Paris Opera Ballet

The Ballet de l'Opéra de Paris is the ballet company of the Paris Opera.

It is based in the Garnier Opera House and (as of 2017) comprises a total of 154 dancers - 20 of whom are first solo dancers ("étoiles") and 14 first dancers ("premiers danseurs") - almost all of whom received their training at the company's own ballet school - the École de Danse de l'Opéra in Nanterre near Paris.

The admission of candidates who join the ballet company between the ages of 16 and 20 is decided in an annual selection process of a competitive nature, depending on the positions to be filled. Thereafter, further competitions, organised annually, enable candidates to progress up the ballet hierarchy. This is divided into five levels, from the lowest rank of "quadrille" through "coryphée" and "sujet" to "premier danseur" (first dancer), while the highest level "étoile" (solo dancer) is reached on the recommendation of the "directeur de la danse", i.e. the artistic director, by nomination from the director of the opera. The dancers leave the Ballet de l'Opéra at the age of 42.

At the Palais Garnier, the ballet company has 4 classrooms and 5 rehearsal rooms ("Lifar", "Noureev", "Petipa", "Rotunden Chauviré" and "Zambelli") at its disposal - at times also the famous "Foyer de la Danse", which adjoins the backstage. Classes are held in the morning, rehearsals in the afternoon, if there is no performance, occasionally in the evening. When the "Ballet de l'Opéra" performs in the new Bastille Opera House, it also has its own boxes and rehearsal rooms there ("Nijinski" and "Balanchine" rooms).

The "Ballet de l'Opéra" is supervised by the "Directeur de la danse", who is assisted by an artistic director, a ballet master, a general director and other directors and teachers.

History

The history of the Paris Opera Ballet dates back to 1661 when the French King Louis XIV founded the Royal Academy of Dance (Académie Royale de Danse). The Opera Dance School, also founded by Louis XIV in 1713, is the oldest existing ballet school. In the same year, Louis XIV made the Opera a permanent state institution with his ballet company of 20 dancers. During this period, most of the pieces performed were by Charles-Louis Beauchamp; among the best known are: Alcidiane and Le mariage forcé.

In 1763 the opera building burned down and the dancers moved temporarily to the Palais des Tuileries before finding a new home in the Palais Royal in 1770.

In 1776 Jean Georges Noverre became ballet master of the Paris Opera Ballet on the recommendation of the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa. Under his direction, Les caprices de Galathée and Les petits riens, among others, were performed to the music of Mozart (and others).

After only eleven years, the building of the opera burned down again during a ballet performance. It was thanks to the quick action of the then ballet master Jean Dauberval that it did not come to a catastrophe. In the same year, a new building was erected on a different site.

After the departure of Dauberval, Maximilien and Pierre Gardel took over the direction of the ballet. After the death of his brother, Pierre Gardel worked as a choreographer and ballet master until 1829. Among other works, Psyché was created under his direction and performed 564 times between 1790 and 1829.

In 1820 the opera had to move again. The new building was located in the Rue Le Peletier.

Twelve years later, Paris audiences were able to admire the first pointe dance when Marie Taglioni performed in La Sylphide.

The last great ballet of this period, Giselle was premiered in 1842.

At the beginning of the 20th century, ballet was completely dominated by the Ballets Russes. Some of their performances also took place at the opera. It was Serge Lifar, who had been a principal dancer with the Ballets Russes, who helped the Paris Opera Ballet achieve new greatness between 1930 and 1958.

Among the pieces Nureyev included in the repertoire were Lilac Garden by Antony Tudor, In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated by William Forsythe and Magnificat by John Neumeier. He also brought out his own versions of Raimonda, Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty.

Ballet Master

Ballet masters, called "directeurs de la danse" since 1971, were:

• des Brosses (1669) | Pierre Beauchamp (1669-1687) | Louis Pécour (1687-1729) | Michel Blondy (1729-1739) | Antoine Bandieri de Laval (1706-1748) | Jean-Barthélemy Lany (1742-1770) | Gaetano Vestris (1770-1775) | Jean Georges Noverre (1776-1781) | Maximilien Gardel/Jean Dauberval (1781-1783) Maximilien Gardel (1783-1787) | Pierre Gardel (1787-1827) | Jean-Pierre Aumer (1827-1831) | Jean Coralli (1831-1850) | Arthur Saint-Léon (1850-1853) | Joseph Mazilier (1853-1859) | Lucien Petipa (1860-1868) | Henri Justamant (1868-1869) | Louis Mérante (1869-1887) | Joseph Hansen (1887-1907) | Léo Staats (1908-1909) | Thérèse Stichel (1909-1910) | Ivan Clustine (1911-1914) | Léo Staats (1919-1926) | Nicola Guerra (1927-1929) | Serge Lifar (1930-1945 and 1947-1958) | George Skibine (1958-1961) | Michel Descombey (1962-1969) | John Taras (1969-1970) | Claude Bessy (1970-1971) | Raymond Franchetti (1971-1978) | Violette Verdy (1978-1980) | Roselia Hightower (1980-1983) | Rudolf Nureyev (1983-1989) | Patrick Dupond (1990-1994) | Brigitte Lefèvre (1994-2014) Benjamin Millepied (2014-2016)I Aurélie Dupont (2016-)

Ballerinas of the Paris Opera Le Peletier (clockwise): Lise Noblet, Marie Taglioni, Mlle Julia [de Varennes], Alexis Dupont, Amélie Legallois and Pauline Montessu, premiers sujets, 1831.