Dance, Dance, Dance

It's been a dance-filled week, which, with all the work I'm supposed to be doing, is just about the best thing that could have happened.

On the 4th I went to see Béjart Ballet Lausanne at the Palais des Congrès. The company is celebrating it's 25th birthday this year (like me!) and though they regularly come to perform in Paris, this was supposed to be an extra special occasion.

Founder and principal choreographer for the company, Maurice Béjart died in 2007. Since, Gil Roman, long-time dancer with Béjart, has taken over choreography and artistic direction for the company.

The performance we saw was in three parts: Aria, Dionysos (suite), and le Boléro. The first piece began the story of the Minotaur, which was carried through Dionysos (suite) though Aria was choreographed by Roman after Béjart's death. The mythology, a combination of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern/African music and fascinating choreography made the pieces absolutely enthralling.

Aria:

Dionysos (suite):

le Boléro:

The next day, I danced with my little dance class during the community center's "Dance Week" series of performances. It went well, but was over in a flash. Though we're all mostly glad to never have to listen to that particular song ever again!

On Easter Monday, I went to Opéra Bastille to see the Paris Opera Ballet's production of La Bayadère, originally created by Marius Petipa and re-staged by Rudolph Nureyev for the Paris Opera Ballet in 1992.

It's a ballet that I knew absolutely nothing about before seeing it. It tells the tragic love story of an Indian temple dancer who is in love with a prince, who is himself betrothed to another - the story seems part Romeo and Juliet at times. The first two acts take place in and around a lavish Indian temple. The scenery and decor were magnificent, as were the costumes in rich reds, dark oranges, golden yellows, vibrant greens, brilliant blues and royal purples. Everything was layered with gold filigree which added to the richness. The last act takes place in the Kingdom of the Shades, and in stark contrast to the opulence of the beginning, the stage had minimal decoration and what was there resembled a dark, leafy jungle. The entire corps de ballet entered the stage one by one in stark white tutus, ultimately looking like spirits or ghosts in a land of shadows. The staging and choreography of the last act reminded me so much of Swan Lake's Act II, the whole company on stage, all in white.

I enjoyed the performance because it was new and interesting. The stage and the costumes were so gorgeous as well. But I was underwhelmed and a bit disappointed by the very simple (too simple) choreography. The dancing was very good, beautiful, even, but it seemed like the dancers didn't have a lot to work with.

All in all, some very nice diversions from thesis, class and homework...