Raising the expansive glass roof in Paris

Tag : Curtain Style

Last week, French President Nicolas Sarkozy hosted delegates at theinaugural meeting of his dream-child Union for the Mediterraneanunder the expansive glass roof of the landmark Beaux Arts-styleGrand Palais. On Monday night, bigwigs, littlewigs and would-bewigs of both the political and cultural kind gathered in the samehistoric building for a more overtly jubilant occasion, the openingof L'ete de la danse de Paris, a summer festival featuringMontreal's creatively adventurous Les Grands Ballets.
A pre-show gathering for champagne-sipping VIPs was attended byCanadian ambassador Marc Lortie, Quebec culture minister ChristineSt-Pierre and a host of local artistic luminaries who munched onfoie gras and caviar before joining an audience of more than 2,500for a rousing performance of Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin'sMinus One.
Naharin created the 85-minute work for Les Grands Ballets Canadiensin 2002 by sampling and reassembling sections of his earlierballets. It forms what amounts to a cavalcade of human experience,from pain and sorrow to hilarity and ecstasy, with several stops atvarious emotional conditions along the way. Minus One has become apopular signature work for LGBC but despite repeated performancesthe company still attacks Naharin's gutsy, often athleticchoreography with passionate intensity. Through ensembles, solosand plentiful costume changes, the dancers held the audiencespellbound. Even the moment when Naharin sends the dancers into thecrowd to extract innocent civilians as onstage partners went overcharmingly. Unlike Canadian audiences, Parisians are not given toinstant standing ovations, but the energetic finale had fans ontheir feet, cheering with delight.
Reviews from the major local critics are not expected until laterthis week, but the response from radio and television commentatorshas so far been positive, with the quality of the dancing anddistinctiveness of the repertoire as a common theme.
This is important for festival organizers as well as LGBC, whichhopes critical success in Paris will lead to more European touringopportunities. Bleacher seating for 3,000 has been erected insidethe cavernous Grand Palais. With a total 16 shows, that's a lot oftickets. The fact that curtain time is an unusually late 9:30 p. m.--because of the glass roof they have to wait until dusk --presents its own challenges in terms of attracting patrons. For thesame reason there are no matinees, but LGBC, heavily promotedthroughout the Paris region with huge posters and television ads,is doing its bit by inviting the public to watch daily companyclasses and rehearsals. And, as a bonus, those who do buy ticketsto a performance can also enjoy a post-show dance of their own,courtesy of leading Quebec DJs.
For the dancers, performing in Paris, even if it is in an unusual,improvised venue, is a treasurable experience. As company veteranJeremy Raia put it during a lunch party yesterday at the AvenueFoch residence of the Delegate General of Quebec, "we've toured toa lot of foreign cities during my 12 years with Les Grands, butParis is a dancer's dream come true." - Les Grands BalletsCanadiens presents Minus One until July 26 followed by twodifferent programs until Aug. 9 at Le Grand Palais (Avenue WinstonChurchill, Paris).