Posted Sep 30, 2022, 2:17 PM
The Paris Opera Ballet is looking for its new direction. A more complex task than it seems for the prestigious institution. These candidates will then have to navigate in the footsteps of the directors who have made the more or less turbulent history of the Paris Opera. Here are five of them.
The Nureyev years
Appointed director of dance at the Paris Opera in 1983, Rudolf Nureyev left a lasting mark on the institution he directed until 1989. On the one hand, there are the classics that Rudy, his nickname, revisits (the “Lac swans”, “Romeo and Juliet”, “La Bayadère”), still part of the troupe’s repertoire today. And a generation of stars that he “hatches” like Elisabeth Maurin, Manuel Legris or the prodigy Sylvie Guillem. Nureyev will have invited choreographers William Forsythe, Maguy Marin and Francine Lancelot to the opera. Known for his mood swings, he remains a landmark in the life of the Paris Opera ballet.
The Smith Challenge
He introduced himself as follows: Patrick Dupond with a D for dance. The star dancer of the 80s was offered to take over the direction of dance in 1990. But he barely had time to leave his mark on the Paris Opera seasons. In conflict with the general manager, Hugues Gall, Dupond is pushed towards the exit. He will nevertheless have the opportunity to highlight the young French dance of Daniel Larrieu in the Bouvier/Obadia duo. Patrick Dupond will bring “The Story of Manon” to the repertoire and invites Mats Ek and his caustic Giselle. Three tribute evenings will be dedicated to him in February 2023 at Garnier.
Brigitte Lefèvre or appeasement
The dancer and choreographer, who worked for the Ministry of Culture as a dance inspector, will go through two decades of opera, in office from 1995 to 2014, a kind of record. Without depriving herself of Nureyev’s classics, she bets on contemporary creation, with more or less success, from Sasha Waltz to Saburo Teshigawara. Above all, she manages to convince Pina Bausch to “give” The Rite of Spring” to the company, a triumph. Reputed to be close to performers – she has ten star nominations to her credit – Brigitte Lefèvre has shown another face of the Paris Opera ballet.
Benjamin Millepied, the unexpected
Thunderbolt in 2014, Benjamin Millepied, the French dancer from the New York City Ballet who was made famous by the film “Black Swan”, was chosen by Stéphane Lissner to succeed Lefèvre. Benji’s glamor attracts patrons, the Paris Opera shines with new fire. Millepied wants to impose its “agenda”, between reflection on diversity and the health of dancers. He invites the choreographer Crystal Pite for the first time, asks Forsythe to supervise an academy of young choreographers, highlights the stars of tomorrow like Germain Louvet or Hugo Marchand. But the honeymoon is cut short, and Millepied leaves the ship two years later.
Aurélie, the other Dupont
Ex-Etoile du ballet, this pure product of the Paris Opera accepts the challenge following Millepied without having been prepared. Aurélie Dupont dares the contemporary, Alexander Ekman or Hofesh Shechter for the best, Alan Lucien Oyen or Hiroshi Sugimoto for the less successful. And offers veteran Pierre Lacotte a star-studded cast for his creation “Le Rouge et le Noir”. She is criticized for being far from the soloists but she highlights the young Paul Marque or Sae Eun Park. The disagreement is on the other hand visible with François Alu, darling of the public, less of the director. Aurélie Dupont signs a balanced 22/23 season. As a parting gift.
