About the work
One-act ballet with wordless choral singing by Francis Poulenc, choreographed by Bronislava Nijinska for Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. It premiered on 6 January 1924 at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo with sets and costumes by Marie Laurencin, becoming Poulenc's first major success for the stage.
Plot
Without a continuous plot, the ballet follows a group of young women and men at a summer house party, their glances, flirtations and shifting pairings marked by a playful ambiguity.
Cultural significance
Combining dance-like lightness, rhythmic clarity and discreetly suggested sensuality, the work established Poulenc's view of music as an art of pleasure and has remained in the repertoire of major companies such as the Royal Ballet and the Paris Opera.