Created in 1997 for the Paris Opera Ballet, this work was born out of the painter Olivier Debré’s desire to paint a series of abstract tableaux: evocations of that primordial sign, the smile. Taking these flamboyant painted scenes as her starting point, representing different places in the world like so many different emotional states and humours, the choreographer Carolyn Carlson sets her dancers in motion to an original score by René Aubry and gives life to a dreamlike piece.A ballet that has since become a cult work in the Paris Opera repertoire, Signes embodies the links between painting, music and dance and extends them to the stage.The Étoiles, the Premières Danseuses, the Premiers Danseurs and the Paris Opera Corps de BalletWith the support of the Orange Foundation, sponsor of the Paris Opera's audiovisual broadcasts.© Opéra national de Paris - 2023 Picture: © Agathe Poupeney / OnP

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BA_Signes

Signes

Created in 1997 for the Paris Opera Ballet, this work was born out of the painter Olivier Debré’s desire to paint a series of abstract tableaux: evocations of that primordial sign, the smile. Taking these flamboyant painted scenes as her starting poi

Carolyn Carlson

The final work of a life utterly devoted to dance, La Bayadère by Rudolf Nureyev has become one of the jewels of the Paris Opera Ballet’s repertoire. First performed in 1992, La Bayadère recounts the ill-fated loves of the dancer Nikiya and the noble warrior Solor, promised to the redoubtable Gamzatti, in an imaginary India complete with elephants, tigers and palanquins.Rudolf Nureyev adapted the choreography by Marius Petipa – to music by Ludwig Minkus – restructuring it to include virtuosi variations and large‑scale ensemble movements. The celebrated Royaume des Ombres (Kingdom of Shadows) in Act III is considered to be one of the summits of choreographic art.Unfailingly popular at the Paris Opera, the spectacular richness of Ezio Frigerio’s decors and costumes by Franca Squarciapino make La Bayadère a flamboyant spectacle. The Etoiles, the Premiers Danseurs and the Paris Opera Corps de Ballet The Paris Opera OrchestraUne production de l’Opéra national de ParisDirector: Isabelle Julien © Opéra national de Paris - 2020 Picture: © Little Shao / OnP

<ul><li>Solor: A noble and valiant warrior from the Indian kingdom of Golconda. He is in love with Nikiya.</li><li>Nikiya: Temple dancer and guardian of the Temple’s sacred fire. She is in love with Solor.</li><li>The High Brahmin: High priest of the temple. He is secretly in love with Nikiya.</li><li>The Rajah of Golconda: Monarch of the kingdom, father of Gamzatti. He wants her to marry Solor.</li><li>Gamzatti: The daughter of the Rajah of Golconda and Solor’s fiancée.</li><li>The Kshatriyas: Friends of Solor and members of the caste holding temporal power.</li><li>The Slave: Dances with Nikiya at the betrothal of Gamzatti and Solor.</li><li>Aiya: Gamzatti’s servant.</li><li>The Golden Idol: Incarnation evoking the god Shiva, holding the position of the lotus flower.</li><li>The Shades: The ghosts of dead bayadères.</li></ul>

Live Bayadere

La Bayadère

The final work of a life utterly devoted to dance, La Bayadère by Rudolf Nureyev has become one of the jewels of the Paris Opera Ballet’s repertoire. First performed in 1992, La Bayadère recounts the ill-fated loves of the dancer Nikiya and the noble

Rudolf Noureev

In Swan Lake, Tchaikovsky took up the legend of the immaculate bird to create some of the most beautiful music ever written for ballet. The choreographers Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov left their distinguished mark on this story of an impossible love between an earthly prince and a bird‑princess, refashioning the myth of the swan‑dancer, the ultimate ballerina.When creating his version for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1984, Rudolf Nureyev chose to give it a Freudian dimension, illuminating Tchaikovsky’s poetic dream through a sense of profound hopelessness. The Paris Opera Corps de Ballet The Paris Opera OrchestraA co-production by the Paris Opera and Telmondis, with the participation of France Télévisions, and the support of the CNC and the Orange Foundation, patron of the Paris Opera's audiovisual broadcasts.Director: François-René Martin © Opéra national de Paris – Telmondis – 2019 Picture: © Julien Benhamou / OnP

<ul><li>Siegfried: Young prince in love with Odette, he swears fidelity to her and seeks to save her from her curse. Unfortunately he is deceived by Rothbart and Odile.</li><li>Odette: Young princess transformed into a swan by Rothbart, only eternal love can free her.</li><li>Odile: Rothbart’s daughter, she takes the appearance of Odette to trick Siegfried.</li><li>Rothbart: A huge bird of prey, he transforms young women into swans and prevents Siegfried and Odette’s union.</li><li>Wolfgang: The Prince’s tutor, he mysteriously disappears when Rothbart appears.</li></ul>

DSC_6405 (c) Julien Benhamou - OnP

Swan Lake (2018)

Swan Lake (season 18/19)

In Swan Lake, Tchaikovsky took up the legend of the immaculate bird to create some of the most beautiful music ever written for ballet. The choreographers Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov left their distinguished mark on this story of an impossible love 

Rudolf Nureyev

Filled with eerie images on the border of reality and dream, Jiří Kylián's work blends oneirism and wry humour. Set to music by John Cage and Anton Webern, Stepping Stones pays tribute to the memory and heritage of dance. On stage, Egyptian cats are the guardians of tradition.Three new pieces by Kylián enter the Ballet's repertoire this season. Petite Mort poetically explores the double theme of death: the lesser one symbolising orgasm and the greater one that brings life to a close. Pas de deux and swordplay alternate against a backdrop of Mozart concertos.Sechs Tänze extends the Mozartian universe and caricatures it in a series of dances with a quirky sense of humour, while Gods and Dogs explores the borderline between normality and madness: when dogs become gods and vice versa. In a midnight blue light, the dancers perform in front of delicate strings that recall those of a Beethoven quartet. The Étoiles, the Premières Danseuses, the Premiers Danseurs and the Paris Opera Corps de Ballet Recorded music   Director: Floris Bernard Production exécutive BEL AIR MEDIA © Opéra national de Paris - 2023

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Stepping Stones (Jiri Kylian) © Icare - OnP 7924-7 2004

Jiří Kylián

Filled with eerie images on the border of reality and dream, Jiří Kylián's work blends oneirism and wry humour. Set to music by John Cage and Anton Webern, Stepping Stones pays tribute to the memory and heritage of dance. On stage, Egyptian cats are 

Stepping Stones, Gods and Dogs, Petite Mort, Sechs Tänze

Drawing on ancient Slavic and Norse mythology where destiny is often born out of the mysterious forces of nature, Swan Lake has become a legend in its own right. Tchaikovsky’s first ballet score is imbued with a deep sense of nostalgia, echoing the composer’s own experience of love as elusive as it was impossible.However the work remained misunderstood until 1895 when Marius Petipa undertook his own choreographic interpretation. With the help of Lev Ivanov, Petipa created majestic figures for the female corps de ballet and breathed life into the swan‑dancer.In Rudolf Nureyev’s “Freudian” version, conceived for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1984, Prince Siegfried, manipulated by the evil Rothbart, shuns the realities of power and marriage to take refuge in dreams where a magic lake symbolizing idealised love appears to him.Nureyev elevated the role of the prince to that of the heroine by giving him a deeper psychological dimension whilst opting to give this masterly action ballet a tragic denouement more in tune with its musical substance. The Etoiles, the Premiers Danseurs and the Paris Opera Corps de Ballet The Paris Opera OrchestraA co-production of the Paris National Opera and François Roussillon et Associés, with the participation of Medici.tv / MUSEEC, the support of the Orange Foundation, patron of the Paris National Opera's audiovisual broadcasts, and with the assistance of the Centre National du Cinéma et de l'image animée.Director: François Roussillon © Opéra national de Paris - François Roussillon et Associés - 2016Picture: © Svetlana Loboff / OnP

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Le Lac des cygnes

Swan Lake

Bastille salle

Performance at the Opera Bastille, from 21 June to 14 July 2024

Drawing on ancient Slavic and Norse mythology where destiny is often born out of the mysterious forces of nature, Swan Lake has become a legend in its own right. Tchaikovsky’s first ballet score is imbued with a deep sense of nostalgia, echoing the c

Swan Lake (2016)

Guided by a strange voice under the flickering light of a flush-fitting ceiling lamp, two men observe one another and then confront each other. This duo soon becomes a crowd, a swell, which comes alive to the rhythm of Chopin’s preludes. Crystal Pite’s second creation for the Paris Opera Ballet, Body and Soul serves up waves of words and gestures which form the material for a secret narrative. Through the movement of the dancers, the words of a woman never cease to manifest themselves, like a duet between body and soul. Exploring the theme of mourning and bereavement, the Canadian choreographer presents the conflicting urges and impulses that challenge the unity of each of us. In a mysterious twilight awash with sound effects, this dramatically powerful three-act ballet progresses, not without humour, towards an exuberant and stimulating finale.  Les Étoiles, les Premiers Danseurs et le Corps de Ballet de l’OpéraWith the participation of France Télévisions, the support of the ORANGE Foundation, patron of the Paris Opera's audiovisual broadcasts, and the Centre National du Cinéma et de l'image animée. A co-production of the Opéra national de Paris and La Belle TéléDirector: Tommy PascalOpéra national de Paris - La Belle Télé - 2020 Visuals © Julien Benhamou / OnP

Body and Soul

Guided by a strange voice under the flickering light of a flush-fitting ceiling lamp, two men observe one another and then confront each other. This duo soon becomes a crowd, a swell, which comes alive to the rhythm of Chopin’s preludes. Crystal Pite

Crystal Pite

In this production created for the Opera Ballet in 1984, Rudolf Nureyev opted for powerful dramatization. Splendour and violence, truculence and beauty mingle, rekindling the passion of Shakespeare’s drama.Scrupulously adhering to Prokofiev’s score, itself very close to the play, the choreographer produced a version of Romeo and Juliet in which “the young boy becomes a man” opposite a passionate Juliet who, barely out of childhood, also tragically enters womanhood. Their love cannot be openly declared, as their respective families, the Montagues and the Capulets, are locked into an ancestral feud...Inspired by the Italian Renaissance, the sumptuous sets and costumes by Ezio Frigerio and Mauro Pagano transport us to a painstakingly recreated Verona. The Étoiles, the Premiers Danseurs and the Paris Opera Corps de Ballet The Paris Opera OrchestraA coproduction Opéra national de Paris and La Belle Télé With the participation of France Télévisions, the support of the ORANGE Foundation, patron of the Paris Opera's audiovisual broadcasts and Chanel, patron of the Paris Opera Ballet, as well as the Centre National du Cinéma et de l'image animée The Paris Opera thanks the donors of the Romeo and Juliet recording for their generous support.Director: Nathan Benisty © Opéra national de Paris – La Belle Télé – 2021Picture: © Agathe Poupeney / OnP

<ul><li>Romeo: A son of the House of Montague. Initially in love with Rosaline, he becomes enamoured with Juliet at the Capulets’ ball</li><li>Juliet: A daughter of the House of Capulet. She is betrothed to Paris but in love with Romeo</li><li>Tybalt: Juliet’s cousin. He is killed by Romeo to avenge the death of his friend Mercutio</li><li>Mercutio: A friend of Romeo. He is killed by Tybalt</li><li>Benvolio: A friend and cousin of Romeo</li><li>Rosaline: Romeo’s first love, albeit unrequited</li><li>Paris: A young Lord of Verona, in love with Juliet. He dies by Romeo’s hand in Juliet’s tomb</li><li>Lord Capulet: The head of the House of Capulet</li><li>Lady Capulet: The wife of Lord Capulet</li><li>The Nursemaid: Juliet’s confidante</li><li>Friar Laurence: A monk and Romeo’s confessor. He secretly marries the two lovers</li></ul>

Roméo et Juliette

Romeo and Juliet

In this production created for the Opera Ballet in 1984, Rudolf Nureyev opted for powerful dramatization. Splendour and violence, truculence and beauty mingle, rekindling the passion of Shakespeare’s drama. Scrupulously adhering to Prokofiev’s score,

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

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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

Four contemporary choreographers come together for a programme that leads the Opera’s dancers to a new form of modernity where bodies vibrate with intensity.To open the evening, James Thierrée takes over the public areas of the Palais Garnier and introduces us to his dream-like world. Canada’s Crystal Pite returns with The Seasons’ Canon, a dazzling creation that thrilled audiences at the Palais Garnier last season. Spain’s Iván Pérez occupies the stage of the Opera for the first time with a creation for ten male dancers. To conclude the evening, Israel’s Hofesh Shechter, often lauded for his telluric, trance-evoking dances, offers a new version of his piece The Art of Not Looking Back.

 Les Étoiles, les Premiers Danseurs et le Corps de Ballet

A co-production of the Paris Opera, BEL AIR MEDIA and ARTE France With the support of the Orange Foundation, patron of the Paris Opera's audiovisual broadcasts, and the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animéeDirectors: Cédric Klapisch, Miguel Octave © Opéra national de Paris – Bel Air Media / France 2018Picture: © Agathe Poupeney / OnP

Soirée Thierrée / Shechter / Pérez / Pite

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Performance of The Seasons' Canon by Noureyev at the Palais Garnier, from 23 September to 12 October 2023

Four contemporary choreographers come together for a programme that leads the Opera’s dancers to a new form of modernity where bodies vibrate with intensity. To open the evening, James Thierrée takes over the public areas of the Palais Garnier and in

Thierrée / Shechter / Pérez / Pite

Thierrée / Shechter / Pérez / Pite Evening

Watch online Étoile dancer Hannah O'Neill perform in a selection of classical and contemporary ballets: Signes by Carolyn Carlson (principal soloist), La Bayadère (3rd shade), Swan Lake (Pas de trois, Spanish dance), Stepping Stones by Jiří Kylián, Body and Soul by Crystal Pite, Roméo et Juliette (Rosaline), Vaslaw by John Neumeier, and The Art of Not Looking Back by Hofesh Shechter.

Watch online Étoile dancer Hannah O'Neill perform in a selection of classical and contemporary ballets: Signes by Carolyn Carlson (principal soloist),