Karl Paquette

Sergei Prokofiev's setting of the fairy tale "Cinderella" premiered at Moscow's Bolshoi Theater in 1945. In 1986, Rudolf Nureyev, then ballet director of the Paris Opera, choreographed the ballet anew and transposed the story into a private cinema, with sets reminiscent of Fritz Lang's "Metropolis." ARTE shows the Paris Opera performance from December 31, 2018.

Jerome Robbins considered the Paris Opera Ballet as his second home after the New York City Ballet. This production in his honour brings together works displaying the infinite diversity of his sources of inspiration and his genius on stage. Be it in the energy of the large-scale Glass Pieces or the intimate sweetness of Afternoon of a Faun and A Suite of Dances, there emerges that rare capacity to make bodies follow the flow in a living comprehension of music. As the celebrated ballet Fancy Free, a veritable theatrical portrait of an era, enters the repertoire, Robbins reveals another facet of his talent.

Prima ballerina takes the stage at the Ópera Bastille, consumed by her own anxiety and stage fright

In Jean-Guillaume Bart's new choreography of La Source, a fantastical Persia becomes the backdrop for the tempestuous love affair between the hunter Djemil, the beautiful Nouredda, and the sprite Naïla.

In 2012, the Opéra national de Paris mounted a new production of Rudolf Nureyev's celebrated re-interpretation of the Minkus–Petipa ballet Don Quixote. Goya-inspired sets by Alexandre Beliaev and costumes by Elena Rivkina, and a ravishing performance by the Orchestre de l'Opéra national de Paris under the direction of Kevin Rhodes make for an unforgettable adventure into this magical and comical world.

Ballet in a prologue and three acts based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas fils; music by Chopin. The passionate tale of Marguerite Gautier and Armand Duval unfolds ingeniously through a drama-within-a-drama as they meet at the theatre during a performance of Manon Lescaut. So begin their romantic adventures in Paris, brought to life by Neumeier’s intense and refined choreographic language. Chopin’s ravishing music highlights this exceptional neo-classical ballet, featuring the star dancers of the Paris Opéra Ballet. This lavish production, filmed live at the Palais Garnier in High Definition and full surround sound, is all about love, passion, danger and glorious dancing from one of the best ballet companies in the world. John Neumeier has created a ballet in which emotions go crescendo … Agnes Letestu, the great dramatic heroine, triumphs in this ballet danced to music by Chopin.

Agnès Letestu, a feminine and warm Odette, and José Martinez, a convincing, pale, vulnerable prince Siegfried, are the stars of this deeply passionate, ‘dream’ version of Swan Lake. Rudolf Nureyev's interpretation of Tchaikovsky's lyrical ballet, far from being a clichéd stereotype of this celebrated masterpiece, is an exposé of astonishingly powerful and recognisable human emotions. Under the inspired and clearcut musical direction of Vello Pähn, this production of one of the jewels of the Paris Opera Ballet's repertoire brilliantly displays the meticulous precision, technical prowess and pure, unmannered style of the company's unrivalled female corps de ballet, eliciting an ethereal, intense beauty captured for DVD in High Definition video and superb surround sound.

No plot available for this movie.

Ballet master Pierre Lacotte brings the long-dormant "Paquita" back to life at the Paris Opera (where it debuted in 1846) in this fanciful tale about a noble child kidnapped and raised by gypsies, never suspecting she's of royal blood. The ballet retains much of its original character, thanks in part to Lacotte's faithful choreography and Luisa Spinatelli's authentic sets and costumes, which were modeled after the originals.

ETOILES: DANCERS OF THE PARIS OPERA BALLET celebrates the legacy one of the best ballet companies in the world by weaving together rehearsals, tour snapshots and performances of classical ballets such as Swan Lake and La Sylphide, as well as contemporary works such as Maurice Bejart's Ninth Symphony, Jiri Kylian's Doux Mensonge (Sweet Lies) and Pierre Darde's Orison. Celebrated filmmaker Nils Tavernier endeavors to understand the psychology of dance by talking candidly with some of the biggest stars in dance today. The film also features interviews with the dancers who explain how and why they endure the emotional and physical hardships of their profession in their intense drive to be on stage.