Ballets Suédois)

The Ballets suédois was a predominantly Swedish dance ensemble based in Paris that, under the direction of Rolf de Maré (1888–1964), performed throughout Europe and the United States between 1920 and 1925, rightfully earning the reputation as a "synthesis of modern art" (Baer 10).

The Ballets suédois created pieces that negotiated new terms of the post-World War I European imaginary by combining forms of “dance, drama, painting, poetry, and music with acrobatics, circus, film, and pantomime” (Baer 10).

Between 1920 and 1924, the ensemble performed 24 creative pieces, totaling 2,678 performances in 274 cities throughout twelve countries. The collaboration of the choreography of Jean Börlin, the artistic direction of de Maré, and the aesthetic framework of Fernand Léger, provided a rich intercultural cross-section of avant-garde performance in interwar Europe.

The company collaborated with some of the top creative talents in Paris for story creation, set design, and music composition. Such as the poets Blaise Cendrars, Paul Claudel, Cocteau and Riciotti Canudo; the composers Auric, Honegger, Milhaud, Cole Porter, Poulenc, and Satie; and the artists de Chirico, Fernand Léger, and Francis Picabia.

Visual design was a strong element in the company’s productions, sometimes overpowering the dancing. One of the most striking designs was created by Andrée Parr for L’Homme et son désir (1921). The four-tiered stage was occupied by symbolic figures such as the black-robed Hours of the Night, the Moon and her reflection. Dancers representing musical instruments (cymbals, bells, and panpipes) wore fanciful headdresses and masks that concealed their faces and gave them the look of abstractions.

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