“When I recreate a ballet, I search for the fragrance of the period”, said dancer and choreographer Pierre Lacotte, who died in 2023. In Paquita, that perfume is the heady scent of Spain, mixed with elegant French fragrances.In the Valley of the Bulls, near Saragossa occupied by Napoleon’s armies, Paquita, a young gypsy girl, refuses the advances of an aristocrat, Lucien d’Hervilly, because of her modest condition. But when she saves him from a plot hatched by the Spanish governor, she discovers that her origins are far nobler than she thought… Pierre Lacotte, a lover of the Romantic repertoire, reconstructed Joseph Mazilier’s ballet in 2001. The work had enchanted Théophile Gautier when it premiered at the Paris Opera in 1846 but gradually fell into oblivion despite Marius Petipa’s new version in 1882. With its sumptuous sets and costumes, his Paquita portrays a picturesque Spain combining mime and characterful dances with dazzingly vivacious virtuoso technique.

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Paquita

“When I recreate a ballet, I search for the fragrance of the period”, said dancer and choreographer Pierre Lacotte, who died in 2023. In Paquita, that perfume is the heady scent of Spain, mixed with elegant French fragrances. In the Valley of the Bul

Pierre Lacotte

La Fille mal gardée recounts the triumph of thwarted love thanks to cunning. This ballet-pantomime, created by Jean Dauberval in July 1789 at the Grand-Théâtre de Bordeaux, has inspired many choreographers throughout history with its childlike universe and its lighthearted vision of the peasant world. In 1960, the English choreographer Frederick Ashton's virtuoso and humorous version set roosters, old ladies and umbrellas dancing. A gallery of irresistible characters perform to the sound of popular songs and opera buffa arias. A fine example of the "ballet d'action" theorised in 1760 by Jean-Georges Noverre, a choreographic genre that emphasises expressiveness, La Fille mal gardée dazzles and entertains thanks to its sheer freshness. Bet it in the farmyard or the cornfield, the hearts of Lise and Colas search for and eventually find each other. In the manner of a musical, the original script, reworked by Ashton, carries us away with its whimsy and smiles. Les Étoiles, les Premières Danseuses, les Premiers Danseurs et le Corps de Ballet de l’Opéra Orchestre de l’Opéra national de Paris

Lise Colas Widow SimoneThomas: Alain’s father Alain: The suitor A dancer with a flute The Rooster The Notary His assistant Four Hens Lise’s friends Colas’ friends Two Peasants Male and Female dancers

La Fille mal gardée (season 23/24) - Léonore Baulac, Guillaume Diop

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La Fille mal gardée (c) Francette Levieux -OnP

La Fille mal gardée

La Fille mal gardée recounts the triumph of thwarted love thanks to cunning. This ballet-pantomime, created by Jean Dauberval in July 1789 at the Grand-Théâtre de Bordeaux, has inspired many choreographers throughout history with its childlike univer

Frederick Ashton

In homage to Patrick Dupond, who passed away in 2021, the Paris Opera Ballet celebrates the artist who, throughout a dazzling and luminous career, embodied the face of the Company on every continent. Internationally renowned, trained at the Opera’s Ballet School, dancer Étoile in 1980, then Director of Dance at the Paris Opera from 1990 to 1995, Patrick Dupond danced and shone for the major choreographers of his time. Études is a virtuoso synthesis of classical technique: with this ballet, dear to his heart, and which he often programmed as the Company’s director, the Paris Opera pays tribute to this immense figure of dance.Béjart’s Le Chant du compagnon errant (Song of the Wandering Companion) is a moving “pas de deux” that Patrick Dupond danced with his great friend Jean‑Marie Didière as well as with Nureyev. Neumeier’s Vaslaw, a work constructed around Patrick Dupond, celebrates the memory of another great dancer, Nijinsky.  With the Paris Opera Étoiles, Premières Danseuses, Premiers Danseurs and Corps de BalletDirector: Isabelle Julien © Opéra national de Paris - Bel Air Media - 2023

DUPOND2223_GALA_0221_1033_ETUDES_Harald Lander_Guillaume Diop (c) Yonathan Kellerman OnP

Tribute to Patrick Dupond_trailer

Tribute to Patrick Dupond

In homage to Patrick Dupond, who passed away in 2021, the Paris Opera Ballet celebrates the artist who, throughout a dazzling and luminous career, embodied the face of the Company on every continent.  Internationally renowned, trained at the Opera’s 

Études / Le Chant du compagnon errant / Vaslaw

Scaramouche, was created in 2005 by José Martinez for the School’s youngest pupils. The work, conveyed by the imagination of the children, joyfully revives the troubadour spirit of the Commedia dell’arte.The film director created a mix of fiction and recorded performances.A co-production ARTE France, Opéra national de Paris and François Roussillon et Associés With the support of the Orange Foundation, patron of the Paris Opera's audiovisual broadcasts and with the assistance of the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animéeDirector: François Roussillon © ARTE France - Opéra national de Paris - François Roussillon et Associés - 2014Picture: © Francette Levieux / OnP

Les Enfants de Scaramouche

Les Enfants de Scaramouche_trailer

Scaramouche, was created in 2005 by José Martinez for the School’s youngest pupils. The work, conveyed by the imagination of the children, joyfully revives the troubadour spirit of the Commedia dell’arte. The film director created a mix of fiction an

José Martinez

Watch online a selection of ballets performed by Guillaume Diop, Étoile dancer of the Paris Opera Ballet company.

Thématique POP - 5

Watch online a selection of ballets performed by Guillaume Diop, Étoile dancer of the Paris Opera Ballet company. 