Paris Opera Ballet

Play

Dance Contemporary
  • NAC Dance

  Nov 7 - 27, 2022

With its impressive scenography, the piece “Play” marries theatrical play and entertainment. Le Monde

Alexander Ekman turns the historic Palais Garnier into a vast playground where every object is a plaything. Playing makes us happy, and Ekman believes we should always keep that childlike urge to jump into action, and let our imaginations run free. Play combines dance, theatre, music and song into a high-energy spectacle that explores play through the various stages of life. The 36 dancers are encouraged to improvise, to really play with the sets and objects onstage.

The work was created for the Paris Opera Ballet, one of the oldest and most prestigious ballet companies in the world. Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman is known for creating spectacular visual compositions, such as the 40,000 plastic balls filling the orchestra pit in Play

The dancers dive into the pit, transform into forest creatures, and frolic with balls, ropes and large white boxes. Festive and mischievous, the work draws viewers into a whirlwind of invention while asking profound questions about the world. What happens to our games when we grow up? How do we rediscover that desire to play?

This Digidance livestream is an initiative of DanceHouse (Vancouver), Danse Danse (Montreal), Harbourfront Centre (Toronto), and the National Arts Centre (Ottawa).

ABOUT THE COMPANY: Paris Opera Ballet

The Paris Opera Ballet is one of the most prestigious and oldest classical dance companies in the world. Its roots go back to the dances and practices of court life of Louis XIV. Originally, in 1669, the corps de ballet was integrated into the Royal Academy of Music. Today it is part of the Opéra national de Paris. With 154 dancers they perform over 180 performances per season. The dancers of the ballet have mostly been trained in the Paris Opera Ballet School, considered one of the best in the world. The ballet of the National Opera of Paris recruits very few from outside, which serves to maintain the unity of style of French dance. Notable dancers involved in the company include Serge Lifar, Rudolf Nureyev, and Sylvie Guillem.

CREDITS:

A production
OPÉRA NATIONAL DE PARIS
BEL AIR MEDIA
SVT
With the participation of francetélévisions

Artists

  • opera-national-de-paris
    Featuring Paris Opera Ballet
  • alexander-ekman-for-web-bio
    Choreography, Set & Costume Design Alexander Ekman
  • Music composer Mikael Karlsson
  • TV Director Tommy Pascal
  • Lighting designer Tom Visser
  • Videographer T.M. Rives
  • Costumes Xavier Ronze
  • Choreographer’s assistant Ana Maria Lucaciu
  • Set design assistant Claire Puyenchet
  • Strategic Adviser and Dramaturge Carina Nildalen
  • Star Dancer Stéphane Bullion
  • Principal Dancer Muriel Zusperreguy
  • Principal Dancer Vincent Chaillet
  • Paris Opera Ballet Corps de ballet Marion Barbeau, Aurélia Bellet, Alice Catonnet, Silvia Saint-Martin, Ida Viikinkoski, Juliette Hilaire, Laurène Levy, Charlotte Ranson, Jennifer Visocchi, Claire Gandolfi, Marion Gautier De Charnacé, Clémence Gross, Caroline Osmont, Sofia Rosolini, Chelsea Adomaitis, Margaux Gaudy-Talazac, Mouget Shanti, Aurélien Houette, Allister Madin, Marc Moreau, Jérémy-Loup Quer, Daniel Stokes, Simon Valastro, Adrien Couvez, Yvon Demol, Alexandre Gasse, Antoine Kirscher, Mickaël Lafon, Hugo Vigliotti, Takeru Coste, Simon Le Borgne, Antonin Monié, Andréa Sarri.

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