Dance of France / Entertainment

Dance of France / Entertainment
When it comes to dance, Paris is more a cultural crossroads than a cultural center. Due to a deliberate government policy of decentralization, many of the top French dance companies are based in the provinces, although they frequently visit the capital. In addition, the greatest dance companies from all over the world perform here. Paris has a well-deserved reputation as a center of excellence for modern and experimental dance, and has numerous workshops and places in which to learn its many forms.

CLASSICAL BALLET
The opulent Opéra National de Paris Garnier is the home of the Ballet de l’Opéra de Paris, which is earning a reputation as one of the world’s best classical dance companies.
Since the Opéra National de Paris Bastille opened in 1989, the Opéra National de Paris
Garnier has been used almost exclusively for dance. It is one of the largest theaters in Europe, with performance space for 450 artists and a seating capacity of 2,200.
Modern dance companies such as the Martha Graham Company, Paul Taylor, Merce Cunningham, Alvin Ailey, Jerome Robbins, and Roland Petit’s Ballet de Marseille also regularly perform here.
The Opéra National de Paris Garnier, extensively restored both inside and out, now shares operatic
productions with the Opéra National de Paris Bastille.

MODERN DANCE
Government support has helped the Théâtre de la Ville (once run by Sarah Bernhardt) to become Paris’s most important venue for modern dance, with subsidies keeping ticket costs relatively low. Through performances at the Théâtre de la Ville, modern choreographers such as Jean-Claude Gallotta, Regine Chopinot, Maguy Marin, and Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker have gained international recognition. Here you may also see troupes such as Pina Bausch’s Wuppertal Dance Theater, whose tormented, existential choreography may not  be to everyone’s taste, but
is always popular with Parisian audiences.
Music performances also run throughout the season and include chamber music, recitals, world music, and jazz.

The Maison des Arts de Créteil presents some of the most interesting dance works in Paris. It is located in the Paris suburb of Créteil, where the local council gives strong support to dance. Créteil’s company choreographer, Maguy Marin, has won consistent praise for her darkly expressive work.
The Maison des Arts also brings in such innovative companies as the Sydney Ballet, and the Kirov from St. Petersburg, which is more inclined towards the classical.
Set amid the opulent couture shops and embassies, the elegant Art Deco Théâtre des Champs-Élysées has 1,900 seats. It is frequented by an upscale audience who watch major international companies perform here. It was here that Nijinsky first danced Stravinsky’s iconoclastic The Rite of Spring, which led to rioting among the audience.

The theater is more famous as a classical music venue, but recent visitors have included the Harlem Dance Company and London’s Royal Ballet, and it is here that Mikhail Baryshnikov and American choreographer Mark Morris perform when they are in Paris. It also sponsors the popular Géants de la Danse series, an evening-length sampling of international ballet. The lovely old Théâtre du Châtelet is a renowned opera and classical music venue, but it is also host to international contemporary dance companies such as the Tokyo Ballet and the Birmingham Royal Ballet.
Experimental dance companies perform in the Théâtre de la Bastille, where innovative theater is also staged. Many directors and companies start here, then go on to international fame.
New companies to look out for include La P’tit Cie and L’Esquisse, but they have no fixed venue.

EVENTS LISTINGS
To find out what’s on, read the inexpensive weekly entertainment guides Pariscope and L’Officiel des Spectacles. Posters advertising dance performances are widely displayed in the metro and on the streets, especially on the green advertisement columns, the colonnes Morris.

TICKET PRICES
Expect to pay €10–€100 for tickets to the Opéra de Paris Garnier (€5–€60 for a ballet), €6–€75 for the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, and anything from €9–€30 for other venues.

DANCE VENUES
Maison des Arts et de la Culture de Créteil Pl Salvador Allende 94000 Créteil.
Tel 01 45 13 19 19. Opéra National de Paris Garnier.
Opéra National de Paris Bastille.Théâtre de la Bastille 76 Rue de la Roquette 75011.

Tel 01 43 57 42 14.
Théâtre de la Ville
Théâtre des Champs-Elysées
Théâtre du Châtelet