2003-2004 season for French theaters and companies

[Estelle]

Here's what I've found about the 2003-2004 season for some French theaters:

-the Massy Opera (near Paris):

http://www.opera-massy.com/

One can download on their site a PDF file about the next season.

It will include:

-a Limon (The Moor's Pavane, Missa Brevis)-Cunningham (Crises (?)) mixed bill

by the Ballet de Lorraine (now a modern dance company)

-"Babelle Heureuse" by the Montalvo-Hervieu company

-Nacho Duato's "Duende" by the Compania Nacional de Danza 2 (indeed, it's a bit strange because I thought it was not long enough to fill a whole evening)

-"Giselle" by the Ballet du Capitole de Toulouse (production by Nanette Glushak)

-a new work by the company Blanca Li

-the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris:

http://www.theatrechampselysees.fr/

only two dance programs, a Gala in September with dancers from various companies (Alexandra Ansanelli, Charles Askegard, Lucia Lacarra, Cyril Pierre, Dimitri Goudanov, Svetlana Lunkina, Tamara Rojo...) and some tango "Tango Pasion" in December.

-the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris (with sloooow web site):

http://www.chatelet-theatre.com/index.php

very little dance: only a tango program "La Argentina", "Epouses et concubines" by some dancers of the National Ballet of China, and a musical "Fosse"

-the Maison de la Danse in Lyon:

http://www.maisondeladanse.com/fran/prog/0...4/spec/p_00.htm

30 different programs, with mostly modern dance, but also the National Ballet of China in "The red detachment of women", Julio Bocca in a tango program, "Europa Danse" with a mixed bill "Bigonzetti, Ek, Kylian, Van Manen, Système Castafiore and Duato), the Victor Ullate Ballet with three works by Ullate ("Jaleos", "Itu... Bailas?" and "Sola") and Eduardo Lao's "Burka", a program by and with Roland Petit, and the students of the Lyon

Conservatoire.

[Estelle]

And also:

-the Ballet du Capitole de Toulouse (the Théâtre du Capitole itself will be closed for renovation, so they will perform in other theaters of Toulouse):

http://www.theatre-du-capitole.org/sommair...ire/accueil.htm

So far, strangely the only ballet program announced on their web site is a Stravinsky mixed bill with "The Firebird" (choreography by Michel Rahn, the company's ballet master) and "The rite of Spring" (choreography by Mauricio Wainrot) in November.

-the Ballet National de Marseille:

http://www.ballet-de-marseille.com/

(their web site is a bit dysfunctional)

in September 2003 it will perform a world premiere by Carolyn Carlson, "Out of focus", at the Toursky Theater in Marseille.

-the Ballet de l'Opéra de Nice:

http://www.ville-nice.fr/francais/culture/...allet_2003.html

five programs, including Massine's "Le Tricorne", and a "Cinderella" by Marc Ribaud (the company's direction)

-at the Rennes Opera:

http://www.opera-rennes.fr/page/saison/saison.htm

"Europa Danse", a new work by the Ballet Biarritz (on Beethoven's "Les Créatures de Prométhée") and "Giselle" by the Ballet du Rhin (Maina Gielgud's production)

-at the Metz Opera (I didn't even know there still was a small ballet company there!

If only it were closer to Paris, I'd go there just to support the existence of such a company! )

http://sortir.mairie-metz.fr/opera

"Coppélia" in November and December, a double bill with "Peter and the Wolf" and "Carnival of the Animals" in January, and a "Homage to Diaghilev" (Pétrouchka, The Firebird, Polovtsian Dances) in May.

(I hope they tour a little bit, because a total of 12 performances in the whole year isn't much... But the dancers probably also perform in some of the operas or opérettes.)

-the Théâtre Alexandre Dumas of Saint-Germain en Laye near Paris:

http://www.ville-st-germain-en-laye.fr/act...t/ag/st.html#da

Seven dance programs, including "The Red Star" by the National Ballet of Beijing, and a "Cinderella" by the Ballet of Kiev

-the Théâtre de Suresnes near Paris:

http://www.theatre-suresnes.fr/

(Anecdotically, if I remember correctly, its director is Brigitte Lefèvre's husband...)

12 programs, including the Ballet de Lorraine (Cunningham- Airaudo- Godani mixed bill) and the same Roland Petit program as in Lyon.

-the Théâtre de la Ville in Paris:

http://www.theatredelaville-paris.com/

a very busy season as usual, including only modern dance (the only companies with a remote link with ballet are the Ballet du Rhin, with a Lucinda Childs program, and the Lyon Opera Ballet, with a Mats Ek program).

As you can see, there is very little ballet to be seen in France except at the Paris Opera...

:angry:

[Estelle]

-the Théâtre de Saint-Quentin en Yvelines, near Paris:

http://www.theatresaintquentinyvelines.org/

So far only a PDF file about subscriptions is available. It seems that the only dance performances will be modern dance performances by Olivia Grandville ("Come Out"), Dominique Boivin and Pascale Houbin ("Bonté divine"), the Ballet de Lorraine (Armitage- Gallotta mixed bill), Marion Ballester ("Neptune"), La La La Human Steps ("Amelia"), Jean-Claude Gallotta ("Trois générations"), the Ballet Preljocaj ("The Rite of Spring" and "Helikopter"), the Batsheva Dance Company ("Decadance"), the Merce Cunningham Dance Company and the Grand Ballet du Théâtre de Genève ("Daphnis et Chloé" by Lucinda Childs).

-the Ballet du Rhin, performing in its three home cities of Strasbourg, Colmar, and Mulhouse:

http://mail.opera-national-du-rhin.com/

Four programs:

-"Swan Lake" by its director, with "choreographic quotes" (citations chorégraphiques) by Lev Ivanov and Vladimir Bourmeister (I wonder where Petipa has gone? )

-a Bartok double bill with "Le prince de bois" by Philippe Tréhet and a world premiere "Le mandarin merveilleux" by Lucinda Childs.

-a (weird :green: ) triple bill with George Balanchine's "Concerto Barocco", Jiri Kylian's "Stamping Ground" and Maurice Béjart's "Le Marteau sans maître"

-"Carnets de bal" (content not announced)

Also the company will tour to Paris and Chalons-sur-Saône with a Lucinda Childs program, and to Caen, Joué-les-Tours, Vichy and Laval with Jo Stromgren's "Nutcracker".

-the Opéra de Lyon:

http://www.opera-lyon.org/

Four programs by its home company, the Lyon Opera Ballet:

-in September, a quadruple bill with William Forsythe's "Duo" and "Appoximate sonata I,V", Trisha Brown and Steve Paxton's "Milliseconds" and a new work by Mathilde Monnier.

-in December, Maguy Marin's "Cinderella".

-in March, "Tricodex", a new work by Philippe Découflé (who had already made two works called "Codex" and "Decodex" for his own company).

-in May, a double bill with Mats Ek's "Carmen" (with Sylvie Guillem as a guest star) and Ohad Naharin's "Black milk".

And also, as a guest company, the Paris Opera Ballet School, with the same trible bill (J.G. Bart- Charrat- Bessy) which had been shown in Paris a few months ago.

-Odyssud, a theater in Blagnac near Bordeaux:

http://www.odyssud.com/

ten programs, including the National Ballet of Beijing in "The Red Star", "Coppélia" (Enrique Martinez's production) by the Ballet du Capitole de Toulouse, and in March the Paris Opera Ballet in "Jewels" (already sold out!)

[Ari]

Thank you for giving us such a thorough list, Estelle. It must have taken a lot of research! Now, if only I could afford to go over there and see some of these companies . . .

[Estelle]

Well, google helped a lot B)

And actually, I'm thinking the same when reading about the ballet performances in theUS...