Act I

Act II

Act III

Act IV

_DSC4187_1-© E. Bauer_OnP

Stories - Swan Lake

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

Born on board the Trans-Siberian Railway not far from Lake Baikal, Rudolf Nureyev (1938-1993) first learnt traditional folk dancing in Oufa (Bashkiria). He saw his first ballet at the Oufa Opera at the age of seven, however, he did not officially begin training as a dancer until he was fifteen. Two years later, he continued his studies at the Vaganova School in Leningrad during which time he was tutored by dance master Alexander Pushkin from 1955 to 1958. The following year he was accepted into the Corps de ballet of the Kirov Theatre where he soon became a soloist. During one of the troupe’s tours of Western Europe, Nureyev made his debut on the stage of the Palais Garnier on May 15, 1961 for a dress rehearsal of Sleeping Beauty. He would also cause a sensation by performing in the Act featuring the Kingdom of the Shades in La Bayadère three days after seeking political asylum from French customs and immigration officers at Le Bourget Airport on May 16, 1961 after the powers that be at the Kirov had decided to send him back to Moscow without allowing him to continue on the Ballet’s tour to London. As a result, Paris remained a city of great symbolic value for him. He ultimately became the director of the Paris Opera Ballet from 1983 to 1989 after having danced for numerous companies (including the Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas and London’s Royal Ballet) and having created Tancrède (Vienna Opera, 1966) and Manfred (Paris Opera, 1979). The Paris Opera Ballet’s repertoire would be enriched by his reinterpretations of Marius Petipa’s choreographic masterpieces. These would include Don Quichotte (1981), Raymonda (1983), Swan Lake (1984), Romeo and Juliet (1984), The Nutcracker (1985), Cinderella (1986), Sleeping Beauty (1989) and La Bayadère (1992). The status accorded a male dancer, which in ballet had been greatly undermined since the 19th century, gained new importance in his works. Nureyev also created a number of contemporary ballets including The Tempest (1984), Bach Suite (1984) and Washington Square (1985). He also offered an extremely diverse contemporary repertoire (Frederick Ashton, Rudi van Dantzig, Roland Petit, Maurice Béjart, George Balanchine, Glen Tetley, Martha Graham, Murray Louis, Jerome Robbins, Bob Wilson, Paul Taylor, Hans van Manen, Lucinda Childs, Twyla Tharp, and William Forsythe). Finally, he began a new tradition at the Paris Opera by naming the new Etoiles on stage at the end of a performance in the presence of the audience. The stage of the Palais Garnier had great significance for him: he would salute his audience there for the last time at the end of a performance of La Bayadère on October 8, 1992. His funeral in January 1993 would also be honoured at the Palais Garnier. Rudolf Nureyev was a Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur (1988) and a Commandeur des Arts et Lettres (1992).

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born in 1840 in Votkinsk, a small town in the Urals. While studying law in Saint Petersburg, he took music classes at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory under composer and pianist Anton Rubinstein. In 1866, pianist Nikolaï Rubinstein, Anton’s brother, offered him a position as harmony teacher at the Moscow Conservatory. There, he met playwright Ostrovski who wrote his first opera libretto, The Voyevoda, and composed his first symphony. In 1876, Tchaikovsky initiated a sustained correspondence with Nadejda von Meck, a wealthy widow and great admirer of his music. Though they only wrote to each other and never met, she became his patroness for the next 13 years, which allowed him to focus exclusively on composition. In 1877, hoping to ease the inner conflicts caused by his homosexuality, he married Antonina Miliukova, one of his former students at the Moscow Conservatory, but the marriage was a disaster and left the composer on the verge of suicide. By 1880, Tchaikovsky had become famous: regarded as the ultimate nationalist musician, Tchaikosky spent his time between composition, numerous travels and a small estate he bought in the countryside. In 1891, he traveled to the United States and conducted several of his works at the inaugural concert of Carnegie Hall. He died in 1893 in Saint Petersburg. Although the official cause was cholera, many speculations were made about his death and some even thought of suicide. Tchaikovsky was an eclectic composer. A brilliant orchestrator, with a fine sense of melody, he composed in every musical genre, though he was particularly acknowledged for his symphonic works (the First Piano Concerto is one of the most played concertos in the world). He changed the way musicians regarded ballet by bringing a symphonic touch to a genre before seen as “inferior”. Mostly known in France for his ballets (Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker) and symphonies, Tchaikovsky composed a dozen operas (The Voyevoda, Iolanta, The Oprichnik, Vakula the Smith…). Among them, only Eugene Onegin and The Queen of Spades made their marks as long-lasted successes in Europe.

2005 : Enters the Paris Opera Ballet School.

2008 : Joins the Corps de ballet.

2014 : Becomes a “Coryphée”. She receives the Prix AROP de la Danse.

2015 : She is made a “Sujet”.

2016 : She is promoted to “Première danseuse”. On Decembre 31st 2017, Léonore Baulac is made an « Étoile » following a performance of Swan Lake (Noureev) in which she performed the role of Odette / Odile.

Léonore Baulac (c)James Bort OnP

2005 : Enters the Paris Opera Ballet School.2011 : Joins the Paris Opera Corps de Ballet.2013 : Prix de la Danse du Cercle Carpeaux.2014 : Promoted to « Coryphée ».2015 : Promoted to « Sujet ».2016 : He is made « Premier Danseur ». Prix AROP de la Danse.Germain Louvet is made an « Étoile » on December 28th 2014, following a performance of Swan Lake (Rudolf Noureyev) in which he performed the role of Siegfried.As part of the Paris Opera Ballet tours, Germain Louvet performs in Spain (Madrid, 2019), in Asia (Singapour and Shanghai, 2019) and in Japan (Tokyo, 2020).

2019_08_OPERA_DE_PARIS_08_0109_GERMAIN_LOUVET_2023

2004 :&nbsp;Enters the Paris Opera Ballet School.
2010 :&nbsp;Joins the Paris Opera Corps de Ballet.2012 :&nbsp;Promoted to « Coryphée ». AROP Dance Prize, Prix du Cercle Carpeaux, Danza &amp; Danza award (Italy).
2013 :&nbsp;Promoted to « Sujet ».
2014 :&nbsp;« Premier danseur ».

François Alu&nbsp; is made an "Étoile" on Saturday April 23th 2022, following a performance of La Bayadère (Rudolf Nureyev) on the stage of the Opéra Bastille, in which he danced the role of Solor.As part of the Paris Opera Ballet's&nbsp;official tours, François Alu has performed in Spain (Madrid, 2019), Russia (Novosibirsk, 2018), Japan (Tokyo, 2017), Denmark (Copenhagen, 2015), Quebec (Montreal, 2014)...François Alu was named Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Mérite.

francois-alu-ONP-james-bort-H1

Studies dance at Korea's National Academy of Ballet.
2007 : Grand Prix de Lausanne. Joins the American Ballet (New York), and dances soloist roles in ballets such as Allegro Brillante (George Balanchine) or Interplay (Jerome Roobbins). 2009 : Joins the Korean National Ballet Company. Dances many roles such as Odile-Odette/ Swan Lake or Marie/ The Nutcracker (choreographies by Iouri Grigorovitch).
2010 : Promoted to Soloist of the Korean National Ballet Company. Adds to her repertoire Kitri/ Don Quixote (after Marius Petipa) at the Korean Ballet Association Festival in Seoul or Nikiya/ La Bayadère and Clara/ The Nutcracker with the Universal Ballet Company. Gold medal at the Varna International Ballet Competition. Gold medal at the Premio Roma.
2011 : Joins the Paris Opera Corps de Ballet.
2013 : Promoted to "Coryphée". Receives the Prix du Cercle Carpeaux.
2014 : Promoted to "Sujet".
2017 : Promoted to "Première danseuse".2018 : Receives the Prix Benois de la Danse.2021 : Cultural Prize France-Korea.

Following the performance of Romeo and Juliet (Noureyev) on June 10th 2021, Sae Eun Park is named "Danseuse Étoile".

Sae Eun Park

Studies dance at the Kishibe Ballet Studio (Tokyo) and the Australian Ballet School.
2009: Lausanne Prize.

2013: Joins the Paris Opera Corps de Ballet.

2014: Promoted to "Coryphée". Silver medal at the Varna Competition. Prix du Cercle Carpeaux.

2015: Promoted to "Sujet".

2016: Promoted to "Première danseuse". Prix Benois de la Danse. 2023: Hannah O'Neill is named "Danseuse Étoile" on March 2nd 2023, following the performance of Ballet impérial (George Balanchine) in which she performed the first principal soloist.

Hannah-O'Neill-james-bort-nb (c) James Bort OnP

2008 : Enters the Paris Opera Ballet School.2014 : Joins the Paris Opera Corps de Ballet.2016 : Promoted to « Coryphée ». Gold medalist at the Varna International Ballet Competition.2017 : Promoted to « Sujet ». AROP Prize.2018 : Promoted to « Premier Danseur ».Paul Marque was named “Danseur Étoile” on December 13th 2020 on the Opéra Bastille stage, following a live performance of La Bayadère (Rudolf Nureyev) on the streaming platform “<a href="https://chezsoi.operadeparis.fr/">l'Opéra chez soi</a>”, in which he performed the Golden Idol.As part of the Paris Opera Ballet’s official tours, he has performed in Spain (Madrid, 2019), the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi, 2019), Asia (Singapore, Shanghai, 2019) and Japan (Tokyo, 2020).

ETOILE_Paul-Marque (c) James Bort OnP_2-NB

Sophie Mayoux	

2004 Entre à l’École de Danse de l’Opéra national de Paris.2011 Engagé dans le Corps de Ballet de l’Opéra national de Paris.2013 Promu « Coryphée ».2014 Médaille de Bronze au Concours international de Danse de Varna.2015 Promu « Sujet ».2016 Prix du Cercle Carpeaux.2022 Promu « Premier Danseur ».

LOUP-Quer Jeremy-8267

2007 Entre à l’École de Danse de l’Opéra national de Paris.2013 Est engagé dans le Corps de Ballet de l’Opéra national de Paris.2016 Promu « Coryphée ».2018 Promu « Sujet ».2020 Promu « Premier danseur ».

LEGASA_Pablo-101

2002: Enters the Paris Opera Ballet School.

2005: Joins the Paris Opera Corps de Ballet.

2011: Promoted to "Coryphée".

2012: Promoted to "Sujet".

GANIO_Marine-05

2010 Médaille d’Or et bourse du Concours international Civitanova Danza Per Domani. Entre à l’École de Danse de la Scala de Milan.2012 Entre à l’École de Danse de l’Opéra national de Paris.2015 Est engagé dans le Corps de Ballet de l’Opéra national de Paris.2017 Promu « Coryphée ».2018 Promu « Sujet ». Médaille de Bronze (catégorie Sénior) du XXVIIIème Concours international de danse de Varna (Bulgarie) Prix du Cercle Carpeaux.2020 Promu « Premier danseur ».

MURA_Francesco-100

1993 : Enters the Paris Opera Ballet School.
2001 : Joins the Paris Opera Corps de Ballet.
2005 : Promoted to "Coryphée".
2009 : Promoted to "Sujet".
2010 : AROP Dance Prize.

GIEZENDANNER_Charline-47

1992: Enters the Paris Opera Ballet School.2001: Joins the Paris Opera Corps de Ballet.2008: Promoted to "Coryphée".2011: Promoted to "Sujet".

MITILIAN_Cyril-118

Vinicio Cheli studied set and light designing at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence. Between 1974 and 1989 he worked at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino festival and the Piccolo Teatro of Milan where he became the lighting assistant for Giorgio Strehler before assuming responsibility for entire productions.Since 1989 he has worked on opera productions including operas of Mozart, Verdi, Wagner, Rossini, Strauss, as well as Les Contes d’Hoffmann, From the House of the Dead, Fidelio, Norma, Carmen, Erwartung, Turandot, Lucrezia Borgia, Lucia di Lammermoor, Pelléas et Mélisande, Manon, Madama Butterfly, Le Roi de Lahore, L’elisir d’amore, Faust, Mireille, Medea, L’Heure espagnole, L’Enfant et les sortilèges and Cavalleria rusticana. He has also worked on plays and ballets including La Bayadère, Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty. He collaborated with such directors as Nikolaus Lehnhoff, Pier Luigi Pizzi, Luca Ronconi, Werner Herzog, Hugo de Ana, Klaus Michael Grüber, Franco Zeffirelli, Luc Bondy, Andrei Konchalovsky and Giancarlo del Monaco at venues including the Rossini Opera Festival, the Salzburg Festival, the Festival Baroque in Versailles, the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, La Fenice, the Opéra Bastille, the National Theatre of Prague, the Opéra de Monte Carlo, the Grand Théâtre de Genève, the Opéra Garnier, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the Arena di Verona, the New National Theatre in Tokyo, the Teatro Real, the Metropolitan Opera, the Teatro Verdi, the Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse, the Chorégies d’Orange and the Royal Opera House of Muscat. He has lectured in theatre lighting at the Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti in Milan and at the Professional School of La Scala.

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Stories - Swan Lake