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

Paris - Palais Garnier

December in Paris has its own kind of enchantment — a quiet glitter that settles over the boulevards, the rooftops, the soft winter nights. But nothing shines more brightly than the Palais Garnier when the doors open, the lights rise, and the dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet step into the glow of the stage.

This season’s triple bill, Contrasts, feels like a love letter to dance itself — a celebration of movement in all its forms: pure, experimental, explosive, poetic, mysterious. And what makes it truly unforgettable is the treasure of artists who bring it to life each evening. Stars, rising stars, legends, new voices: all woven together into a single night that feels almost too magical to be real.

🩰 Trisha Brown’s Whispered Worlds

The evening begins with the quiet genius of Trisha Brown — a master of subtlety, breath, and the poetic simplicity of the human body.

O złożony / O composite unfolds like a silk thread drifting in the air, while If You Couldn’t See Me deepens the mystery, danced with the back turned to the audience, as if emotion were a secret whispered just out of reach.

And at the heart of this lies the role of Aurélie, interpreted by four extraordinary ballerinas who each bring their own light:

• Dorothée Gilbert, the iconic Étoile, luminous and refined

• Lillian Di Piazza, the exquisite former principal ballerina from the Pennsylvania Ballet, now gracing Paris with elegance and depth

• Marine Ganio, radiant, musical, deeply moving

• Héloïse Bourdon, soulful, warm, with a poetic presence all her own

Opposite them, artists such as Marc Moreau and Guillaume Diop sculpt the choreography into something tender, noble, and translucent.

On December 9th, for example, audiences can marvel at Dorothée Gilbert as Aurélie, alongside Marc Moreau as Manuel and Guillaume Diop, whose charisma and purity of line make every moment shimmer.

🔥 David Dawson’s Anima Animus

Then the curtain rises again — and the energy changes.

David Dawson’s Anima Animus bursts forward with fire, velocity, and crystalline precision. The dancers arch, twist, and slice the air with a thrilling clarity that blends strength and fragility into one breathless world.

Here, too, the casts sparkle with brilliance:

Paul Marque, fierce and elegant.

Shale Wagman, electrifying in every step.

Hohyun Kang, radiant as moonlight.

Hannah O’Neill, stunning in her bold delicacy.

Inès McIntosh, graceful and luminous.

Bleuenn Battistoni, a revelation of technique and soul.

Enzo Saugar, powerful and poetic.

Nicola Di Vico, sharp, musical, unforgettable.

Each cast creates its own version of this living flame — each night a new constellation of personalities and interpretations.

🌊 Driftwood: A World of Shadows and Dreams

Finally, the evening drifts into the haunting world of Imre and Marne van Opstal’s Driftwood, where movement seems shaped by time, memory, and the shifting tides of the human spirit.

The dancers become landscapes, storms, whispers, hands reaching and retreating. The piece feels alive — tender one moment, wild the next.

And the dancers who carry it are stunning:

Valentine Colasante, Bleuenn Battistoni, Paul Marque, Marc Moreau, Andrea Sarri, Enzo Saugar, Silvia Saint-Martin, Hohyun Kang, and the beautiful new premières danseuses Bianca Scudamore and Clara Mousseigne. 

We will see also on stage the great ballerina étoile : 

Léonore Baulac

Also  the dancers :

Elisabeth Partington

Luna Peigné

Nine Seropian

Luciana Sagioro

Antoine Kirschner

Andrea Sarri, unforgettable — I still remember him for a breathtaking Albrecht.

Jack Gasztowtt

And, shining brightly among them all, Guillaume Diop — my favorite, and a dancer whose artistry continues to rise like a star guided by both fire and grace.

🌟 A City Overflowing with Ballet Magic

And as if this triple bill were not enough, across the city at Bastille, the success of Notre Dame de Paris draws crowds night after night, with powerful interpretations by the Super stars :

• Amandine Albisson 

• Roxane Stojanov,

• Sae Eun Park,

and many more brilliant performers who turn Victor Hugo’s world into pure dance.

Paris becomes a paradise for ballet lovers — a whirlwind of nights, a thousand stars, a treasure impossible to absorb in just a few days. Each cast a revelation, each evening a gift.

✨ An Invitation from the Heart

If you find yourself in Paris this December, or if you are dreaming of going, let this triple bill be your golden ticket to wonder.

To sit under the painted ceilings of the Palais Garnier, to feel the orchestra vibrate, to watch these extraordinary artists give everything they are… it is pure joy, pure privilege, pure magic.

A month of beauty.

A month of stars.

A month to remember forever.

Merry Christmas— from Paris, with love, light, and endless dance. 🩰💛✨