As the end of the transfer window approaches, AS Monaco are fine-tuning their squad for the season, which includes the outgoings of Chrislain Matsima and Harrison Marcelin on loan.
Philippe Clement had previously stated a desire to reduce the size of his squad. Although he highlighted that the need to sell and loan players isn’t as pressing as it is for many Ligue 1 rivals, such as PSG, he nonetheless stated a desire to work with a less bloated squad.
Matsima loaned to Lorient
Having brought in Takumi Minamino, Breel Embolo, Thomas Didillon, Malang Sarr and Mohamed Camara, the focus, for now at least, is on balancing out those arrivals with some outgoings.
Chrislain Matsima last week moved on loan to Ligue 1 rivals Lorient. The deal includes a purchase option reported to be €10m, according to L’Équipe. The 20-year-old French centre-back has three-years remaining on his current deal at the Principality club.
Last season, he featured 13 times for the Monégasques having come through the ranks at the club. Overall for the club, he has made 24 appearances, whilst he is also a regular feature in the France U20 side.
Marcelin returns for second stint in Belgium
Another young centre-back has also departed, which currently leaves Benoît Badiashile, Axel Disasi, Guillermo Máripan, Malang Sarr and Yllan Okou as Clement’s centre-back options. Harisson Marcelin has struggled with injuries at Monaco. He will be given the chance to work his way back to fitness, whilst earning game time at satellite club Cercle Brugge.
It will be the France U19 international’s second stint at the Belgian club, after he spent the 2020/21 at the club. During that spell, he made 20 appearances in the Jupiler Pro League, before a torn muscle fibre put an abrupt end to the loan spell.
There is no purchase option in the loan, so the hope for Monaco is that he accrues experience, builds back his fitness and returns to the Principality next summer. He joins fellow Monégasuqe Radoslaw Majecki, who also joined the Belgian top division side on loan this summer.
Vanderson extends
One player who isn’t making a move this summer is Vanderson. Despite only arriving in January, he has earned himself a one-year contract extension, due reward for his impressive start to life in the Principality.
The 21-year-old Brazilian’s contract now runs until June 2027. Last season, he made five goal contributions having arrived from Gremio in January for a reported €11m fee.
Speaking in a press release, Vanderson said, “It’s with great satisfaction that I extend my contract with AS Monaco for another season. At this club, I am very happy to have found an ambitious sporting project that offers me the possibility to continue my progression. I would like to thank AS Monaco for placing their trust in me and now it is up to me to continue to work hard in order to help the team in this season’s challenges.”
It remains to be season whether Monaco will dip back into the transfer window in order to further strengthen their squad. They have just under a week to do so with the window slamming shut on 1st September.
Photo source: AS Monaco
Interview: The great and powerful Jacqueline Green
Monaco Life, in partnership with the Princess Grace Foundation-USA, is proud to present a monthly series highlighting the lives and artistic work of the Princess Grace Foundation-USA’s illustrious Award winners.
In this month’s exclusive interview, Princess Grace Foundation-USA’s Director of Programming Diana Kemppainen catches up with Princess Grace Award winner Jacqueline Green. After 11 years as one of the stars of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre (Ailey), Jacqueline retired from the company to build her own dance training center in Chicago. Below she shares some of her favorite moments with Ailey – from taking on iconic roles, how to maintain her physical and mental health during a rigorous tour schedule, and her favorite travel destinations – as well as the importance of mentors in dance, and her next steps.
“Ailey dancers are superb because they can do any style and look like experts. In my first year in the company, I was the lead in a hip-hop piece by Rennie Harris.”
For 11 years, Jacqueline Green was one of the stars of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. During her tenure, Jacqueline performed Ailey’s most iconic roles, including those originally set on Judith Jamison. She started her dance training at age 13, and since then has performed works by choreographers Wayne McGregor, Jirí Kylián, Ronald K. Brown, and Kyle Abraham, among many others.
In 2016 she was a guest artist with The Royal Ballet and is a 2018 ‘Bessie’ Award nominee for sustained achievement. Since retiring, Jacqueline is co-founder and co-director of The Dance Prep, a training institution based in Chicago that provides dancers with customised dance training and preparation for a professional career.
Looking at you, you clearly have the grace and stature of a dancer; but you actually didn’t start dancing until you were 13. That’s a little later than most dancers. Tell us how you discovered dance.
I was one of five siblings, and my mum was looking for high schools that were customised for each of her children. Something drew her to Baltimore School for the Arts. It was 2nd in academics in the state; I was a big nerd and was flexible, so she thought I would do well at an arts high school. The audition was my first class – I remember standing there and they were speaking another language, which I later learned was French. The class was ballet, musicality, and stretching. I remember the instructors saying “good, good” to me, and I was accepted. Once school began it was a lot to learn, and my teachers were very good at starting at a basic beginner level for me. When I finally got it, I was bit by the dance bug.
But I still considered it as a hobby because I didn’t see anyone who looked like me with a professional career. It wasn’t until my sophomore year, when Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell (principal dancer with Ailey, now Artistic Director of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago) came to the school. She was an alumnus of Baltimore School of the Arts and she took a class with us; she looked like me and she was just perfection. I finally understood that this was something I could do. She was dancing and traveling the world, and I wanted to do that as well. I learned more about Ailey, the company she danced with, and the more I learned, the more I related to the company, its repertory, and history.
Ailey is a demanding company, performing a variety of repertory from Ailey classics using Horton technique to more contemporary styles. How do you prepare for that variety?
My foundation is classical ballet and I went to Ailey/Fordham University for college. I learned codified modern techniques (Horton, Graham, Limón, etc.). Both institutions really prepared me for Ailey’s rep. However, even with all of that, there is still something new and as a professional dancer, you need to catch on quickly. Ailey dancers are superb because they can do any style and look like experts. In my first year in the company, I was the lead in a hip-hop piece by Rennie Harris. Hip hop was not a technique I was familiar with, so I needed to do work on my own and ensure I felt comfortable.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Jacqueline Green, Photo by Andrew Eccles
You have taken on some of Alvin Ailey’s most renowned work – pieces that were originally set on the iconic dancer (and former Artistic Director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre) Judith Jamison. How do you take on those roles and make them your own?
It’s always an honor. I was Robert Battle’s (Princess Grace Award winner, 1991) first hire as Artistic Director. Ms. Jamison was still working with the company, and I was able to learn a lot from her.
She set Pas de Duke, a duet she originally did with Mikhail Baryshnikov on me. She is amazing; she would break down every step, and there’s a wealth of knowledge and mentorship. She’s skilled at communicating and helping you manifest the work in your body. Looking back, especially in my new position, I really understand how precious it is.
Ailey is a company that tours – 7-8 months of performance – do you have favorite places and experiences from travel?
Yes! I have a top five: Tel Aviv and performing in Jerusalem; Copenhagen and Tivoli Gardens, it’s the place that inspired Walt Disney; London at Sadler Wells, South Africa was a life-changing experience; and Paris. We would spend three to four weeks there, and it felt like you were living in Paris. You found your lunch spots and practiced your French.
“I didn’t know I had it (scoliosis) until I started dance in high school, and it turns out I have a 48-degree curve.”
You are on the road so often. How do you maintain a schedule/routine to be at the top of your game?
It’s very individual. For me, I have scoliosis so I have a specific workout I need to do on my own. I also give myself goals for each tour – some of those goals include turnout, alignment and artistry. I appreciate work ethic, and even when I’m off, I’m taking class. For me, it’s a check in for my body.
You mentioned scoliosis. Can you speak about being a dancer with scoliosis?
I didn’t know I had it until I started dance in high school, and it turns out I have a 48-degree curve. Dance educated me about my body. By the time we found out, I didn’t need a brace, my teachers taught me posture and that information was priceless. When you work with the right tools, you can heal it. Now, I know what to look for and how my body needs to feel. Physical fitness will always be a part of my regime.
I learned that Wendy Whelan (former Principal Dancer at New York City Ballet) also has scoliosis. I watched her dance – and again it’s the representation of seeing someone like yourself – and knew that it was not something that could hold me back. I fell in love with it. When Wayne McGregor worked with Ailey, my torso could move in ways that other company members couldn’t, and I loved it.
TDA Prep
You joined Alvin Ailey in 2011 and performed with the company for over 10 years. What’s next?
I got married this year, and we were doing long-distance. He’s based in Chicago and I was on the road or in NYC. During the pandemic we literally built a school – we put the floors in – and now we guide students. It’s called the Dance Artist Prep. We customise the dance journey for the young dancer and assist the parents. We help them through all of it; provide resources, training, etc.
My husband was my dance coach, and I worked with him throughout my career. As a professional dancer, it’s your job to maintain your technique and artistry; you should be as good as your audition or better. He held me accountable and I stayed injury free throughout my career. Now we are passing that on to our students.
Was this transition a reflection of Covid-19 or was this long brewing?
In the span of a flight from Iowa City to Dallas, our tour was canceled. At that point NYC was a bit crazy, so I asked to be sent to Chicago. I had my tour clothes for months. While we were there, my husband and I got our own studio for teaching and for me to rehearse in when we were in virtual rehearsals. It really grew from there into what was needed in the dance world.
Last question – you left Ailey at the pinnacle of your career. In some ways this parallels Princess Grace, who also left Hollywood at the height of her career. What would you want to talk to her about?
I would ask her about transference of passion and how is that fueled. For over a decade you’re in an art form that fuels you – your passion, work ethic, routine, etc. and then it’s a complete flip to something else. I have passion and work ethic in working with young people and helping them find their purpose. It’s different, and I would love to know how that felt for her when she transitioned, and her perspective on what’s to come. It feels good right now, and if I could predict, I think it will continue to feel good. It’s different from me being the performer and affecting thousands of people for two hours, versus affecting one child’s life for a lifetime. It’s a different purpose, and seeing how that felt for her.
AS Monaco Basketball marked their return to pre-season training with a press conference in the Monte-Carlo Casino on Tuesday, where the objectives for the upcoming campaign were outlined.
Last season, the Roca Team surpassed expectations on a European level, reaching the playoffs in their debut Euroleague season. However, the season ended in heartbreak on a domestic level as the side were narrowly beaten by ASVEL in a five-leg thriller in the Betclic Elite.
Season objectives
The objectives this year are clear: consolidate and build-upon last season’s success. Once again, the club will be competing in the top tier of European basketball, and matching last season’s achievement is the minimum requirement. Coach Sasa Obradovic told Monaco Life, “I have always set big goals and there are so many factors that decide whether you reach them or not. I can guarantee that this team will give their maximum to achieve your expectations and goals.”
He continued, “For us, reaching the Euroleague playoffs is a must-do, and anything more than that is another step in writing another chapter in this team’s history and also the Principality’s history. In the Euroleague, this has to be the goal.”
New signing Jordan Loyd added, “Reaching the final four is always the goal, but besides just saying it, I think we really just need to put the work in. On paper we have a great team and if we all just buy in and sacrifice a lot we can do a lot of good things this year. I think we have a chance every night, no matter who we’re playing.” (Watch the video interview below)
Bringing continuity
To reach those goals, Monaco are counting on a highly altered roster. For consecutive seasons, there has been a high turnover at the Roca Team as the squad is moulded around ever more ambitious objectives. However, having found a “balance”, Oleksiy Yefimov is now aiming for a greater continuity, and he doesn’t foresee the same level of squad upheaval in the future.
Roca Team general manager Oleksiy Yefimov told Monaco Life, “We want to build a stable roster and we want that continuity. We want to avoid situations where we’re significantly changing the roster. Once you reach Euroleague level you cannot build up the team the same as you’ve been doing before. Last year, we entered the Euroleague as an unknown team, because of certain circumstances we took a risk in having four rookies, and we succeeded.”
There is also a very discernible shift in the club. Gone is the underdog mentality that has thus far defined a club, which has seen a sudden and steep rise. “It’s no longer the time for a Cinderella story; we need to be more professional and show that we’re well prepared for the Euroleague level. That’s why we have players with experience and players ready to commit long-term deals,” said Yefimov.
It is not only the quantity of reinforcements at Monaco that catches the eye, but the quality of those recruits. Many of those who arrive at the Salle Gaston Medecin do so with years of experience at the highest echelons of the game. Last year, Monaco were heavily reliant on star man Mike James, but the club’s summer business will ease that burden.
“Mike James is a really good player. We depended on him a lot last year. This year we have more options. He’s a key player, but we can also rely on the other guys, who can take over and make the difference in every position, even more so than in the previous year. I’m expecting even more team basketball to be played, and I’m expecting contributions from everyone. I also expect a bigger rotation, which will give us more consistency in the Euroleague and in the French division,” said Obradovic.
Notably, there are many more French players in the squad compared to last year. Betclic Elite rules stipulate that only six foreigners can play in any one match, and due to the lack of French players in the squad, it became difficult to be consistent on the European and domestic fronts.
“Now the team is more balanced with more French players in the roster and with fewer foreigners. This will help the coach rotate the team,” said Yefimov.
Stadium renovation
During the press conference, the club’s pre-season plans were unveiled. The club will first travel to Bormio. Then they’ll go directly to Sardinia to play a friendly tournament before travelling for a German tour. They will then finish their preparation in Antalya, Turkey.
None of the preparation for the season, which starts at the end of September, will take place in the Principality. That is due to the continued construction taking place at the Salle Gaston Medecin to make the court comply with Euroleague requirements.
The government’s Interior Minister, Patrice Cellario, revealed that the work on the hall was on schedule and that it will be ready for the first home game of the season on 2nd October. He also revealed that the capacity of the stadium will be 4,600, just above the minimum requirement stipulated by Euroleague regulations (4,500 minimum).
As Yefimov exclusively revealed to Monaco Life, the changes will allow the club to meet short-term goals, although in the long-term, they have more grand plans. “If we want to remain part of the Euroleague family, of course we have to think about having a new venue, but at the same time this isn’t the only thing we have to work on. We need to show Euroleague that due to our participation in the competition, that the organisation as a whole will benefit. This is also a huge element that will have an impact on our Euroleague future,” said Yefimov.
What underpins this ambition is new research, which shows the potential of the Roca Team. Yefimov revealed to Monaco Life that latest research shows that Monaco have overtaken ASVEL and Limoges, historic French clubs, to become the most recognised basketball brand in France.
To confirm their exponential growth off the court, another strong season on the court is a must, and ideally one which sees the club surpass last season’s Euroleague achievements, whilst also finally sealing that all-elusive Betclic Elite title.
Watch Luke Entwistle’s interview with American basketball player Jordan Loyd about his move to Monaco and his objectives for the season ahead…
Photo above credit: Manuel Vitali, Government Communication Department
Newly minted Monaco Tech alumni FGWRS will join the Prince Albert Foundation, Paul-Émile Victor French Polar Institute and the European Space Agency for a sustainability mission to Antarctica in December.
1,600 kilometres from the South Pole, the French-Italian Concordia base is about to be the test centre for a new type of gray water recycling system. The Firmus Gray Water Recycling System (FGWRS) will debut the programme on 6th December and will have a special guest join the team at the base camp.
Special guest Justin Sargenti, former student of Institut François d’Assise, Nicolas Barre (FANB) and winner of the Students On Ice 2015 competition organised by the Prince Albert II Foundation (FPA2), as well as a graduate of the National School of Architecture in Strasbourg, will live on the Franco-Italian Antarctic research station until 4th February 2023.
Passionate about photography and polar environments since his expedition to the Arctic in 2015 with Students On Ice, Justin has always been interested in the protection of the poles and life in this hostile environment. In addition, he is currently working toward a doctorate relating to comfort in the stations.
Justin Sargenti will join the mission on 6th December.
He has had to undergo rigorous medical examinations and will participate in a training course by the Concordia technical team for enduring Concordia winters by Monaco’s French counterpart FGWRS France.
“Since my expedition to the Arctic in 2015 following the Students On Ice competition with the FPA2, my dearest dream was to set foot on the Antarctic continent,” said Justin Sargenti. “Today, thanks to FGWRS and its work on the Concordia scientific base, I am offered the opportunity to live there for two months. It goes beyond anything I could ever dream of and motivates me to continue working in the polar environments and their preservation.”
The mission at Concordia station, which is in partnership with the Prince Albert II Foundation, the French Polar Institute and the European Space Agency (ESA), will test a new type of membrane that consumes less energy than the one currently in place. It will also, in conjunction with ESA, study the possibility of installing other recycling processes for yellow and black water at the research station.
Previous collaborations have been carried out by the French Polar Institute, the European Space Agency and FIRMUS, and gray water recycling was officially put into use at Concordia in 2005.
Since its installation, the process has been free of any technical or health incidents and more than six million litres of water has been saved via recycling water from the kitchen, showers, sinks and washing machines, which is treated and reused.
A steel version of Louise Bourgeois’ iconic Spider, similar to the giant sculpture featured last year in the gardens of Monte-Carlo, has been sold by art gallery Hauser & Wirth for €40 million, the biggest sum ever paid for a work by the artist.
The all-steel 1996 version of artist Louise Bourgeois’ Spider went on the block at Art Basel’s first VIP day, selling for the enormous sum of €39.9 million. The massive piece, which matches its hefty price tag, is 3.35 metres long and towered over the Hauser & Wirth booth at the Art Basel Fair, which was held in June.
The sculpture came from the private collection of Ursula Hauser, mother of gallery co-founder Manuela Hauser, and was passed onto another private collection. As the Spider is made from steel not bronze like many of Bourgeois’ other works, it is an “indoor-only” piece.
The spider sculpture that featured in the Boulingrins Gardens as part of Hauser & Wirth’s Louise Bourgeois exhibition last year, was the bronze version. The art gallery confirmed to Monaco Life that this particular piece is still part of the private collection.
Louise Bourgeois has had huge success with her Spider sculptures. A 1997 bronze version sold in 2019, also at Art Basel, via auction house Christie’s for €31.9 million, and a smaller rendering, Spider IV, sold in April at Sotheby’s Hong Kong for €16.4 million, making it the most expensive sculpture ever sold in Asia.
The big sums being bandied about for the sales of these works is significant, as female artists usually don’t command the same as their male counterparts. Andy Warhol’s Shot Sage Blue Marilyn (1964) became the most expensive 20th century artwork to sell at auction when it sold last month at Christie’s New York to Larry Gagosian for $195 million. The three most expensive sculptures to ever sell at auction are all by Alberto Giacometti, each going for more than $100 million, with L’Homme au doigt (1947) selling at Christie’s New York in 2015 for $141.3 million.
Though the €40 million is an impressive number, American modernist artist Georgia O’Keeffe holds the record for the biggest sale by a woman artist. Her Juimson Weed/White Flower No. 41 sold for $44.4 million in 2014 at Sotheby’s in New York.
Monaco Rugby 7s won the second round of the In Extenso Rugby Sevens on Saturday to qualify for the grand final, which will take place in Paris later this year.
The Principality side won the La Rochelle round of the competition, demolishing Pau 26-12 at the Stade Marcel Deflandre. Their success sees them qualify for the grand final, which takes place at the La Défense Arena on 19th November. The side will be hoping to go one better than last year, where they were defeated in the final by the Barbarians.
Monaco booked their place in the finals in convincing style. They outclassed Toulouse (40-7), Bordeaux-Bègles (34-19) and Stade Français (31-7) in order to reach the final against Pau.
Monaco swept Pau aside in the first-half, scoring 14 unreplied points. The onslaught continued into the second-half as Monaco eased to a 26-12 victory. Saturday’s win is particularly sweet given that Pau beat Monaco in the final of the first qualifying round the previous weekend.
The identities of Monaco’s rivals in that grand final in November will be known after the third and final round of qualifying, which takes place on 27th August. Having got a taste of lifting a trophy on Saturday, the objective will now be to replicate their dominance later this year and bring a more coveted piece of silverware back to the Principality.
Photo source: Supersevens – presseport
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