Inaugurated in the presence of Prince Rainier III and H.R.H. the Princess of Hanover, l'Atelier is the Monegasque company's workplace. Housed in a 4,000 m2 former sawmill, it brings together dancers, artistic, technical and administrative teams under one roof. Two architects, Daniel Raymond and Sophie Nivaggioni, collaborated with Jean-Christophe Maillot to conceive, design and almost millimeterize the space, taking into account the extremely specific needs of the dancers and other performing arts professionals. After a great deal of thought and analysis, they came up with a balanced, functional space that reflects the company's image: straight, rigorous lines and ample, transparent volumes to remind everyone at all times that the Atelier is a place of hard work and technical expertise, but also a veritable laboratory for research and experimentation carried out by a group of people. L'Atelier also had to be a place to live, a home: for the dancers, the workplace is their main home, where they are totally available to dance and live without counting their time. "Rigor, quality, performance and intelligence are all demanded of them", emphasizes Jean-Christophe Maillot, "Echoing this demand, we had to give them the means to meet these requirements: comfort, ease, a place to relax, spacious rest and work areas... It's a definite luxury, but one that's tailored to them and to what's expected of them. As we all know, an athlete's environment is one of the keys to success. Finally, since the administrative, artistic and technical teams are centralized on the same "territory", they can really work together. In this way, the Ballets are able to synthesize a dual aspect of the Principality of Monaco: the stage where one shines, the spectacle, the pageantry, and then the other, that of work, effort and rigor, which testifies to the consideration the Monegasque government gives to those who contribute to its renown and wear its colors around the world. Atelier des Ballets de Monte-Carlo +377 97 70 65 20 www.balletsdemontecarlo.com