on to study musicology at the University of Nice. She was soon spotted by Claude Pothier, a pianist and conductor, who trained her as a dance accompanist at the Centre international de danse de Cannes - Rosella Higthower, the École Nationale de danse de Marseille and the Ballet Preljocaj - CCN d'Aix-en-Provence. At the same time, she studied interpretation with Gabriel Teuler and taught musical training. Her passion for interpretation and improvisation has led her to collaborate on numerous projects, including accompanying silent films and composing music for choreographic (Ballet d'Europe), stage and museum productions. She has also won numerous awards in the field of song. For the past 3 years, she has been teaching music history at the Studios du Cours, a centre accredited to provide training for the state dance teacher diploma in Marseille. This research work allows her to delve even deeper into the sacred and infinite link that unites Dance and Music. 

Director of the production company La Huit since 1990, Gilles Le Mao has produced and directed, on behalf of the General Delegation of Artistic Creation, more than 300 variations of “Dance Events” since 1996.

 Executive producer of some 400 audiovisual and cinema programs at La Huit, he also carries out major interviews on personalities from ethnology, architecture, landscape and art history with the Ministry of Culture. 2009 World Music Favorite Prize from the Charles Cros Academy for the film “The Drums of Tokyo”, he has produced around fifty documented concerts on jazz, world music and classical music since 1999.

 He has also been a member of various selective cinema commissions since 2009 at the CNC and in the Limousin, Normandy and Grand-Est regions. Since 1995, he has worked with the Ministry of Culture - Drac Ile de France in high school and BTS cinema and production section.

Numeridanse is an online consultation platform only, so videos and music for variations cannot be downloaded. 

You can find all the information you need on the dedicated page of the Ministry of Culture website: culture.gouv.fr