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Agnès Letestu


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Thank you for this video! I had the grand privilege to see her perform just a few days ago on Monday! It was my greatest wish in my life to see La Bayadere from Paris Opera Ballet (and hopefully with Agnès Letestu as Nikiya). When I heard last year they would perform it in Paris this month, I didn't hesitate and would definitely try to get hold on a ticket. I succeeded and last Monday I was sitting in a seat of Opéra Garnier. Back home I didn't check on Internet in advance who would perform and during the evening of the performance I opened the paper with the cast of the evening and could almost cry: Agnès Letestu would be the star of the evening, together with José Martinez. I will never forget this beautiful experience!

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I have to add my enthusiastic thanks, volcano hunter. It's a smashing production. Hydraulix, I saw the same cast a few weeks earlier. Like you, I will never forget it. This video is a beau souvenir for both of us.

We already have a thread devoted to this run of Bayadere performances. It would be lovely if you -- and anyone else who has seen the production or has thoughts about it -- could share more of your impressions HERE

P.S. I'm continually impressed about the amount of coverage French tv gives to POB. My grap of spoken French is limited, but I had the impression from both of THE clips you have posted that Letestu is a wonderful ambassador for the art and for her company.

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Sorry to bump this topic, but does anyone know when Agnès Letestu will retire (and perhaps what her final role will be)? It's been a while that I posted on this forum, but I wanted to share my second experience with this incredible artist.

I visited the POB again last Friday, this time for Jiri Kylian's Kaguyahime. Déja vu: when I opened the paper with the cast of that evening, Agnès Letestu would be dancing the role of the heroine. Just like the last time, I was pleasantly surprised to read this. Wow did she deliver! To be honest, she impressed me even more this time. Leave it up to her when it comes to body control, elegance and sophistication. This was by far the most beautiful ballet experience I've ever had.

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The POB 2013-2014 season is starting next week with The Lady of the Camellias. Casting is now available. As expected, Agnès Letestu will dance with Stéphane Bullion, the Premiere on September 21st and then her two official last shows, October 8th and 10th, the date of her farewell. However, she said in a Japanese interview she will dance the role next March as guest Etoile during the POB tour in Japan.

There is a lenghty interview in POB magazine "En Scène" this month. Hopefully it will be available at some point online, it sometimes does.

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Agnès gave her farewell show last Thursday as Marguerite in what was a great evening from the performance point of view and also from an emotional one, up to me the best show of this long run of Lady of the Camellias.

She said in an interview that she was proposed a farewell special evening and that she preferred to dance this ballet, her favourite role, and surrounded by the dancers of the company.

First of them, Stéphane Bullion, the perfect cast for the evening, the one captured on the DVD. She artistically met him by chance in 2008 on this ballet when he took the role as surrogate when her partner injured the day of the Premiere. She had never danced with him before as he was just promoted Premier danseur six months before and started then a dream partnership. This was a lucky encounter that lasted these past 5 years. Up to me, this gave her a fresh breath for her final years in the company. Stéphane is an atypical dancer -completely different from Jose Martinez whom she had shared before the stage with- who possesses the rare intelligence of artistic craft that they shared in the most perfect way. The past years showed a fusional partnership which is shown at its height in the Neumeier psychological ballet where acting is paramount and where the crazy lifts have been quite a challenge for the other pairs during this round.

It’s difficult to talk of this performance because it is probably biased by the emotional circumstances but it looks like a perfect show. Agnès and Stéphane were telling the story with every part of their bodies, it was both sad (she dies at the end) and yet wonderful and pleasurable, mixed feelings that are the success of a wonderful evening.

They were supported by a beautiful cast, the very emotional Michael Denard, a long retired Etoile as Stéphane’s father who performed a moving duet in the second act with Agnès. Christophe Duquenne and Eve Grinsztajn as the mirror couple of Des Grieux/Manon were stunning. The role is suiting well to Christophe who is going to retire as well this season and gave a poignant rendering of Des Grieux, while Eve, an underused Première danseuse shone as well, especially in another duet with Agnès during the same 2nd act. Nolwenn Daniel and Nicolas Paul were perfect as the entertaining friends of the heroes. Léonore Baulac who stepped in at nearly last minute to replace Myriam Ould-Brahm suited even better than the missing Etoile as a mischievous Olympia.

At the end, as it’s the usual ritual, Agnès bowed alone in a very emotional way for both her, her partners and the audience. She called Stéphane quite a few times to come back to support her, José Martinez -her artistic half during most her career as she likes to say- came from Madrid to offer her a bouquet that she offered to the crowd who gave her a 20 mn standing ovation, only thrown out of the opera by the curtain which the technicians didn’t raise while everyone was still clapping (There was a party afterwards where she was awarded some decorations).

Anyway, it’s not finished yet, as Agnès will performed with Stéphane the final performance of the POB Japan tour.

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