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Manon (ballet)

MacMillan's signature ballet the famous Manon, presented by the Royal Ballet, had its first premiere in 1974 in London. Based on a novel by the Abbé Prévost, L'Histoire du Chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut from 1731, the ballet tells the story of a young girl Manon, who is trying to escape poverty by using her beauty to find a wealthy man to marry. But life with its unexpected turns presents a new challenge when she meets a handsome young student Des Grieux. Being torn between love and wealth, Manon decides to have both. Mayhem ensues, and the price has to be paid.

Although it shares the story with the opera Manon, the music was comprised of several different operas of Jules Massenet, orchestrated by Leighton Lucas.