Paris Opera Ballet: an evening to cross two centuries

Here is an evening with perfect balance, which links the 20th and 21st centuries in three dates: 1913, 1980 and 2021. 1913: At the Champs-Élysées theater and under the hoots, the Ballets Russes gave

choreographed by Vaslav Nijinsky.

Today, this work has entered the repertoire of the Paris Opera.

Logically: the Opera had already included in its repertoire the choreography of Maurice Béjart, that of Pina Bausch and that of Paul Taylor.

We understand with this return to its origins how this work, poorly understood when it was created, influenced the world of dance.

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The

of 1913 which the Opera takes over is, unlike other versions which are circulating, validated by the Vaslav and Romola Nijinsky Succession foundation, which ensures the proper use of this dancer's heritage. Other dates in two stages 2021, in reference to 1912 where, also under the hoots but at the Théâtre du Châtelet, Nijinski interpreted the Afternoon of a Faun. At the end of this short ballet, Nijinsky mimed love with a piece of cloth lying on the floor. This ballet, to music by Debussy, has become one of the pillars of 20th century dance. In 2021, the Paris Opera ballet is betting on entrusting a recreation of this mythical work to Sharon Eyal and her husband Gai Behar, Israeli choreographers very much in tune with the times. The name chosen for this revisited work,

, is an explicit reference to the animal gestures desired by Ninjinski. However, the name is not enough to arouse the emotion experienced by the work when it was created. Sharon and Gai play on minimalism, with a stage without decoration and the uniqueness of the costumes for the dancers. The chosen gesture, very earthy, sometimes awkward, alters the sensuality, without however erasing it entirely. We are very far from some of the somewhat show-off works of this choreographer and the conceptual side of this recreation was greatly appreciated by the public at the Palais Garnier.

Last date 1980: with the fireworks that represents

, the choreography of Frederick Ashton on the eponymous music of Sergei Rachmaninoff.

premiered at the Royal Opera House in London.

The costumes and sumptuous sets were signed by Patrick Caulfield.

The impeccable aestheticism of the work demands that it be performed by a high-level troupe, such as the Paris Opera Ballet: pointes for girls, jumps and drums for boys.

The whole is adjusted to the millimeter and the second, and therefore unfolds with extraordinary fluidity.

This very large neo-classical ballet marries the music to perfection.

In short, better than an evening, a journey through time.

Opéra Garnier until January 2