Ballet in Paris & London - George Balanchine & Alexander Ekman

Highlights

• Opportunity to watch a company rehearsal by English National Ballet at Sadler's Wells Theatre.
• Visit Palais Garnier
• Visit Théâtre du Châtelet where Diaghilev launched his first Ballets Russes season in 1909
• Explore London

What's this trip about?

Ballet as a professional art form was born in seventeenth century Paris, and was reborn there, after the decline of the late nineteenth century, with the arrival of Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. This was more than just a dance company; it was a creative movement which, from its inception, drew to itself the greatest musical, theatrical and artistic talents of the era. Today, Paris remains a world capital of classical dance, and its flagship company, The Paris Opera Ballet, is renowned for its grand-scale productions and the supremely elegant finish of its dancers. Two of the ballets seen on this tour are works by the choreographer George Balanchine, who left Russia in 1924, aged twenty, to join Diaghilev’s company. We walk in the footsteps of the Ballets Russes, acquiring something of the flavour of those extraordinary days, with visits to several associated sites. The Théâtre du Châtelet, where it all began in 1909 and Nijinsky and Karsavina enjoyed their greatest triumphs. The fabulously opulent Palais Garnier (Opéra de Paris), with its ceiling painted by Marc Chagall, on whose stage The Firebird and Schéhérazade had their premières. The Hotel Scribe, where Diaghilev often stayed, and where he gathered around him a brilliant côterie of dancers, designers and composers.

Accommodation