The story of cynical hedonists has been adapted by the Czech choreographer Libor Vaculík to music by Franz Schubert, Pēteris Vasks and Petr Malásek. The chamber production oscillates between dance theatre and drama. Libor Vaculík does not aim to shock by a grand work, focusing instead on delicate, sensitive portrayal of the protagonists’ natures.

“My dear, After Madame Merteuil caused the death of our love and I so unfortunately parted with you upon her urging, my life has been of no avail. Too late did I come to grasp that it is she who has yoked us all to the carriage of her schemes. She has taken all of us hostage in her love games. I wanted to live for your happiness – and I have destroyed it. I beseech you – return to my arms.”

The main mover of the action is the depraved Marquise de Merteuil, a beautiful, scheming widow constantly pulling the strings. Libor Vaculík has entrusted this challenging role to Tereza Podařilová, alternating with Zuzana Šimáková, whose remarkable performances, femininity and seductiveness are bound to enthral us all.

The other lead character is the Vicomte de Valmont, hunter and hedonist, who will be portrayed by Alexandre Katsapov / Jiří Kodym. This too is a wonderful role for outstanding dancers, whose stage experience and mature dramatic artistry will dazzle the audience.

Other characters love, betray and succumb on the chessboard of the game, most notably, the virtuous Madame de Tourvel (Marta Drastíková / Kristýna Matějková) and the jejune Cécile (Andrea Kramešová / Morgane Lanoue). Appearing in other roles will be the current ballet masters and former Czech National Ballet soloists Nelly Danko (Madame de Volanges) and Luboš Hajn (the Comte de Gercourt).

The author of the famous epistolary novel Les Liaisons dangereuses, Choderlos de Laclos, was a French army officer unable to satisfy his military ambitions and hence began devoting to literature. He wrote a number of poems and librettos, but is best known for Les Liaisons dangereuses (1782), a novel composed entirely of letters by the various characters to one other. The veracity of its action makes it the greatest work of its ilk.

Almost 200 letters depict the relationship between two rakes who deform the noble ideas of philosophical libertinism into moral perversion. For the sake of their amusement, the Marquise de Merteuil and Vicomte de Valmont interfere in other people’s lives and hatch schemes that ultimately bring about their downfall. Emotionless sensuality becomes an art of strategy, calculated to the finest detail, and this cynical approach to morality and human responsibility not only hurts the innocent victims but also turns against their tormentors themselves.

On the surface, there is the seemingly faultless and immaculately mannered aristocratic elite, yet lifting the mask reveals the rotten core underneath. Cruelly bizarre is how easily one can fall into the life game whose rules are determined by others. No one is an island, we all are influenced and formed by the milieu surrounding us. Sometimes it is difficult to recognise when we decide about our life ourselves and when others do so on our behalf…

Come and enjoy this piece of dance theatre and learn the rules of the libertine game, in which the watchword is: “Seduce but don’t be seduced.”