The search for the next Paris Opéra Director

[The Sitter In]

And so the search begins to replace Aurélie Dupont.  Indications are that someone will be in post by the beginning of the season.  Much turmoil in Paris with rumours flying.  Perhaps the next director might have a stronger belief in ballet as an art form and focus on the heritage French repertoire a little.  Lifar has been absent from the Garnier for so long.

[alison]

Beginning of the season seems incredibly quick ...

[Sim]

3 hours ago, The Sitter In said:

  Perhaps the next director might have a stronger belief in ballet as an art form and focus on the heritage French repertoire a little.  

Let's hope so...

[miliosr]

4 hours ago, The Sitter In said:

Perhaps the next director might have a stronger belief in ballet as an art form and focus on the heritage French repertoire a little.  Lifar has been absent from the Garnier for so long.

You never know but I wouldn't hold out hope. From the Opera's July 5th press release about the recruitment process:

RECRUITMENT PROCESS FOR THE POSITION OF DIRECTOR OF DANCE AT THE OPÉRA NATIONAL DE PARIS - Opéra national de Paris (operadeparis.fr)

 

The selection committee:

"To support him in the choice of the next incumbent, Alexander Neef, Director General of the Paris Opera, decided to rely on the advice of a selection committee, chaired by Bernard Stirn, Honorary Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Paris Opera and member of the Institute, and composed of Carolyn Carlson, Charles Jude and Angelin Preljocaj." (Carlson and Preljocaj have long associations with the house but only Jude came up through the ranks and became an etoile.)

 

And:

"Since then, the Opera Ballet has continued its development and remains a hotbed of creation. Its repertoire is very extensive, ranging from the great classical ballets of Petipa remounted by Rudolf Nureyev to the works of Diaghilev's Ballets Russes through neoclassical ballets (George Balanchine, Serge Lifar, Kenneth MacMillan, Roland Petit, Jerome Robbins, John Neumeier, John Cranko) and contemporary creations (Pina Bausch, Maurice Béjart, Carolyn Carlson, Angelin Preljocaj, Mats Ek, William Forsythe, Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker, Sasha Waltz, Jiri Kylián)." [Bolded my emphasis]

 

And:

"The Paris Opera is approaching the twenty-first century with a varied repertoire, rich in a long tradition. It was able to preserve this precious heritage, while opening his doors to a new generation of choreographers (Hofesh Shechter, Sharon Eyal, Wayne McGregor, Crystal Pite, Alexander Ekman) in order to establish a balance between heritage and creation." [Again, bolded my emphasis]

 

The reality of the Paris Opera Ballet is that it's a hybrid company - part classical, part contemporary. Taking it back to being an exclusively classical company would be a long-term project. And time is the enemy of any director as, historically, the position of Paris Opera Ballet Director is an uncertain one.

Edited August 4, 2022 by miliosr

[Pas de Quatre]

They are a very large company and have two major venues, Palais Garnier the original Paris Opera House, and Opera Bastille. So they have more scope to dance both traditional and new choreography.

[Silver Capricorn]

13 hours ago, Pas de Quatre said:

They are a very large company and have two major venues, Palais Garnier the original Paris Opera House, and Opera Bastille. So they have more scope to dance both traditional and new choreography.

Yes, it is a large company and the soloists and choir are of a high standard. Before the holidays, they presented Giselle at the Palais Garnier and Balanchin's A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Opera Bastille simultaneously in one evening. I was lucky enough to see both performances (in two evenings, of course) and they were both great.

[FionaM]

On 05/08/2022 at 07:17, Silver Capricorn said:

Yes, it is a large company and the soloists and choir are of a high standard. Before the holidays, they presented Giselle at the Palais Garnier and Balanchin's A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Opera Bastille simultaneously in one evening. I was lucky enough to see both performances (in two evenings, of course) and they were both great.

which other company could perform two full length ballets on the same night?

 

The Bolshoi do have 2 stages and plenty of dancers to do it, but I think they alternate ballet between the two stages.  

[capybara]

The Mariinsky also has two stages and occasional double programming, I think.