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Yesterday I saw "Don Quichotte" performed by Opera national de Paris in Opera Bastille. It was the first time I saw this ballet in Rudolf Nureev's choreography and I liked it a lot. Hannah O'Neill danced Kitri. I like this ballerina since I saw her in "Le rouge au le noir" and I hoped for a brilliant performance on her part. However she was good but not at the level I expected. Basilio was danced by Germain Louvet, and his performance was not impeccable either; I'd say it was somewhat uneven, some parts were very good but there were some small faults especially in duos/lifts. Both Kitri's friends, Nais Duboscq and Bianca Scudamore were very good as well as Street dancer (Celia Drouy) and Espada (Arthus Raveau). The young gypsy (Daniel Stokes), two female gypsies (Katherine Higgins and Seohoo Yun) and the whole gypsy group along with the King and the Queen of gypsies danced very well in the 2nd act. The dream of Don Quichotte was danced brilliantly with the help of the corps de ballet, the Queen of the Dryads (Camille Bon), Cupidon(Aubane Philbert) and Dulcinee (Hannah O'Neill). To my mind, the 3d act was the best, everything went well and the performance ended with a lot of applauses.

Hi! I'm just starting to explore summer options for my DD who will be 12 in May. We applied to POBS last year, but weren't accepted. My daughter wants to try again. I was wondering if those of you who applied and were accepted, what was the length of your video? I noticed that they were allowing for 15 minutes, which seemed incredibly long for a video audition based on their list of requirements. We took the approach that if we covered the skill requirements, that should be long enough (which resulted in about 5 minutes). Was wondering what others experiences were: how long were your videos; did you include anything beyond the listed requirements; is there anything else you recommend including, etc.? Grateful for anything you can share!

I was so glad to be in the (very full and appreciative) audience of Ashton’s adorable ‘Fille’ last evening. The production was pretty much perfect, from orchestra to scenery to, most importantly, dancing. As Lise, Léonore Baulac was a delight. She really ‘got’ the Ashtonian style, and was both funny and touching. Her technique was rock-solid but she has so much more than that. I can’t imagine a better Lise. The new young star of the POB, Guillaume Diop, was cheeky and charming as Colas and seemed very comfortable with the technical demands, although if I were being picky I’d like to see improvement in his hands and his lifts. But these are only minor niggles – not real faults IMO. He has exactly the right combination of athleticism and elegance that I like to see in a male dancer. Simon Valastro (trained by La Scala) clearly relished the role of Mère Simone and was hilarious. Antoine Kirscher was outstanding as Alain – such a funny and technically sparkling performance. The whole corps were excellent too, as is usual with POB. The Paris school certainly produces some superb dancers. Although the patchwork of music isn’t of a great enough quality to stand on its own, as the vehicle for Ashton’s gorgeous choreography it does a wonderful job, and at multiple points the music seemed to underline what was happening on stage in a really pointed way. It was a terrific evening which went all too quickly.

It's been mentioned on here quite a few times in recent weeks, but I don't think we have a specific thread on it, so here goes: The Paris Opera (Ballet) streaming service (POP) appears to offer paid-for and free live and recorded streams of their productions, masterclasses and rehearsals, both ballet and opera (and the School, too). The options appear to be pay-per-view, or € 99 for a year's subscription (half that if you're under 28). Seems like a bargain if you want to see something other than UK output. https://play.operadeparis.fr/en

Mlle Battistoni, performing for the second time as Lise, was named étoile at the curtain call after dancing La Fille Mal Gardée with Marcelino Sambé on Tuesday 26 March 2024. It may be remembered that in 2022 she stepped in for the injured Alice Renavand as Giselle in what had been supposed to be the latter's farewell performance. She will get to dance the full rôle, starting on opening night, 29 April. Paris Opéra Ballet announcement The actual on-stage announcement Backstage after the announcement

Since nobody else has posted it yet: https://www.operadeparis.fr/en/programme/season-24-25/shows-ballet

Paris Opéra Ballet has announced the cancellation of tonight's première of what they call L'histoire de Manon due to a strike by artists of the ballet. It is apparently due to salary issues and the performances of 21 and 22 June are also threatened.

At the end of September I was lucky enough to catch three performances by the Paris Opera Ballet in Aix en Provence. The company has an outreach programme, like the one the Royal Ballet has had in Doncaster, using a couple of junior dancers from the company to engage with young people in Aix, to get them dancing, and culminating in a number of performances in the splendid newish Grand Theatre de Provence. It was an exceptionally well balanced programme, starting with Grand Pas Classique (Victor Gsovsky), Robbins's In the Night, the solos and pas de deux from Balanchine's Who Cares?, all in the first part, with the second part focusing on extracts from Nureyev's Raymonda (pas de six from Act 2 and grand pas classique from Act 3). The dancers included a clutch of etoiles, Paris's principals, as well as some new up and coming dancers. There were two casts for each programme- I saw two performances of the second cast and one of the first cast. Unfortunately the one disappointment was of two young dancers in the Grand Pas Classique. This popular piece is technically very difficult, requiring sustained control by the ballerina, especially in holding her balances, and considerable partnering skills by the male. Guillaume Diop has yet to fully develop his partnering, very obviously 'paddling' Ines Mcintosh; my companion commented that she had never noticed a dancer paying so much attention to his partner but I suspect that the best partners are unobtrusive. Nor could either cope fearlessly with the technical demands, it was a matter of getting through the steps. Hannah O'Neil had originally been announced as Diop's partner so McIntosh may not have had much chance to practise the piece. I couldn't help remembering how Sylvie used to do it, not just spectacular balances but also a witty take off of the over the top piece. In the first cast, the much more experienced Valentine Colasante and Marc Moreau coped much more successively. Who Cares had an impressive picture of New York at the back, applauded at each performance, and the dancers of both casts seemed to enjoy dancing it as much as the audience enjoyed watching it. The male stars were Mathieu Ganio, first cast, and Marc Moreau in the second, and each had the relaxed charm and sense of swing so important to this ballet. Marine Ganio (Mathieu's sister, who has not been given as many opportunities under previous ballet directors but seems to be faring better under Jose Martinez; also their parents were dancers in nearby Marseilles so they are local to Aix) was in both casts but taking different dances. The main women were Colasante with Ganio and Amandine Albisson with Moreau, and Bianca Scudamore was in both casts. Altogether it was enjoyable although not as fast and sassy as City Ballet do it. (The music was recorded, as were all the pieces apart from the Robbins, and all the recorded music was a bit too slow). There was no account given of the story behind the Raymonda excerpts so it could have been a bit confusing for many in the audience and they may have wondered who the character of Abderam was in the Act 2 excerpts- and there was surprisingly a different dancer as Raymonda in the two sections. Nureyev's choreography is typically over fussy and difficult and it looks better on a larger stage but it was good to see some classical dance. In the first cast I was delighted to see Myriam Ould-Braham and Mathias Heymann resume their partnership, which I first saw when Alexander Grant selected them for La Fille mal Gardee. Heymann's career has been blighted by many long periods of injury so it's great that he's back again. Ould-Braham is retiring in Giselle in the spring. In the other cast Sae Run Park was very reserved but her partner, Paul Marque, was spectacular. The character of Abderam was more convincingly played by Auric Bezard in the first cast whereas Antoine Kirscher looked far too young and less sinister. The second cast Raymonda were Park, again, and Bleuenn Battistoni. A soloist I don't know, Clara Mousseigne, was impressive in both casts, she has lovely epaulement and movement quality. The main draw for me to travel so far was to see In the Night. When Robbins was alive the extraordinary dancers that Nureyev had nurtured were unparalleled in this ballet, even better, in my view, than City Ballet, but the company still does it well. My favourite of the three duets is the final, fiery one, and in this Auric Bezard conveyed the anguish superbly, with Albisson a worthy foil. The first cast had a difference balance, with Dorothee Gilbert superb as the temperamental woman and Florent Melac as her unhappy lover. The first duet, often conveyed, when the Royal used to do it, as by a young couple but less so with the Paris troupe, was performed by Ould-Braham and Germain Louvet in the first cast, and Sae Eun Park and Paul Marque in the second, and the middle duets by Colasante and Moreau in the first cast, and Colasante (replacing Heloise Bourdon from the announced casting) with Moreau, in the second. All performances conveyed the emotional shifts in the relationships that Robbins reveals movingly through his fluent choreography. In The Night will be the middle ballet in the excellent Robbins triple bill that POB will be dancing later this month (the other pieces are En Sol and The Concert). I think other Forum members will be attending as I will. That is why I have given this thread the title I have, as others may want to make their comments on that programme.

I am about to book tickets at the Opera Garnier for November triple bill by Paris Opera ballet. Please can I have some advice about where in the theatre is a good place to sit and any tips about visiting the opera house. Thank you

Hi, I hope this is in the right forum! I was planning on getting a youth seating for POB’s Manon but it sold out while I was still in the waiting queue! So I managed to find two tickets for a day I can do and I was hoping someone with knowledge of the Garnier seating would be able to tell me what the better choice would be? I have one in the 1st loge de côté 2 in seat 4 and another in the 1st loge de côté 4 in seat 1 As far as I can see from the 3D view, the first looks like it’s an extreme side view but the second also has a pillar in view so I’m not sure! Any help would be much appreciated! Thank you :)

Opening this thread for fellow members who went (I know a good number had tickets 😀) as we’re very curious to hear how it all went! I can’t find a thread with reviews/reports.

Something to look forward to 😎

At the end of a performance of Giselle in Seoul, Korea (where half of POB is on tour)), Director of Dance José Martinez has announced that sujet Guillaume Diop, who had just danced Albrecht opposite Dorothée Gilbert, Is nominated étoile. Three in 10 days wowzas that's a bit speedy. Diop is a beautiful dancer who has been regarded by many as étoile in waiting - he has already danced Romeo, Basilio, Solid and now Albrecht, just in the last two years. Unlike Germain Louvet he has not even achieved the rank of premier danseur, having only been promoted sujet at the 2022 promotion competition. Louvet was nominated after being promoted but before the new year when the promotion would have taken effect.

I'm catching up on videos of this soirée exceptionnelle which is a triple bill of Song of a Wayfarer, Vaslav and Études. Preceded by a superduper grand défilé taking a leaf out of Dupond's own book. In 1990 he invited étoiles from the previous 40-odd years to participate in the season's défilé. Someone had the very bright idea of inviting former étoiles to join this défilé, homage to a one-off. The only étoiles of this century missing were Josua Hoffalt (no idea), Kader Belarbi (hem hem), Aurélie Dupont and Jérémie Bélingard (family issues according to her public Instagram), and Benjamin Pech (opening his La Bayadère in Rome). I do not normally "approve" of audience-posted videos but the wonderful Emmanuel Thibault posted a video on Instagram of the full 10+ minutes of the anciennes étoiles being introduced and taking their bows. Dominique Khalfouni must have been on stage with her two children for the first time since they were tiny tots! I hadn't realised she too was named étoile before having reached première danseuse, 28 years before her son Mathieu Ganio achieved the same distinction.

Balanchine had links with the Paris Opera Ballet, notably in 1947 when he created the original version of Symphony in C (initially called Le Palais de Cristal) and mounted Apollo, Serenade and a lesser known work. In the '70s, over 3 seasons, he mounted other major works, including Prodigal Son and Agon on the company. Subsequently other staff from New York City Ballet mounted other works but it is only in this season that the company has danced Ballet Imperial and Who Cares. I saw the twelfth and thirteenth performance of that double bill. A friend who had been to a performance at the start of the run had been very disappointed by the standard of dancing. By the time I saw them they had settled more into the ballets but even so I was surprised that the dancers hadn't sufficiently mastered the Balanchine style and attack, given the company's long exposure to his ballets - and that the redoubtable Patricia Neary was one of the rehearsal directors. The most memorable episode of the first performance was at the curtain call when the Opera director came on stage with the new Director of Dance, Jose Martinez, to announce not one but two promotions to the etoile status (principal). The first was to Hannah O'Neill, a dancer trained in Japan, then Australian Ballet School, who has danced in Paris for nearly 13 years, who was given many interesting roles until Aurelie Dupont became director. She seemed taken by surprise at the announcement but her partner, Marc Moreau, who was very supportive of her, seemed flabbergasted when it came to his turn, bursting into tears and finding it hard to compose himself. Whilst he's a dancer I've always admired, being very versatile, adaptable for all types of ballet, not least contemporary, a solid performer, he was never an obvious candidate for the highest classical status, although he deserves it for his contribution to the company. Neither of them was originally cast in that performance of Ballet Imperial, being late substitutes, which also added to the surprise element. He couldn't even celebrate straight away as after the interval he had to burst on the stage in the main male role in Who Cares. He partnered the three female dancers (Marine Ganio, who also seems to be given more roles under Martinez; Silvia Saint Martin; Heloise Bourdon) well enough but the next night Mathieu Ganio had more panache. Neither came close to the former NYCB dancer, Sean Lavery., who made it his own. The soloists in both performances danced well but didn't have the necessary attack while the female corps dancers in the first part of the ballet were merely decorative, the men fared better as the choreography is faster for them. The decor and costumes are different from City Ballet's, less jazzy costumes and the skyscrapers are more vertical but move after each dance. Ballet Imperial disappointed a little, too. Partly the music was played too slowly- like that for so many ballets nowadays, Although the ballet is primarily a tribute to Russian classical ballet it should still have New York undertones, with speed and tension. which slow music undermines. The women principals, O'Neill and Bourdon, shaped their movements well but Auric Bezard was no more impressive than at the Etoiles gala, seemingly bored and sometimes a bit late in his partnering. At least the company did the tutu version, which looks so much more imperial and classical than the tunic version called Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No 2. Tonight there will be a 'Live' showing in cinemas so it may come out as a video some time. Despite my slight disappointment it was at least good to see some Balanchine and not just the whole or parts of Jewels which many companies seem to rely on. It is good that BRB will be doing Apollo in the summer- I hope Desmond Kelly will be able to coach it as he was one of Britain's best Apollos. And we wait to see what the next RB season offers. One of the black and white ballets such as Agon or Four Temperaments would be great and one of the classical ballets, Symphony in C or Serenade would be wonderful. One can only dream.

I'm sure many of us would be interested in Forum members' reports on/impressions of the Paris production 🙏 I know if I were in Europe right now I'd be doing my best to ensure I saw at least one performance by every cast in both London and Paris...and I'm reading with such admiration and envy the reports of Vadim Muntagirov as Rudolf.

Jose Martinez has been named as the new director

The Paris Opera has launched its digital offering - not just ballet, but opera, concerts, etc.: L'OPÉRA CHEZ SOI, A RANGE OF PRODUCTIONS ON REQUEST The Opera invites itself into your home with its new video on demand platforml'Opéra chez soi. On the programme, performances includingthe great works of the opera and ballet repertoire at affordable prices, as well as concerts, documentaries and short films from the 3e Scène, available free of charge. The offer is enriched over the months by new recordings of operas and ballets, concerts by the Orchestra, the Chorus and the Academy, tocontinue to bring the artistic season live from the Opéra Bastille and the Palais Garnier. Everything has been thought out so that you can enjoy performances in the best possible conditions, thanks to optimal sound and image quality. Settle down comfortably and enjoy the Opera at:chezsoi.operadeparis.fr An image designed by the Bronx Agency, based on a picture by Agathe Poupeney from l’Enfant et les sortilèges featuring Ilanah Lobel-Torres (La Bergère). L’ombre en lumière L’ombre en lumière is a tribute to all the people who embody culture and shape it...A France Info programme. WATCH The Source A legendary and fantastical Persiabecomes the backdrop of the thwarted love triangle... RENT 7€90 Samson and Dalila Conducted by Philippe Jordan, this new production brings back a repertoire masterpiece that has not been performed at the Paris Opera for twenty-five years. RENT 7€90 Tercentenary of the French Dance School Echoing the Tercentenary of the French Dance School, the Paris Opera Ballet School’s performance combines tradition and modernity. RENT 7€90 With the support of: I think I really must see La Source.

Is there a thread for the 2022 SI at POBS? I can't find one.

Hello to everyone who might have some information or experience on the best (aka most economical) way of buying tickets for the PoB. I am keen to see the Ashton / Bausch / eyal triple in December but have left it a bit late it seems on the ticket front and the only remaining tickets are in the 100 euro plus brackets! Is there a forum like this (or other resource, eg. Friday rush like at the RB) where one can find more reasonably priced tickets? MERCI in advance for any info ❤️

I have the brochure for the new season. Ballets are: Play (Ekman) Le Rouge et le Noir (Lacotte) Rhapsody (Ashton) / l'Après-midi d'un Faune (Eyal) / Rite of Spring (after Nijinsky) Don Quixote Body and Soul (Pite) Uprising / In your rooms (Schechter) La Bayadère Carmen / Another Place / Bolero (Ek) Midsummer Night's Dream (Balanchine) Giselle I know we haven't had the official announcement but as the news is very much out there to previous subscribers (with no caveats!) I hope it's OK to post this.

The streaming of "Le Rouge et le Noir” by Pierre Lacotte from Opera de Paris is still available. Hurry up, it may end soon. https://my.mail.ru/mail/viktorlaskin/video/_myvideo/63543.html

Wow - that was quite a powerful, deeply touching Defile from POB! Row and rows of masked performers walking towards an empty auditorium, as the glorious orchestra plays the Berlioz march. Usually there’s wild applause as each etoile steps forward...usually a huge ovation at the end. What fortitude of the participants to put this on for their citizens and the world!

POB list of streaming performances, again apologies if this has already been posted I couldn't find it when I searched. https://www.operadeparis.fr/en/news/performances-of-the-paris-opera-to-rediscover-online?fbclid=IwAR2897HpAQ5h9NiZPnN7BoT-1TQ0gfcv2arLRxKbXfmrtdug2UjEeoKXlYY At the bottom of the page they say this: "Due to currently unreleased rights, some of these broadcasts are geo-blocked for some territories. The Paris Opera is working on enlarging its broadcasting area." I also can't find a link to donate to POB, has anyone found one yet? If so could you post it, thanks

Paris Opera & Ballet will be screening various operas and ballets in the coming weeks. If I understand correctly available via www.operadeparis.fr https://www.lefigaro.fr/musique/l-opera-de-paris-met-en-ligne-gratuitement-ses-spectacles-pendant-le-confinement-20200316?fbclid=IwAR1g9tgzOGTs8qnxrrnb_tsfVOFfL-yDXGHTC0dFVqgmGKaQkf1r4VlJPq0