Paris Opera Ballet announces 2025-2026 season
- Ikuko
- 6 hours ago
- 2 min read
Paris Opera Ballet (Ballet de l’Opéra national de Paris) announced its 2025-2026 season, which seems to feature more female choreographers and more world premieres by up-and-coming choreographic talents than most other big classical companies. Of course, it does not miss crowd pleasers.
Alexander Neef, General Director, and José Martinez, Director of Dance, presented the new season live from the Palais Garnier on 5th April 2025. Here is the YouTube link to the recorded presentation.
As per tradition, the season opens with Gala. This year, Défilé du Ballet will be followed by the Junior Ballet's performance of Requiem for a Rose by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa and the main company's Giselle.
The Roots Triple bill features George Balanchine's Theme and Variations, Mthuthuzeli November’s Rhapsodies, and Christopher Wheeldon’s Corybantic Games (I watched it when it was created with The Royal Ballet and it is absolutely exuberant) . The latter two are premieres with the company.
The Contrasts mixed programme features two works of the beloved Trisha Brown, O złożony / O composite and If You Couldn't See Me (company premiere), along with Anima Animus (company premiere) by David Dawson and a new work by Imre van Opstal and Marne van Opstal.
The Empreintes double bill features new creations by Jessica Wright and Morgann Runacre-Temple, who will mark the debut with Paris Opera Ballet, and Marcos Morau.
Los Angeles-based choreographer Micaela Taylor (I did not know about her) will also debut with the company in the Vibrations triple bill, which also features Paris Opera Ballet stables, the mesmerising The Season's Canon by Crystal Pite and Solo for Two by Mats Ek.
Crystal Pite The Seasons' Canon ( Autumn )
Full-length revivales are Roland Petit’s Notre-Dame de Paris, Angelin Preljocaj’s stylish and surreal Le Parc, Rudolf Nureyev’s Romeo and Juliet and La Bayadère, and John Neumeier’s La Dame aux camélia.
Just how wonderful!
I found this YouTube clip of the famous last pas du deux by Aurélie Dupont & Nicolas Le Riche.