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 Ballet

With the support of the Orange Foundation, sponsor of the Paris Opera's audiovisual broadcasts.

© Opéra national de Paris - 2023
Picture: © Agathe Poupeney / OnP