Free concert protest in front of Palais Garnier~

After 12 days of holiday, the dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet started rehearsing again this week. For me, I am understudying the role of the “4 dancers“ in Balanchine’s Sérénade, which will be the first ballet presented in a Balanchine program in Opéra Bastille. Sérénade is mostly composed of female parts, so I have had very few rehearsals.

While the Ballet doesn’t have any performance programmed until the end of January, the Paris Opera was supposed to be playing Le Barbier de Séville and L’Enfant et les Sortilèges in the two Operas. However, much to my surprise, the strike continues and the first performances of these two productions were cancelled.

The SCNF and the RATP, the two main public transport companies in Paris, is gradually providing their service, fortunately. It has been one and a half month since the strike started in the public transport and the Parisians are getting mad about it.

Yet, the social movement continues at the Opera. In particular, the artists of the company organised another free public concert in front of the Palais Garnier yesterday afternoon. This time there was a large number of people watching. The singers of the choir and the musicians of the orchestra performed a series of well known pieces, started with a parade of the staff from all the departments of the company, on Hector Berlioz’s Marche des Troyens, in tribute to the Paris Opera Ballet’s traditional Défilé, and ended with La Marseillaise, the French National Anthem. The whole performance lasted for almost half and hour. Here are some videos:

Long version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxNNj25CRcc

Short version:

The Chinese New Year of the Rat is coming soon. On that day, I will be in Grenoble for my business school’s graduation ceremony and will be giving my very first speech in French and performing a short contemporary solo. The next day, a gala performance in Levallois, just next to Paris.