Paris - Contrasts Trisha Brown / David Dawson / Imre, Marne van Opstal Palais Garnier from 01 to 31 December 2025

 

A magnificent December rises on the horizon, shimmering with the promise of pure ballet enchantment at the Palais Garnier. With the arrival of Contrasts, the Paris Opera Ballet opens the doors to a universe of artistry where brilliance, sensitivity, innovation, and timeless elegance intertwine like threads of gold. What awaits the audience is more than a performance—it is a poetic celebration, a luminous encounter with dance in all its forms, carried by a constellation of artists who elevate the stage into a realm of dreams.

✨ A Constellation of Radiant Étoiles

What a privilege to witness such resplendent stars, each one magnificent, each one unique, each one a treasure of the Paris Opera:

Bleuenn Battistoni, with her crystalline clarity, dances as if woven from starlight—pure, luminous, and impossibly refined. Her movements paint the air with an effortless grace that feels almost supernatural.

Guillaume Diop, noble and magnetic, possesses a stage presence that commands attention with a quiet, majestic intensity. Every gesture, every elevation, every glance carries brilliance and heart.

Léonore Baulac, the epitome of lyrical delicacy, reveals worlds of sensitivity through the tiniest articulation of her hands. She dances like a whisper of poetry suspended in time.

Paul Marque, dazzling and impeccable, blends precision with radiant musicality, sculpting movement with a virtuosity that seems without limit.

Valentine Colasante, regal, powerful, and profoundly expressive, brings a queenly weight and emotional richness that anchor the stage with irresistible allure.

Marc Moreau, refined and elegant, carries a sculptural quality in his phrasing, transforming every step into a line of exquisite beauty.

Hannah O’Neill, ethereal and sublime, shines with an otherworldly softness, her fluidity so breathtaking it feels like a dream made flesh.

Germain Louvet, poetic and noble, merges refinement and emotion with astonishing naturalness, turning dance into an intimate confession.

To witness these Étoiles dance together is to witness a galaxy in motion—a cosmic dance of artistry, passion, and brilliance.

🌟 The Radiant Première Danseuses and Premiers Danseurs

Surrounding the Étoiles, the ensemble of leading artists forms a glittering constellation of talent, each one bringing individuality and depth:

Inès McIntosh, delicate yet vibrant, dances with a glowing sincerity that lights the stage from within.

Hohyun Kang, elegant and precise, offers movement of pure silk and steel.

Jack Gasztowtt, expressive and beautifully grounded, shapes his presence with warm, magnetic artistry.

Silvia Saint-Martin, vibrant and dazzling, radiates an infectious energy that electrifies the space.

Andrea Sarri, noble and sculpted, blends strength with lyrical sensitivity.

Antoine Kirscher, bold, charismatic, and fearless, ignites the stage with a compelling artistic fire.

Together, these artists form a living jewel box, exquisitely faceted, endlessly captivating.

🩰 The Programme: A Journey Through Contrasts and Wonder

Contrasts begins with the fascinating world of Trisha Brown, the emblematic figure of post-modern dance who forever transformed the language of movement.

O złożony / O composite, created for the Paris Opera Ballet, is a delicate web of gestures, a meditation on breath, balance, and the purity of motion.

With If you couldn’t see me, that haunting solo danced with the back to the audience, the Opera deepens its connection to Brown’s visionary universe—a world where restraint becomes revelation, and silence becomes eloquence.

The evening unfolds with David Dawson’s Anima Animus, a feast of contrasting energies: masculine versus feminine, vitality versus tenderness, explosive attack versus lyrical suspension. Dawson sculpts classical vocabulary into forms that shimmer with intensity—athletic yet poetic, powerful yet fragile. It is a ballet that seems to breathe fire and music at the same time.

Finally, the sibling duo Imre and Marne van Opstal invites us into the hypnotic realm of Drift Wood, a creation that evokes the poetry of time, transformation, and resilience. Like driftwood shaped by the sea, the dancers embody the tenderness and force of nature—its unpredictability, its quiet strength, its haunting beauty. The music, the scenography, the choreography merge to create a mysterious, mesmerizing world where the human body becomes a landscape in motion.

🎩 An Unforgettable Soirée in the Temple of Dance

To experience all of this live, inside the golden reverie of the Palais Garnier, is to receive a gift of rare splendor. The architecture glows, the curtain rises, and the stage becomes a sanctuary where emotion, beauty, and time suspend themselves.

With such magnificent stars—Étoiles, Premières Danseuses, Premiers Danseurs, and the glorious Corps de Ballet—December promises to be a month of artistic ecstasy.

A month of wonder.

A month of beauty.

A soirée de ballet truly unforgettable, etched forever in the heart.

What joy, what privilege, what pure magic awaits you this December at the Palais Garnier.