Latest news with #ParisOperaBallet
Korea Herald
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Park Sae-eun, fellow Paris Opera Ballet etoiles bring favorites to Korea
Building on a banner year for international ballet galas in South Korea ― with the American Ballet Theater in April and the UK's Royal Ballet in early July ― the Paris Opera Ballet is also making its return this summer. From July 29 to Aug. 1 at the Seoul Arts Center and Aug. 3 at the Daejeon Arts Center, the POB Etoiles Gala will bring an unprecedented number of the company's top dancers to Korean stages. Leading the gala is Park Sae-eun, who in 2021 became the first Asian dancer to be named an etoile, or principal dancer, at the world's oldest national ballet company. This marks her third time curating the gala, following previous editions in 2022 and 2024. Among the 10 featured etoiles are French ballet icon Mathieu Ganio and rising star Guillaume Diop. Diop made history in 2023 as the first Black dancer named etoile following his full-length performance as Albrecht in "Giselle" ― a milestone that took place in Seoul. 'Given everyone's packed schedules, it's extremely rare to have this many etoiles performing together outside of Paris,' Park said in a recent written interview with The Korea Herald. 'The fact that so many of my colleagues were eager to perform in Korea made all the effort worthwhile.' Visiting Seoul for the first time, Ganio is joining the gala in his first international performance since retiring from the company in March, following 'Onegin.' 'Ganio has long been the definition of the Paris Opera Ballet,' Park said in introducing him. 'His humility and dedication have made him a role model for younger dancers.' 'I'm grateful to Sae-eun for bringing me to Korea,' said Ganio. 'I'm especially looking forward to exploring Seoul. It's a city everyone's talking about these days, full of energy and increasingly influential in Europe as well.' Dancers bring favorites, finest works As in previous years, Park has curated the gala program with a balance of classical and contemporary works, divided into three distinct sections: Programs A and B in Seoul, and Program C in Daejeon. When selecting the pieces, Park said she centered the program on works that each dancer both loves and performs best. Another key priority was to include a medium-length repertoire to go on a fuller emotional and narrative journey. 'As a curator, I want to create performances for Korean audiences that feel like 'a performance that can only happen here and now.'' Park will perform "In the Night" and "The Nutcracker" in Program A and "Sylvia" and "The Sleeping Beauty" in Program B. Ganio will perform 'In the Night' and 'Sonata' in Program A. One of Park's favorites is Jerome Robbins' delicate 'In the Night,' set to Chopin's four piano nocturnes. The ballet features three couples, each portrayed at a different stage of their relationship. Park performs as part of the first couple with Paul Marque, while Ganio dances the second couple with Leonore Baulac. 'Personally, I believe this piece best showcases the distinctive dance style of the POB. For the first couple, it's especially important to express the most tender love where every subtle breath and touch counts,' said Park. 'The second couple represents stability and formality within a relationship,' Ganio added. 'What audiences could look out is how feelings are expressed through restraint. It's a nuanced portrayal that shows love doesn't always have to be passionate to be deeply felt.' Defining moments on and off the stage Park joined the POB as a corps de ballet member in 2011 and has been with the company for over a decade. Reflecting on her promotion to etoile in 2021, she described it as a turning point that brought both 'responsibility and freedom." Another big turning point came with the birth of her daughter in 2023. Park says motherhood has given her emotional space, allowing her to focus more deeply on conveying feeling in her performances. 'I found myself stepping onto the stage with more calmness and with emotional depth. Parenting taught me to focus intensely in short bursts, which has improved the quality and concentration of my practice,' said Park. Meanwhile, 41-year-old Ganio, who chose to retire a year earlier than the usual retirement age, is navigating a turning point now. He is currently participating in postretirement programs offered by the POB to redefine his direction beyond the stage. 'My daily routine isn't very different from my time at the company. The difference is that I perform less frequently in Paris, but more on international stages. I want to look back calmly on my past and create a meaningful transition,' said Ganio. 'Looking back, every moment on stage was sincere and profound. My decision to retire is part of a process of preparing for a new beginning. I want to stay connected to the arts, just in a different way offstage.' Looking ahead to the 2025-26 season, Park is set to perform "Giselle," a role she considers among her absolute favorites. "There are moments when music, movement and feeling all come together as one. My body reacts almost instinctively, and time on stage seems to stand still. In those moments, even the audience's breath feels distant, and I'm reminded, 'Ah, this is why I dance.' Those moments don't come often, but they're why I return to the stage again and again.'
Korea Herald
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Frederick Wiseman's complete works to tour Korea in landmark retrospective
Five-year restoration project brings 45 films to venues across Korea through 2026 The 17th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival (DMZ Docs) announced Thursday a complete touring showcase of Frederick Wiseman's 45-film catalog, set to launch this September and continuing through July 2026. The 95-year-old Boston native, often called America's greatest living documentarian, has spent nearly six decades creating what he terms "reality fictions" -- observational studies of American life through the lens of its institutions: schools, hospitals, welfare offices, courts and military bases -- systems of power and control that shape the individual experience. His films range from his controversial debut "Titicut Follies" (1967), an expose of conditions at a state hospital for the criminally insane, to recent works like "City Hall" (2020), which tracks Boston's municipal operations from mayoral meetings to homeless outreach programs. Other highlights include "Welfare" (1978), a sprawling portrait of New York's social services system; "La Danse" (2009), which captures the Paris Opera Ballet in rehearsal and performance; "Ex Libris: The New York Public Library" (2017), exploring the public library's role as both a repository and a community hub; and "A Couple" (2022), an intimate study of Leo Tolstoy and his wife through their correspondence. The retrospective follows an ambitious restoration effort that has made Wiseman's works newly accessible to viewers worldwide. Thirty-three films shot between 1967 and 2006 have been restored in 4K from their original 16mm negatives, a five-year project involving the Library of Congress, Harvard Film Archive, and restoration labs DuArt and Goldcrest Post. Wiseman personally reviewed and approved each restoration. DMZ Docs will screen 20 titles during its Sept. 11–17 run in Goyang and Paju, Gyeonggi Province. The full 45-film program will then move to Seoul Art Cinema and Busan Cinema Center, with selected works touring cinematheques and arthouses across the country — including stops in cities such as Gwangju, Gangneung and Jeonju — through next summer. 'This retrospective offers a comprehensive look at Wiseman's lifelong investigation of how we live together -- how institutions mediate human behavior, and how people shape and are shaped by the systems they inhabit,' said DMZ Docs senior programmer Jang Byung-won. The festival will also host symposiums and screenings featuring scholars, critics and filmmakers from Korea and abroad, alongside the publication of a comprehensive catalog documenting Wiseman's complete body of work.
Korea Herald
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
The Royal Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet head to Seoul for July galas
Two of Europe's most storied ballet companies — The Royal Ballet and the Paris Opera Ballet — are set to take to the stage in Seoul next month, offering local audiences a rare opportunity to witness their grandeur, tradition and artistic evolution through back-to-back galas. From July 4 to 6, The Royal Ballet returns to Korea for the first time in two decades, performing "The First Gala in Seoul" at the LG Arts Center in Magok-dong, western Seoul. The company's much-anticipated visit features eight principal dancers, including Benois de la Danse-winning ballerina Natalia Osipova as well as Korean first soloists Choe Yu-hui and Jun Joon-hyuk. From July 30 to Aug. 1, the Paris Opera Ballet will present "Ballet Gala of Etoiles in Paris" at the Seoul Arts Center. Leading the Parisian company is Park Sae-eun, the company's first Asian etoile and Benois de la Danse-winning ballerina, returning to her home country alongside a cast of stars. This marks the POB's second gala appearance in Korea in collaboration with the Seoul Arts Center, following performances in 2024. Notably, Park herself was directly involved in curating the program. Both companies will showcase a dynamic range of works — from signature pas de deux, or duets, from the classical canon to modern masterpieces — highlighting their artistic versatility. The Royal Ballet's program includes excerpts from "Don Quixote," "Giselle," Frederick Ashton's "Swan Lake" and Kenneth MacMillan's drama ballets "Romeo and Juliet" and "Manon." The Paris Opera Ballet will divide its repertoire into two alternating programs over the three-day run. Classical highlights include scenes from "The Sleeping Beauty," "Sylvia" and "Paquita." Both companies also lean into contemporary works to express their modern identities. The Royal Ballet will bring Christopher Wheeldon's poetic "After the Rain." The Paris Opera Ballet counters with George Balanchine's "Sonatine" set to the music of Maurice Ravel, Jerome Robbins' "In the Night" and Maurice Bejart's evocative "Songs of a Wayfarer." In an overlap, both galas include McGregor's kinetic "Chroma," originally choreographed for the Royal Ballet in 2006. Seoul audiences will be treated to a pas de trois, or trio, by The Royal Ballet on July 5 and 6 and a pas de deux by the Paris Opera Ballet on Aug. 1. Lausanne winner Park Youn-jae in Seongnam Adding to Seoul's ballet-filled summer, the Seongnam Arts Center will present 2025 Ballet Stars on July 26 and 27 at its Opera House in Gyeonggi Province — a gala performance that brings together internationally acclaimed ballet stars and rising next-generation dancers. This year's program, spread over two days with different lineups, offers a rich blend of classical and contemporary works. Highlights include beloved scenes from "Le Corsaire," "Giselle," "Swan Lake" and "Don Quixote" — perennial favorites among Korean audiences — as well as contemporary pieces rarely staged in Korea such as "Ballet 102," "Closer" and "To Fly Again." The 2025 edition features principal dancer Chae Ji-young and second soloist Lee Sun-woo of Boston Ballet, Kim Soo-min of Dresden Semperoper Ballet's corps de ballet and first soloist James Kirby Rogers, as well as Park Sang-won and Leo Hepler of the Dutch National Ballet. Also joining the stage are some of Korea's brightest rising stars. Park Youn-jae, who won first prize at this year's Prix de Lausanne, and Kang Gyeong-ho, who gained national attention by finishing second on Mnet dance competition show "Stage Fighter," will bring a fresh dynamic to the gala.
New York Times
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
In Paris, a Reminder of French Ballet History and Style
Manuel Legris, lithe in a tracksuit, held up a hand. 'Stop! Stop!' he called out as Francesco Mura, a Paris Opera Ballet principal dancer, smoothly executed a tricky passage. 'It's lovely, but I've lost the character,' Legris told Mura. 'I'm just seeing technique.' Legris, 60, knows about technique. A former étoile, or star, of the Paris Opera Ballet, and a former director of the Vienna State Ballet and La Scala Ballet, Legris was the supreme classicist of his era — the Roger Federer of ballet — his unobtrusive virtuosity always informed by an elegant refinement. On this day, though, Legris was focused on character and intention as he worked with a cast of Paris Opera dancers in his ballet 'Sylvia,' at a public rehearsal in the Opera Bastille amphitheater. 'Imagine you are a young, fresh shepherd, bursting with joy and life,' he told Mura as he ran onstage. The character of Sylvia, he explained to Inès McIntosh, is 'strong and sensual; this isn't 'Sleeping Beauty.'' 'Sylvia,' set to an enchanting score by Délibes, was the first ballet performed at the Palais Garnier, a year after it was inaugurated in 1875. Choreographed by Louis Mérante, it had a mixed reception, with most plaudits going to the score. ('What riches in the melody, the rhythm, the harmony,' Tchaikovsky wrote, after seeing it in 1877.) Versions of the ballet came and went over the next century. Frederick Ashton's for the Sadler's Wells Ballet (the forerunner of the Royal Ballet) in 1952, with a resplendent Margot Fonteyn in the title role, put the ballet back into the mainstream repertory, though it wasn't performed by the Royal from the mid-1960s to 2004. American Ballet Theater will present it at the Metropolitan Opera House in July. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Coming to City Center: A Flurry of Dance From Around the World
New York City Center will welcome an array of dance companies from around the world for its 2025-26 season, the theater announced on Tuesday. The season opens with the center's 22nd Fall for Dance Festival (Sept. 16-27), with its most international lineup since the pandemic. 'It was absolutely an intentional choice on our part,' said Michael S. Rosenberg, City Center's president and chief executive. 'This feels like a very important moment to have global perspectives on our stage in New York City because of all that's happening in the world.' The festival includes the Social Tango Project from Argentina; the Stuttgart Ballet from Germany; San Francisco Ballet; and a restaging of Jerome Robbins's 'Afternoon of Faun' starring the Paris Opera Ballet étoiles Hannah O'Neill and Hugo Marchand. Festival tickets are $20 (plus fees). 'There's really no point in bringing the world's best to our stage if people can't afford to be in the audience,' Rosenberg said. Beyond Fall for Dance, City Center also presents Paris Opera Ballet (Oct. 9-12), in its first engagement in New York since 2012. The company will perform the New York premiere of Hofesh Shechter's 'Red Carpet,' featuring costumes created in partnership with Chanel. The New York City Ballet principal dancer Tiler Peck returns to the theater with 'Turn It Out With Tiler Peck & Friends' (Oct. 16-19). The program includes William Forsythe's 'The Barre Project, Blake Works II,' set to music by James Blake; Peck's 'Thousandth Orange,' set to live music by the Pulitzer-winning composer Caroline Shaw; and Alonzo King's pas de deux 'Swift Arrow,' with music by Jason Moran. The program closes with the 2022 City Center commission 'Time Spell,' a collaboration of Peck, Michelle Dorrance and Jillian Meyers. Dutch National Ballet (Nov. 20-22) follows with two programs featuring the former Bolshoi star Olga Smirnova and dances by Ted Brandsen, Wubkje Kuindersma, Robbins and a new work by Alexei Ratmansky, which is to have its premiere at the Holland Festival in June. Presented by Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels, Lyon Opera Ballet (Feb. 19-21) returns with a double bill of works: Merce Cunningham's 1999 'Biped' and the U.S. premiere of Christos Papadopoulos's 2023 'Mycelium,' set to electronic music by Coti K. Martha Graham Dance Company's centennial celebration (April 9-12) will bring three Graham classics — 'Night Journey,' 'Chronicle' and 'Appalachian Spring,' each with stage designs by the sculptor Isamu Noguchi and scores played by the Mannes Orchestra — along with newer works by Jamar Roberts and Baye & Asa. Other highlights include Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's five-week holiday season (Dec. 3-Jan. 4); the 25th Flamenco Festival (Feb. 26-March 8); Dance Theater of Harlem, which will perform 'Firebird,' a reimagining of the classic Russian folk tale in a lush Caribbean setting (April 16-19); and Ballet Hispánico's 'Mujeres: Women in Motion,' the company's second program dedicated to female choreographers (April 23-26). Musical theater programming, including the annual gala presentation and 2026 Encores! series, will be announced at a later date. 'What we're doing is presenting New Yorkers with opportunities for discovery,' Stanford Makishi, City Center's artistic director, said about the visiting dance companies. 'Even though their work is performed all over the world,' he said, 'it's not done so much here.'
