the great return of a mischievous and virtuoso ballet to the Paris Opera

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After a kick-off disrupted by a dancers’ strike, Paquita is back on the stage of the Opéra Bastille. A sumptuous ballet with a light spirit, this is the big classical production which was chosen by the company for the 2024 end-of-year celebrations. Remounted in 2001 by the choreographer Pierre Lacotte, a specialist in reconstructions of the repertoire romanticit had not been given in Paris since 2015. Espagneade to the glory of the Napoleonic conquests of the First Empire, Paquita, its convoluted plot and its mischievous pantomimeabove all offer very beautiful moments of academic dance, with a particularly highlighted corps de ballet, well-executed soloist roles and a sparkling star couple.

Cascading twists and turns

The story, based on the original version of 1846, takes place in the 1810s in the province of Zaragoza, then occupied by the Napoleonic armies. The plot, tinged with an old-fashioned romantic exoticism, does not lack theatrical adventures.

It’s about a beautiful Paquita, child with a mysterious pastadopted by Gypsies; of a young aristocrat, Lucien d’Hervilly, too in love to realize that a plot is being hatched behind his back – despite not very discreet intriguers, splitting the backstage, dark gaze and cape flying in the wind; of an attempted murder as implausible as it is funny, of a telephoned revelation about the origins of Paquita, from a noble background – incidentally, the same as Lucien, whose cousin she is. A wedding, organized without interruption, will be the pretext to transform Act II into a joyful and very virtuoso dance entertainment.

A playful alchemy

These adventures unfold through a large number of dancers on stage. Valentine Colasantewithout adding unnecessarily to the game, portrays a friendly and calm Paquita, with sure points and fairly impeccable technique. In front of her, Guillaume Diop shines in the role of Lucien. In a few jumps, served with panache by legs seeming to cut through the air, arm positions both clear and flexible, he puts the audience in his pocket. The couple launches into a playful and light banter, not devoid of gentleness in the first pas de deux.

This first act is not without some lengths. The dances of the gypsies and villagers are pleasant to watch, but lack a little character. The role of Iñigo, a jealous and brutal gypsy, played by Pablo Legasa, is a little too caricatured to offer a really interesting counterpoint. We especially remember the no three which wakes up the whole, served brilliantly by Inès McIntosh, Marine Ganio and Francesco Mura.

A great classic “Big Step”

Once the revelation of Paquita’s birth has passed, the marriage is decreed, the pantomime disappears. Time for dancing, for her alone. The French style, all down to the core, is enhanced by precise and musical soloists, a brilliant corps de ballet. Highly anticipated and applauded, the little rats from the Dance School compensate for some approximate alignments in their famous “Polish» with ear-to-ear smiles, proud shoulders and energy inversely proportional to their size.

The famous “Big step“, a final piece of bravura, is a treat to follow, and the technical difficulties are passed with flying colors by Valentine Colasante and Guillaume Diop. The women’s corps de ballet, in unison, plays its full part in this success.

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