The competition of ballet troupe artists at the Paris Opera was held according to new rules

The Paris Opera hosted an annual competition for ballet troupe artists hoping to advance in the hierarchy. The competition, where even critics are usually admitted very selectively, was held for the first time under the chairmanship of the new artistic director of the ballet, José Martinez, and for the first time under new rules. About the change of traditions and mores – Maria Sidelnikova.

The annual competition at the Paris Opera is a unique phenomenon in the ballet world. There is nothing like this in any other theater. In Russia, the policy for nurturing soloists is different – more subjective and unregulated: everything is subordinated to the “vision” of the troupe director, choreographer, and artistic director. Either tutors look after the artist with parental care, or they look after him while he is still at school. In this case, the corps de ballet, as a rule, does not stay long: from the very first season they receive solo parts, which in other theaters are waited for years.

The Paris Opera has a different philosophy. The face and power of the troupe is determined not by the soloists, but by the corps de ballet, so even if you’re one of a kind, you won’t be able to bypass the crowd. Yes, no one wants to. The artists do not argue with the fact that they need to grow into solo parts, both technically and acting-wise. Another question is at what cost and how much time it takes. The annual competition is one of those traditions on which the centuries-old mythology of the Paris Opera rests. The first official mention dates back to 1860; among the initiators of the “Code of Rules” is the just retired Maria Taglioni, among other “jurors” and Lucien Petipa, brother of Marius Ivanovich. Since then, the names of the classes and levels in the hierarchy have changed, but the principle itself has never been questioned. While not mandatory, the competition nevertheless remains the only way to move up the career ladder, and therefore acts as a guarantor against the arbitrariness of management. So every November, aspiring adult artists, shaking like children, take to the empty stage of the Palais Garnier to prove their worth.

The golden hall, usually buzzing animatedly in different languages, is unusually quiet. All conversations are in whispers, the stalls are empty, an improvised table for the jury has been built on top of the chairs. Behind him are ten people: five troupe artists chosen by lot, two respected outside ballet figures (art directors of other companies, choreographers) and three representatives of the management. The entrance to the stalls is closed to the rest. Teachers, the press, artists (and half the troupe flocks to the competition) take their places on the balcony. Boxes go to relatives and rare invitees. The competition is held behind closed doors for two days. First the girls, then the boys. They perform by class, just like in school, only here the class corresponds to a level in the hierarchy. Last season turned out to be a fruitful season for retirement and retirement, therefore, places became available. The performers – made up, in costumes, everything, as if at a performance – present two variations to the jury: one obligatory, classical (the girls this year got Petipa’s “Corsaire” and Nureyev’s “Raymonda”, the boys were less fortunate – they bit into the text -de-de Tchaikovsky Balanchine and “Marco Spada” Lacotte). The second variation is at the applicant’s choice, but from the Opera repertoire. However, even here the classics outweigh (only a couple of people decided to hire a “living” choreographer). The jury makes a verdict without discussion, assigning the contestant places from first to sixth. The results become known immediately, during intermission. During the competition, applause is unacceptable; everything is strictly regulated, emphatically dry and ceremonial.

The hierarchy in Paris is five-level, as in most world theaters. “Quadrilles”, luminaries, “plots”, first dancers and, finally, etouiles (in the Russian tradition at the Bolshoi Theater – corps de ballet, second soloists, first soloists, leading soloists and, finally, ballerinas and premieres). The higher the level, the more opportunities, starting from roles and salaries, ending with everyday amenities (dressing rooms, a seat on the plane, etc., in Paris all this is also enshrined in the table of ranks). Until about the middle of the last century, the hierarchy was observed unquestioningly: no rank, no solo roles. But first Raymond Franchetti, and then Rudolf Nureyev, being artistic directors, began to distribute parties not only by rank, but also by talent. This practice has received official recognition. The Opera’s collective agreement states that each artist can be involved in any role, according to creative needs, and not class. The hierarchy, however, was preserved, and so was the competitive basis, except that the mandatory exam every six months was replaced by an optional annual competition.

And desire turned out to be a variable value. Artists of the new generation (give or take the same age as this century, they today form the backbone of the Paris Opera ballet troupe) are people with a different scale of values, which is increasingly built horizontally. The opera is a home, but far from the only one, the profession is a service, and not a ministry at all, and they take the exam not once a year, but every evening on stage. An ardent opponent of the competition was the former director of the Paris Opera ballet troupe, Benjamin Millepied, who from all the stands called for its cancellation as an atavism. In reality, nothing came of it, but his ideas greatly influenced others. As a result, young artists left the troupe. The most striking example is Marion Barbeau, known to many as the main character of the film “In the Body” by Cedric Klapisch, and to balletomanes as a diligent ballerina who discovered her passion and courage for modern languages ​​(director Dmitry Chernyakov had a hand in this discovery, who saw in her – corps de ballet dancer – her Marie for “Iolanta / Nutcracker”). For ten years in a row, this unique artist could not pass the annual competition and move from the “plots” to the first dancers. “After such solo parts, returning to the corps de ballet is tiring and exhausting, first of all for the body. “I’d rather not say anything about mood and motivation,” she said in an interview with Kommersant (for more details, see Kommersant, May 21, 2019). As a result, when the “first dancer” level was taken, she went on academic leave and is now working with modern choreographers.

The fruits of Millepied’s work ten years ago are now being reaped by Jose Martinez. The ex-étoile of the Opera, who has just taken the helm, is trying to use his inherent ballet flexibility: both to hear the artists and to preserve the system. This year, on the initiative of the “plots”, the transition to a higher level in the competition, to the first dancers, was canceled for the first time. The promotion becomes the right of the artistic director and will occur in the same way as an appointment to the etiquette: the artistic director proposes, the general director approves. This measure is temporary, introduced as an experiment for the current 2023/24 season and looks more like a concession to artists than a systemic reform. Meanwhile, she is maturing, and for more than one year.

Today, the Paris Opera has an exemplary reputation as a universal troupe; in its repertoire, classics of the 19th and 20th centuries have long coexisted with modern experimental choreography. Moreover, a strong group of artists has formed within the troupe, irreplaceable in modern productions and inconspicuous in classics. Should they be judged by the number of rounds and the purity of landings in Nureyev’s variations, or should they be allowed to reveal themselves in the solos of Crystal Pite or Pina Bausch, which require not so much ballet technique as bright individuality and bodily freedom? Perhaps now is the time to separate the “classics” from the “contemporaries.” Look, there will be queues for the competition.