Kamel Ouali

Cleopatra, last queen of Egypt, first queen of Paris

After the success of “ The Sun King ”, his latest show, “ Cleopatra, last queen of Egypt ”, captured more than 600,000 spectators in 2009. The audience is plunged into a magical universe : incredible/astonishing costumes, extravagant sets, lively music and above all brilliant lighting effects, orchestrated by Jacques Rouveyrollis. And to top it all, there is a real story to follow – not only the destiny of a mythical queen, but the story of the East and the West.

Kamel Ouali creates a magical dream for his audience. Everything must reflect this dream - singers, dressmakers, songwriters and even the performance surface. That is why his choice naturally leaned towards the ultra-shiny black Harlequin HI-SHINE™. It plunges the entire giant stage of the Palais des Sports into an almost mystical darkness. Under the play of shadows and lights expertly designed by Jacques Rouveyrollis, the sets come to life, the lights shine powerfully and each form and movement is endlessly multiplied.

Testimony of Kamel Ouali

“ HI-SHINE™ is made for the stage. It is glamorous and has a long life. It adds an aesthetic touch, going beyond its purely functional qualities. ”

Jacques Rouveyrrolis

In Paris, the mythical concert hall, the Zénith, is empty. It is only half past one in the afternoon on January 14th, the day of Jacques Dutronc’s big return to the stage after A 17 year break.

Jacques Rouveyrollis evokes light with poetry and passion. He reveals his sources of inspiration, and then talks to us about Harlequin, and more specifically theHarlequin HI-SHINE™ floor. When he first worked with this floor, it was like a revelation, a revolution even. “There was a before Harlequin and an after Harlequin” he insists.

Testimony of Jacques Rouveyrollis

«The Harlequin floor has profoundly changed my staging. Its magical reflections produce surprising and natural effects, like the reflections of water, which have always fascinated me. Before, we worked on the black glossy parquet which absorbed the light. With Harlequin HI-SHINE™, however, it’s as if there was a mirror on the stage. The reflections are infinite.»

The American Academy of Dance

The first American dance school in Europe, the American Academy of Dance in Paris (AADP), teaches ballet, jazz, contemporary dance and tap to youngsters and older pupils up to the age of 19.

In 2006, AADP chose Harlequin to equip their 5 studios with 450 m2 of Harlequin LIBERTY™ sprung floor covered with beige Harlequin STUDIO™ and Harlequin FIESTA™ vinyl floors.

Under the supervision of Brooke Desnoës, ex-pupil of the Alabama Ballet under Dame Sonia Arova and Sir Anton Dolin and later, teacher at the Washington School of Ballet, the originality of the classes has attracted a large number of students of which 60% is French.

Testimony of Brooke Desnoës

“When we moved to Rue du Cherche-Midi, we contacted Chantal Lagniau, General Manager of Harlequin Europe, about equipping our studios. She remembered us from 2000 when we were a little-known dance school in Paris. Harlequin was very professional when we worked with them the first time around and they have once again proven that the quality of their service is unparalleled!”

Mauve dance floor, black petals

Developed to meet the demands of Nureyev, Harlequin's STUDIO™ vinyl floor has been Ballet Biarritz-CCN's preferred dance floor for over 10 years.

At the grand première of his newest creation “L’Amour Sorcier” and “Le Portrait de L’Enfant” performed in March 2008 at the Grand Théâtre of Luxembourg, the unusual scenery was very impressive: Manolo Valdés’ giant Ménines, extremely rare black rose petals and the Harlequin STUDIO™ vinyl floor, specially produced in mauve for this occasion.

Covered with Ménines’ tears, symbolised by the black rose petals, the mauve Harlequin STUDIO™ vinyl floor, the smoothest and most comfortable flooring in Harlequin’s range, emphasised the quasi mystical atmosphere.

Testimony of Thierry Malandain

“Flooring is a blank page on which one can write things and tell a story. The Harlequin STUDIO™ vinyl flooring is no exception to this rule.”

A cascade of emotions at the Château of Versailles

Château of Versailles-Spectacles was looking for a dance floor which could stay outside for a whole month! Nothing ventured, nothing gained, thanks to Harlequin CASCADE™ vinyl floors.

In July 2007 an astounding performance of Swan Lake took place in one of the most prestigious settings in the world: the gardens of the Château of Versailles. The English National Ballet danced on Harlequin CASCADE™ vinyl flooring, which was laid outside in the Le Nôtre gardens.

Harlequin CASCADE™: withstands all tests

The most robust of Harlequin’s nine vinyl floors; it is also a favourite among many large classical ballets because of its slightly rough, slip-resistant surface. One year later in July, the Château of Versailles will once again be the magical setting for the Tokyo Ballet’s tribute to Maurice Béjart.

A stage worthy of the Sun King!

On an enormous 600 m² stage covered with a Harlequin CASCADE™ vinyl floor, the Japanese company together with Sylvie Guillem interpreted Le Sacre du Printemps, La Luna, Bugaku and Boléro. Laid outside at the Neptune Lake, the Harlequin CASCADE™ vinyl floor braved all weather conditions for a whole month. Its fibreglass coating ensures a perfect dimensional stability, which keeps it from rippling in spite of temperature variations.

Harlequin HI-SHINE™: reflections of hell!

2006 marked the 10th anniversary of the artistic collaboration between Emio Greco and Pieter C. Scholten for the show ‘Hell’.

The two choreographers recreated the show for the Montpellier Festival by using a Harlequin HI-SHINE™ vinyl floor to give their show a particular image.

Emio Greco and Pieter Scholten talk about their dance flooring

“For our new performance Hell, we were looking for a dance floor that could “change its identity”, a floor that could turn from liquid to solid and give the feeling that the stage was expanding or shrinking. Due to the Harlequin HI-SHINE™ vinyl floor with its deep reflections, we were able to create this illusion of a space of infinite size.”

Chaillot chooses Harlequin LIBERTY™

The National Theatre of Chaillot is one of 5 national theatres in France. It is located in the famous Place du Trocadéro and has a bird’s eye view over the Champs de Mars and the Eiffel tower.

In addition to the schedule of classical theatre pieces, the National Theatre of Chaillot has also been running a dance programme since the year 2000, which was established following a request by the Ministry of Culture.

A former cinema converted into a dance studio

As the National Theatre of Chaillot does not have a rehearsal studio, the rooms in the former Museum of Cinema situated in the basement of the Pavillon de Tête instead were equipped with a 120 m2 Harlequin LIBERTY™ sprung permanent floor back in June 2005.

Charles Jude chooses Harlequin ACTIVITY™

In April 2005, Harlequin laid a Harlequin ACTIVITY™ sprung floor, covered with a black Harlequin STUDIO™ vinyl floor in the Painter’s Room of the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux in France.

The Harlequin flooring is laid in a semicircle, covering 290 m2 of the total surface area of 500 m2. The periphery of the room is reserved for warm-up, because the height under the original splendid beams is insufficient for the dance, strictly speaking.

The artistic director of the National Ballet of the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux, Charles Jude, was appointed in 1996 after a 20 year career at the Paris Opera.

Accustomed to double floor joists, Charles Jude deplored the hardness of this type of flooring. He then went to London to test the Harlequin ACTIVITY™ sprung floor at the English National Ballet School and the Rambert Dance Company, where he was convinced by this innovative flooring. Another decisive criterion: the Painter’s Room is located just above the main room of the Opera and the Harlequin ACTIVITY™ sprung floor was chosen because of its acoustic properties.