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A collation of announcements of the forthcoming 2016/17 season at various companies in France. Please feel free to add others to the list. Théâtre du Capitole (Toulouse) http://www.theatreducapitole.fr/1/saison-2016-2017/saison-2016-2017-2093.html?lang=fr A million kisses to my skin by David Dawson. Kader Belarbi’s version of Don Quixote. Etc. Ballet Nice Méditerranée http://www.opera-nice.org/fr/calendrier# Jiri Kylian’s Sinfonietta. Liam Scarlett’s Vespertine, created for Norwegian Ballet. A new Firebird. Eric Vu-An’s version of Don Quixote. Etc. Opéra National du Rhin (Strasbourg, Colmar, Mulhouse) http://www.operanationaldurhin.eu/en--dance.html A full-length narrative ballet by Uwe Scholz that was created for Zuerich Ballet. A number of modern creations. Opéra de Lyon http://www.opera-lyon.com/spectacles/danse Various ballets by Jiri Kylian, et al. Paris Opera Ballet – this link was shared and discussed previously as part of another thread and has been added here for ease of reference https://www.operadeparis.fr/en/season-16-17/ballet

The last time I referred to Haydn as composer for the music that had been used for a ballet, it was actually Haendel, and it took me a while to realise the confusion. So this time it is really Haydn. Uwe Scholz made The Creation for Ballet Zuerich in 1985. The ballet company at the Opera national du Rhin, led by Ivan Cavallari, is the only company in France that has this ballet in its repertoire. I saw it in Biarritz last night as part of an annual local dance festival “le temps d’aimer la danse”. Each day of the Creation is introduced with a long, stamina-testing solo, before the corps comes on stage, in varying numbers and formations, and making wonderful use of the whole stage. E.g., a large group splitting into several smaller groups; a dancer starting a movement, and each of the other dancers following a count or two later with the same movement until they, one by one, dance again the same movement or stand in the same line. Ballet steps are clearly identifiable – sauts de chat, a variety of pirouettes, tours en l’air into one leg standing/ the other leg kneeling on the floor (there is surely a specific term for this), bourrees, and repeatedly grands jetes that are immediately followed by balances on demi pointe in arabesque. Some surprising elements, too – a pirouette in one direction followed immediately by a pirouette in the other direction, a dancer holding another dancer in front of him and then throwing her backwards over his head, where she is caught by another dancer. The first few days have solos, until half-way through a day is introduced through a long PDD, with the two dancers smiling at each other so brilliantly that I thought that this would be the day with the creation of human beings, in particular as the day that then followed showed three soloists. However the subsequent part of the oratorio made me wonder whether I had got somewhat lost amongst the days. The programme, unfortunately, consisted only of a four-page leaflet, and I believe a more detailed programme would have helped identify each individual day more easily, and how the different pictures on the backcloth relate to each day. The programme leaflet listed the members of the company however not who was dancing last night. Based on the dancer’s pictures on the opera’s web site, I haven’t been able to recognise that many dancers unequivocally (e.g., I don’t know the names of the dancers in that wonderful PDD half-way through) however Nicholas Jones drew my attention through his clear mastering of the repeated combination of jumps followed by balances immediately afterwards, and through his incessant smile whenever he was on stage. A beautiful display of humanity and joy. The applause was rhythmic and long. Ivan Cavallari will become the Artistic Director at Les Grands Ballets Canadiens after this season. Lucky Canada!