Two years since they had not presented their annual show, due to a pandemic. Until April 16, young dancers perform The Sleepwalker by Balanchine, a work in the classical style with variations by Violette Verdy and Symphony in three movements by Nils Christe.
In the maze of this historic building, there is excitement a few hours before the curtain rises on Thursday April 14, 2022, with a ballet of boys and girls going up and down the floors to go to the hairdressing, make-up or dressing rooms. suits. Girls make their slippers more flexible by chaining jumps on the spot or raised points, others help each other to put on make-up or adjust a bun, ornaments or fake jewellery. Along a row of dressing room mirrors, we joke around or read a book to relax.
In December, the students certainly took the stage for the first time in two years, but to present Dance demonstrations, an annual appointment where they show the public the repeated exercises in progress. This time around, the excitement was at its height for the two-hour show which continues until Saturday, April 16.
Under the gilding of the Foyer de la danse, located in the extension of the stage, Rémi Singer-Gassner and Elizabeth Partington, 17, do warm-ups. For this evening composed of three short ballets, they are distributed in The Sleepwalker of Balanchine and Symphony in three movementsa contemporary piece with music by Stravinsky.
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“We had almost forgotten what it felt like to rehearse at the School (located in Nanterre, editor’s note) in the morning and to come here… We missed contact with the public”comments Rémi, in the first division, the last year of training in this establishment. “It was hard rehearsing every day and not having done a show for two years. It’s easy to forget the end goal: being on stage and having fun.”adds Elizabeth. “What a dream” to dance at Garnier, she adds.
“Symphony of War”
On the set, Yann Saiz, former dancer at the Opera and professor at the School, makes final remarks to a student, while further on, ballerinas spy on the room which is filling up through the hole in the curtain. “I think we did a good job upstream, in the studio, to prepare them to face stage fright, because for some it was the first time on this stage.underlines the professor.
Élisabeth Platel, director of the School and former prima ballerina, talks about “Renaissance” in opposition to the “tear” in 2020, when the students were preparing to present the ballet Coppelia two days before the first confinement.
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“At the rehearsal on Monday, when the students heard the applause in the hall, it gave them strength,” she said. On the set, she takes care of the smallest details and reminds us of the importance of this passage on stage, especially for the students of 1time who aspire to join the Opera Ballet, if they pass the end-of-year competition.
For this big comeback on stage, she wanted a program with very different styles, culminating in The Symphony in three movements which particularly resonates this year. “It’s a symphony of war”says Ms. Platel.
“Previous generations (who) danced it, weren’t as aware of it as this year’s students. When (the choreographer) Nils Christe came in March, just after theinvasion of Ukraine there was a heavy climate, a great seriousness, at the same time as this joy to find the teams of the Opera “. “We can express more easily what the ballet wanted to tell at the base because of the news”assures Irina Chiriacescu, 17 years old.