The National Ballet of Canada star will unveil a big new version of Le Petit Prince on June 4. The beloved Antoine de Saint-Exupery story of the Little Prince is Cote’s first full-length choreography. Here are five things you need to know about Cote and the production. See listings.
Le Petit Prince is a complex philosophical treatise disguised as a children’s classic. When did you first see the possibilities for movement in the text?
When I was seven, I starred in my parents’ ballet school production of Le Petit Prince back home in Lac Saint-Jean, Quebec. But a few years ago, after reading a lot of French existential philosophy, I rediscovered Saint-Exupery’s work, and it has become very important to me. Literature has so many wonderful qualities, but what dance does really well is relationships. The book has an elusive narrative and is mostly based on characters and the impact they have on each other – so I wanted to use dance to develop the story from there.
You became a dad last year. Has being a parent changed your understanding of this material?
Absolutely. Having my daughter, Emma, made me look at this book in a much more meaningful way. Saint-Exupery’s message is that what matters to the heart is all that matters. We keep looking at what is external, when everything that is truly important and purposeful in life is what’s internal. As adults we become hyper-functional. There’s something beautiful about a child’s quality of being everything but functional – they just need to be.
How has it been working with super-designer Michael Levine?
We’ve worked together on the creative conception – I don’t consider him only the stage designer. He’s also directing the production in a sense by designing a set that kinetically enhances the entire show. The set is alive, it moves along with us, and it actually helps people move. It doesn’t just sit there with everyone dancing in front of it.
I’ve never done this before, and lack of experience can be your downfall in a huge project. Michael, with his extensive experience, has helped me stay on track. There have been a few times when I may have become obsessed with some trick, and Michael would reel me back in and help me focus on keeping the consistency of the storytelling going.
Are you going to fly people?
Throughout there’s a theme of weightlessness, because the story takes place in space and the Prince meets all these beautiful planets, but ultimately we decided to stay away from gimmicks. We’ll leave that to Cirque du Soleil. We have found a few ways of suspending gravity, time and space choreographically, and also with some devices.
You had a devastating knee injury late in 2014 that kept you offstage for a very long time. Are you dancing again?
Yes. I had a good recovery, but it was a really shitty injury, an ACL tear that required surgery and more than a year of physiotherapy. It’s part of the job. You hope that these things never happen, but it did bring a lot of perspective to my life. I’ve never loved ballet more than I love it now.
Get stage listings here.
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