Lifar/Petit/Béjart

Garnier, Paris – February, 9^th. 2009

 

One of the few highlights of the ballet season this year. I take this opportunity to mention this season was very poor with a pitiful Ballet National de Chine, the failure of Les Enfants du Paradis and a so uninteresting Raymonda.

 

There, three masterpieces by some of the best dancers of the Ballet de l’Opéra National de Paris.

It begun with what could be a charming classical Suite en Blanc. Lifar succeeded in creating an incredible mixture of very classical choreography with stunning modernization. Dorothée Gilbert, Alessio Carbone and Christophe Duquenne were excellent in their Thème Varié. The Cigarette by Aurélie Dupont let us going back to Toulouse Lautrec. The Adage by Delphine Moussin and Benjamin Pech is a pure moment of happiness. The Flûte by Laëtitia Pujol is treansanding. And the Final which buckles up where we begin remains a so intelligent act of closing: everything is said and nothing needs to be added.

 

Then, with L’Arlésienne by Roland Petit, you are traveling to Provence in a second, from the décor and the costumes But with traditional dance steps as well. Clairemarie Osta is dancing a so attaching Vivette: we suffer we her not be loved by her fiancé. Frederi (Jérémie Bélingard) is dancing pathos as I rarely saw it evolving in a world he dislikes, looking for her absent Arlésienne. Final suicide let you without any hope on your seat.

The Boléro by Maurice Béjart was danced by Nicolas Le Riche. This is absolute performance: 16 minutes of very active dance, almost alone. That is a pure moment of beauty mixed with tribalism, violence, spirituality. That is one my dance favourite and I could not applause.

 

A key evening!